The ambitious, genre-bending project may be a TV show nobody talks about these days, but “Dark Angel” stirred up quite a bit of chatter when the series kicked things off with a movie-length, two-hour pilot. Scheduling the mega-premiere at the 9:00 p.m. time slot required some major adjustments behind the scenes, and Fox had to pull some strings to get the pilot properly aired. Co-created by self-proclaimed “King of the World” James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee, the cyberpunk sci-fi series introduced the world to Max Guevara (Jessica Alba), a genetically enhanced super-soldier navigating a post-apocalyptic Seattle in 2019.
Per an October 1, 2000 report from The Philadelphia Inquirer, under standard contract agreements at the time, Fox only programmed prime-time content from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Extending the premiere until 11:00 p.m. meant breaking into territory usually reserved for late-night programming, mainly local news programs. To make the “Dark Angel’s” super-sized debut happen, Fox executives had to ask their local affiliates across the country for a one-time agreement to delay their 10:00 p.m. local newscasts.
Fox chose to air Dark Angel instead of the first presidential debate between Al Gore and George W. Bush
The request didn’t come without a side of political drama, though. According to ABC News, Fox drew sharp criticism for choosing to air Cameron’s sci-fi thriller instead of broadcasting the historic first presidential debate between Al Gore and George W. Bush. Ultimately, Fox’s bet — which included airing a tape-delayed debate broadcast following “Dark Angel” — paid off. “Dark Angel” pulled in a whopping 17.3 million viewers, proving that audiences had far more interest in Jessica Alba’s leather-clad, bike-riding heroine than they did politics.
Despite its strong debut, the Cameron and Alba sci-fi team-up never made it beyond a second season, and ended up being cancelled way too soon. Production costs for the show proved to be too expensive for the network, with the pilot reportedly costing $12 million, and following episodes running up a tab of about $1.3 million each. Combine that with dwindling ratings and it’s no wonder Fox clipped the angel’s wings in 2002, leaving “Dark Angel” fans on edge with a Season 2 cliffhanger ending.
