Posted by Shado-cabinet on Aug 19, 2020; 8:12pm
URL: https://www.shado-forum.com/UFO-ANNUAL-1972-tp4023946p4023955.html

Hi Marc

Thanks for your reply. So it seems that UFO was technically a one-off project by Anderson & Grade (which is a pity because we never saw any kind of closure to the series since the final episode : 'The Long Sleep' was just a routine episode without any great finale). So it seems true that Grade would only create a second  season for any show if the Americans were willing to purchase it. It's a pity he didn't break this rule for UFO as I am sure he would have made money selling it to other foreign markets anyway (particularly Russia, if there were some Russian characters added to SHADO in the second season etc). But like you say the Americans became disinterested in UFO once the ratings dipped towards the end of the season (I suppose you could blame episodes like 'Confetti', 'Cat with ten Lives' & 'A Question of Priorities', and even 'The Long Sleep' with its lackluster finale for the decline in US ratings). It's a pity because UFO definitely deserved a second season. It's also strange that Anderson opted to make a CGI-remake for 'Captain Scarlet' in the 2000s and not UFO. I am pretty sure that a CGI version of UFO (with the voices of Ed Bishop & the rest of the cast) would have been a great success.