Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Seymour Says Network Against New Reunions

Still-gorgeous Jane Seymour is starring in a new original movie for the Hallmark Channel. Dear Prudence debuts on August 23rd and the 57-year-old Seymour plays a Martha Stewart-type celebrity named Prudence. Like Murder She Wrote’s Jessica Fletcher, Prudence stumbles into a murder mystery and ends up solving it using her keen skills of observation. If the movie performs well, you can expect to see more of them. Could this mean that we could also see a new Dr. Quinn movie? Unfortunately, no.

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman debuted in 1993 and ran for six seasons on CBS. The series was cancelled in 1998 due to production costs, aging viewers, and sagging ratings. To mollify loyal viewers, a made-for-TV-movie was produced and aired in May 1999. Unfortunately, many fans were dissatisfied with the storyline, the absence of several castmembers, and series creator Beth Sullivan’s lack of involvement. It was not well received by critics and attracted 12 million viewers.

A couple years later, another reunion movie called The Heart Within was produced. Sullivan had full creative control this time around but budget limitations limited the appearances of minor characters. The second effort attracted 11 million viewers.

Should another Dr. Quinn movie be made? Yes! A great idea! Nah. Find something new. Never watched, don't care. View Results  Loading ...

Several castmembers have also said that they’d like to reprise their characters from the show. The 150 series episodes continue to be popular in syndication and the DVD sets have sold well so there’s been interest in producing new Dr. Quinn adventures. Unfortunately, that’s not likely to happen.

Seymour told reporters that CBS owns the rights to the show and that President and CEO “Leslie (Moonves) does not want to make any more Dr. Quinn’s.” She reminded them that the studio doesn’t own everything however, saying, “CBS owns [the show]. But I do still have all the clothes.”

Though the door is seemingly closed on the western adventure series, Seymour hopes to find other ways to work with her former Quinn castmates. If she makes other Prudence movies, Seymour wants to find ways to include them. Stay tuned!