[Black_Knyght]

Never said the ratings were stellar, but neither were they as bad as some other shows that were kept in the line-up by FOX. It simply came down to a dispute between FOX and Whedon, and FOX threw their weight around and canned Whedon's projects.

No one knew then that he'd manage to revive the property well enough to get Universal to back it being made into a movie. When it did make it's cinematic comeback FOX tried to claim they still held a portion of the rights, and lost that bid when it was determined in court that they did not, having signed off on it at Whedon's released from contract.

I can't say what the legal status of the other properties is, as I never really heard much about them. I was somewhat involved, indirectly, in some of the interplay with FOX and Whedon, though. I was working at the FOX studios when some of the conflict between them overflowed into the stage areas. Later, we were read an "OFFICIAL" statement by FOX management concerning the issues.