Xena: Warrior Princess Reboot Details, and Other TV News

America’s Next Top Model ended its 12-year run on The CW (formerly UPN, formerly The WB) with Cycle 22 last December, but this won’t be the end of ANTM. VH1 is reviving the show for a 14-episode run – sans host Tyra Banks – later this year. This is a natural step for VH1 – the channel has shown reruns of the reality show for years. “We could not be more excited to bring back and breathe new life into one of the greatest unscripted franchises on television,” said chief licensing officer for CBS Corp Scott Koondel,  “VH1 is the perfect partner for this new endeavor and we hope this is the beginning of a long relationship.” While Banks will not be the host of this new ANTM, she will remain on board as an executive producer. The show will move to New York City and will likely have new hosts. We are all rooting for it.

In a recent interview between Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost), showrunner of a new Xena: Warrior Princess reboot for NBC, and Genevieve Valentine, writer of the new Xena comic, Grillo-Marxuach spilled some beans about his plans. Changes will include a more serialized story arc than Xena fans are used to and the changing of some character backstories. “Some of their morality will be tweaked,” he explained. But it will still surround legendary characters “in a way that makes sense to the totality of the story.” Will Xena still have a Chakram? Grillo-Marxuach said he usually answers that with, “Of course… What am I, a monster?” But lead actresses Lucy Lawless and Renée O’Connor won’t be recreating their roles. While he loves and will miss the duo, the showrunner said, “The reboot is not a repudiation of the classic show, but rather a compliment to it. I want for Xena to be a cultural icon for longer than my tenure in the entertainment industry, or that of anyone else involved with the project.”