TV Fans Hope for "Miracles"

HOLLYWOOD, FL. April 14, 2003 - It’s official: "Miracles" viewers are on a crusade. After ABC announced its April 4 suspension of the Monday night midseason replacement "Miracles" (despite respectable Nielsen ratings and a strong, dedicated fan base worldwide), thousands of fans have set out to save the fledgling show and find it a new network home.

A fan of the show’s imaginative storylines, brooding atmosphere, and beautiful production values, Angela Mitchell decided to take action following news of the cancellation, and teamed up for a massive PR campaign along with grassroots founders Lara Giesbers, Peter Tretter, Heather LaFlame, and Regina Loveless (as well as Save Miracles Petition creator Leigh Lewallen). Harnessing the power of the Internet, and involving the coordination of fans, TV critics, and media professionals worldwide, the group’s dedicated members are hoping to make TV history in much the same way "Cagney & Lacey," "Roswell" and "Farscape" fans have done - resulting in the show’s renewal at ABC, or a relocation to another network.

"’Miracles’ made an extraordinary impact with millions of viewers worldwide, with Nielsen ratings consistently scoring the show at over 6 million households each week, and rankings in the 60s and 70s (out of typically 128-138 shows ranked)," comments Mitchell. In its first six episodes to air on ABC, despite constant preemptions by current events and double episodes of "The Practice," "Miracles" maintained a respectable and steady viewership, and consistently reached more than one million more viewers than such (renewed) and established hits as the WB’s "Smallville" - and several times the viewerships of "Gilmore Girls," "Enterprise," and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," just to name a few.
And "Miracles" fans are hoping the networks take notice. "These so-called fair or lackluster ratings numbers for "Miracles" at ABC are actually terrific for a new show. ‘Miracles’ would already be a huge hit if it had been airing on other networks such as the WB, UPN or Fox," adds Mitchell. "We’re not trying to save a show no one is watching - but one that has actually done more than respectably, and which has achieved critical raves across the boards. ‘Miracles’ deserves to be seen."

Response, Coverage - and Results!

Since ABC’s April 4 announcement, the "Save Miracles" group’s efforts have already proven significant, and have resulted in a new website coordinating fan and media efforts (at www.MiraclesTV.com), plus a consolidated core team of campaign founders, major newswire, newspaper and magazine coverage, a coordinated fanbase numbering in the thousands, and a series of highly organized campaigns to ABC and major show sponsors by fans. Next in progress? An upcoming full-page advertisement in The Hollywood Reporter in which fans promote their achievements - and ask ABC to reconsider its cancellation (the ad is scheduled to run in the April 16 edition).

The campaign to save "Miracles" has also already achieved interviews and upcoming coverage by national TV critics and columnists within two weeks of launch. Other concrete results include a second-place ranking in Scifi’s Scifiwire poll on "which genre shows most deserve to return next season." Out of 52,538 votes cast (as of 11 p.m. April 12), results showed ABC’s "Miracles" in first place with 43%, with The WB’s "Angel" a close second, at 41%.

From Napkins to Newsrooms - Creative Campaigns for "Miracles" The "Save Miracles" organization’s goal is to achieve airing of the remaining unaired (and yet fully produced) seven episodes by ABC, and/or to assist the show and its producers in finding a new and more appropriate network home. Fans have already enthusiastically embraced a "Save Miracles" campaign by loyal viewers worldwide that resulted in the mailings of thousands of napkins to ABC headquarters which simply read "God is now here" - a salute to a pivotal moment in the show’s pilot episode.

The group is also publicly thanking major advertisers such as Pepsi, and offering T-shirts and other products to help fans keep the faith. The T-shirts read "Sodalitas Quaerito Miracula," (which loosely translates to ‘Brotherhood Searching for Miracles"), a play on the show’s fictional organization Sodalitas Quaerito, which explores mysterious events worldwide. The proceeds from all of these efforts help the grassroots campaign in funding additional major worldwide action on behalf of the show.

A New Trend - as Viewers Talk Back to Networks
The "Save Miracles" campaign is the latest in a string of successful fan campaigns launched by viewers to save the shows they’re passionate about. Chief among these is the highly visible campaign launched by "Farscape" fans in late 2002 (at www.savefarscape.com) following the show’s abrupt cancellation by Sci Fi, and which resulted in coverage for the show by TV critics worldwide, as well as additional opportunities for the show to live on through potentially independently financed episodes, films, or other incarnations.

About "Miracles"

Launched by ABC to widespread critical acclaim on January 27, 2003, and airing on Monday nights at 10 p.m., "Miracles" tells the story of Paul Callan, a young man who embarks on an astonishing journey of discovery following his investigation of several mysterious occurrences and unexplained ‘miracles’ worldwide. In the midst of Paul’s crisis of faith, he encounters a young boy who saves his life (encountering the words "God is now here" in his own blood in the process) - and who hints that something "dark" is on the horizon of the world. He then teams up with Alva Keel and his mysterious organization Sodalitas Quaerito to search for answers - and his journey begins.

The show received glowing reviews nationwide, included such vocal champions as TV Guide critic Matt Roush, and (ironically) was the subject of several positive and public comments from ABC Entertainment Television Group Chairman Lloyd Braun on the show’s strong showings and potential just weeks before the announcement.

"Miracles" stars Skeet Ulrich as Paul Callan, Angus Macfadyen as Alva Keel and Marisa Ramirez as Evelyn Santos. The series is produced by Touchstone Television in association with Spyglass Entertainment. Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and David Greenwalt are executive producers. Richard Hatem is executive producer and writer.

About "Save Miracles"

"Save Miracles" is a coalition of television viewers who are passionate about the show "Miracles," as well as about the continuation of quality television in general. "ABC started the story for us," adds Mitchell. "All we’re asking for is the chance the show deserves. There are seven more hours of television out there which at this point will sit in a vault forever. We just want the chance to let the viewers speak - and see where the story ends up."

For further information on the "Save Miracles" campaign, please contact:

Angela Mitchell
Public Relations and Coordination
Save Miracles
(954) 983-5877, Paramitch@aol.com or SaveMiracles@aol.com www.MiraclesTV.com