Editing Babylon 5 (section)

=== Broadcast history ===
Warner Bros. slotted the show to premiere on its nascent [[Prime Time Entertainment Network]] (PTEN). As original content from another studio, it was somewhat anomalous in a stable of syndicated content from Warner Bros. and the cause of some friction between Straczynski's company and Warner Bros.<ref name="newsarama 2019" />

The pilot film, [[Babylon 5: The Gathering|''The Gathering'']], premiered on February 22, 1993, with strong viewing figures, achieving a 9.7 in the [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen]] national syndication rankings.<ref name="benson">{{cite magazine |author=Jim Benson |date=May 28, 1993 |title=Warner weblet to 2-night sked |url=https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/warner-weblet-to-2-night-sked-107288/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114130149/http://www.variety.com/article/VR107288.html?categoryid=14&cs=1|archive-date=November 14, 2007 |url-status=live |access-date=September 8, 2020 }}</ref> The regular series initially aired from January 26, 1994 through November 25, 1998,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/eplist.html |title=Original US airdates at Lurker's Guide|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825175544/http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/eplist.html |archive-date=August 25, 2007 |access-date=August 22, 2007}}</ref> first on PTEN, then in [[Broadcast syndication#First-run syndication in the U.S.|first-run syndication]], debuting with a 6.8 rating/10 share. Figures dipped in its second week, and while it posted a solid 5.0 rating/8 share, with an increase in several major markets,<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Joe Flint |date=February 9, 1994 |title='Babylon 5' slips a bit in second week |url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/news/babylon-5-slips-a-bit-in-second-week-118151/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202224847/http://www.variety.com/article/VR118151.html?categoryid=14&cs=1|archive-date=December 2, 2007 |url-status=live |access-date=September 8, 2020 }}</ref> ratings for the first season continued to fall, to a low of 3.4 during [[rerun]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/news/sun-and-hoops-sink-syndies-rout-rush-120389/ |title=Sun and hoops sink syndies, rout 'Rush' - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety |date=July 22, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722232531/https://variety.com/article/VR120389.html?categoryid=14&cs=1|archive-date=July 22, 2009|access-date=February 7, 2019}}</ref> Ratings remained low-to-middling throughout the first four seasons,<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Andrew Hindes |date=February 13, 1997 |title=U's 'Xena' |url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/u-s-xena-1117435926/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202225051/http://www.variety.com/vstory/VR1117435926.html?categoryid=38&cs= |archive-date=December 2, 2007 |url-status=live |access-date=September 8, 2020 }}</ref> but ''Babylon 5'' scored well with the [[demographics]] required to attract the leading national sponsors and saved up to $300,000 per episode by shooting off the studio lot,<ref name="benson" /> therefore remaining profitable.<ref>{{cite newsgroup |title=Notes from jms |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |author-link=J. Michael Straczynski |date=October 11, 1995 |newsgroup=rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated |url=http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-13613 |access-date=November 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029025150/http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-13613 |archive-date=October 29, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> The fifth season, which aired on cable network [[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]], had ratings about 1.0% lower than seasons two through four.

In the United Kingdom, the show aired every week on [[Channel 4]] without a break, with the result that the last four or five episodes of the early seasons screened in the UK before the US.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zocalo.nildram.co.uk/UKAirDates.html |title=Original UK airdates|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911120237/http://www.zocalo.nildram.co.uk/UKAirDates.html |archive-date=September 11, 2007 |access-date=August 22, 2007}}</ref> ''Babylon 5'' was one of the better-rated US television shows on Channel 4,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=16068 |title=JMS: UK C4 ratings |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=April 3, 1995 |website=JMSNews |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028171355/http://jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=16068 |url-status=live }}</ref> and achieved high audience [[Appreciation Index]]es, with the season 4 episode [[Endgame (Babylon 5)|"Endgame]]" achieving the rare feat of beating the prime-time soap operas for first position.<ref>''[[TV Zone]]'', January 1998 issue</ref>

Straczynski stated that PTEN only required the show to be profitable for the network to remain in production, and said that while this was the case for its first four seasons, on paper it was always losing money; he also remarked in a 2019 interview that in terms of [[Hollywood accounting|contractual profit definition]] the show remained about {{USD|30 million}} in the red on paper, and stated that he had therefore never made any profits on ''Babylon 5''.<ref name="newsarama 2019" /> The entire series cost an estimated $90&nbsp;million for 110 episodes.<ref name="aicn1">{{cite web |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23963 |title=Babylon 5 Returns |author=Merrick |date=July 24, 2006 |work=[[Ain't It Cool News]] |publisher=Harry Knowles |location=Austin, Texas |access-date=October 24, 2009 |quote=Anyway, they asked if I wanted to do a feature film but I declined mainly because I can't yet picture structuring a B5 movie as long as [Andreas Katsulas] and [Richard Biggs] insist on staying dead. |archive-date=December 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121209152545/http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23963 |url-status=live }}<!-- original {{cite web |title=Babylon 5 Returns |date=July 24, 2006 |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23963 |publisher=[[Ain't It Cool News]] |access-date=November 6, 2007}} --></ref>

''Babylon 5'' successfully completed its five-year story arc on November 25, 1998, after five seasons and 109 aired episodes, when TNT aired the 110th ([[epilogue]]) episode "[[Sleeping in Light]]," which had been filmed as the Season 4 finale, when ''Babylon 5'' was under threat of ending production at that point. After a fifth season was assured, a new Season 4 finale was used so that "[[Sleeping in Light]]" could remain as the series finale.