Goliath Chronicles Series

The third and final season of Gargoyles, airing Saturday mornings on ABC as Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles.

Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles is the third and final season of the animated series Gargoyles, airing Saturday mornings on ABC from 1996 to 1997. Following Disney's purchase of ABC, the season was reduced to thirteen episodes and moved from the Disney Afternoon syndication block. The series was produced by Nelvana Limited, with a mostly new writing team after key staff departed. Greg Weisman, who had been a co-producer, wrote the season opener but was removed from the team, and he has contended that The Goliath Chronicles should be classified as non-canon.

Quick Facts

Episode count: 13
Network: ABC
Original run: 1996–1997
Production company: Nelvana Limited
Genre: Action/Fantasy/Animation

Lore & Background

The third season was unexpectedly ordered after the second season finished with a definitive wrap-up story. The series order was reduced to thirteen episodes and moved to a Saturday morning slot on ABC. Around this point, writers Michael Reaves, Brynne Chandler Reaves, Steve Perry, and Gary Sperling all left the show. The reduced episode order resulted from changes within Disney following the death of president Frank Wells and the departure of executives Gary Krisel and Bruce Cranston to DreamWorks with Jeffrey Katzenberg. Internal pressure from Roy E. Disney forced the studio to treat Gargoyles as part of its older works, dropping larger action universe plans. Additionally, the O. J. Simpson trial drew audiences away from Gargoyles due to preemption from trial coverage. Returning writers included Lydia Marano, Cary Bates, and Adam Gilad; Weisman made his debut as a writer with the season opener. Because the series aired on broadcast stations rather than syndication, it had to meet different Broadcast Standards and Practices which Weisman stated drastically limited his creativity. Weisman has contended Disney removed him from the team and assigned the rest of the run to Nelvana, leading him to classify The Goliath Chronicles as non-canon.