January 7, 2001 By David Tagnani BACK IN BLACK La Femme Nikita (10 pm/ET, USA)

The fans knew exactly what they wanted — and how to get it. With the Internet
available to help organize their efforts, La Femme Nikita's dedicated following
had the means to all but bully the USA Network into giving the show one last
hurrah before pulling the plug. Hence tonight's return of the sci-fi-tinged
action series based on the 1990 French film of the same name.

Nikita fans banded together in a massive campaign organized around several Web
sites that were set up specifically to convince USA to bring the show back. The
campaign reached such a fever pitch that the network's viewer e-mail address
temporarily shut down in November due to the volume. The fans also bought a
full-page ad in The Hollywood Reporter to raise awareness and support for their
cause. Eventually, USA relented and negotiated for Nikita's return.

The show's star, Peta Wilson, had a somewhat mixed reaction to this unusual turn
of events. "I was happy to get on with my life and do something new — the fans
were insisting we come back," she says. "The fans were so insistent upon it, I
just felt like, 'Okay, I'm gonna do it for them.'" While she may appear less
than elated about reprising her role as the anti-terrorist agent Nikita, Wilson
is appreciative of the viewers. "I've been so spoiled by the fans. I'm
incredibly grateful for their support."

USA will air eight new episodes of the series starting tonight. We find that Mr.
Jones (Carlo Rota) reassigns Nikita to Section One, even though he promised her
that her days as a field agent were over. A unique terrorist threat has come up
where Nikita's past experience is absolutely invaluable.

So she's thrown back into the ring after betraying the confidence of nearly
everyone in Section One as an internal investigator for Center. Needless to say,
Operations (Eugene Robert Glazer) does not give her a warm welcome back. But
Nikita goes about her business in her usual cool and efficient manner, at the
same time retaining the sense of humanity that makes her the sympathetic
character that has captivated audiences for four seasons.

So what's in store for Nikita in these final eight episodes? Wilson thought a
big reason for the fans' campaign was that they wanted more of a sense of
closure. Do they get it? "She reaches a new level of understanding," she says of
Nikita. "Why she was brought in (to Section One), why she was framed for a crime
she didn't commit, and who did it. That's all there."

But, true to the show's nature, not all of Nikita's questions are answered in
the end. "Nikita kind of gets what she wants... kind of." With the likelihood of
yet more unresolved issues when the series comes to a close once again, perhaps
fans may try their luck at lobbying for Nikita's return one more time. But it
may not matter. "I think we're done now. I think that's it," says Wilson. "I've
said my goodbyes to [Nikita]."

It appears fans should be prepared to do the same.