By LJ Staff

On a sad note for hard-boiled detective fans, cable TV station A&E announced it has cancelled its Nero Wolfe series after two seasons. The network cited escalating production costs of the one-hour show, claiming the budget has risen to more than $1 million for each episode. Although the show received critical acclaim for remaining loyal to originator Rex Stout's novels and its period look, ratings for the show, which starred Maury Chaykin as Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as his assistant Archie Goodwin, were less than sterling. To break the news to fans, A&E posted a letter on the Wolfe section of its web site stating in part: "We at A&E remain extremely proud of Nero Wolfe. It is a high quality, beautifully produced and entertaining show, unlike anything else currently on the television landscape." Disappointed fans nonetheless bombarded the site with mail criticizing the network's decision.