why did maeve leave?

Short Answer: It was an off screen contract dispute.

Longer Answer: (I'm remembering this from the boards nearly a decade ago, so if a few of the details are a bit off forgive me. Still, I have retained most of the facts.) There was a shift in management between seasons one and two (I believe Pearson purchased one of the production companies). At the same time Jacqueline Collen (Maeve) had a child just entering school (either kindergarten or first grade) in Los Angeles as well as a fiance who was also bound to L.A. because of his career. If I remember correctly, while Pearson was renegotiating contracts, the actress asked to be written out of a 2-4 more episodes (for a total of something like 6-8 of 22) so she could spend more time with her family and get her child situated in school before filming South Africa for several months. After several rounds of negotiations both sides agreed to disagree and Jacqueline stepped away from the show. She had obtained quite a following among fans and there may have been hope among the shows creators that the actress could return in a guest role in later seasons, so rather than attempt to recast the role of Maeve they created a new female lead, Bryn.

I hope this sufficiently answered your question. :)

From what I remember Master Dim Dim (his spirit, or whatever) swept Maeve away during a storm The next day Sinbad was frantic to find her and this swirl of light that was Dim Dim, told him that he took her away to protect her from the sorceress (Rumina?) and to train her.

Sinbad was happy with this and thus enter Bryn.

Hope this helps.


"I reject your reality and substitute my own!"

It was such a great show during the 1st season, but everything changed when Maeve left :( I loved the relationship between her, Sinbad and Rumina.

Because the actress who attempted to play her could see what a pile of horse dung this disaster was !