Why did UPN spend so much money to steal Buffy from WB and then only get two more seasons out of Whedon?

You would have thought there would be a 3 season minimum.

Because they didnt have anything else to put on and their big show was WWF crap.

Buffy in the state it is in, shouldnt go on past next season.

Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon have not said definitively that season 7 will be the last. And if it is, then UPN still had a show that has helped them gain points in the sought-after demographic, so it's still all good

A) It's been almost a given that Buffy would run 7 seasons. I don't see why people are suddenly having fits over this. Seasons 6 and 7 have been planned for years, and while Joss hasn't eliminated the possibility for more, 7 has been his plan for quite a while.

B) UPN was completely crap last year, and they made an aggressive campaign to rebuild. Between Buffy, Enterprise, and Smackdown, they were poised to really get back in the game. The fact that WCW went under and has hurt the WWF/WWE, Enterprise being barely average, and Buffy straying from its prior quality has hurt such decisions, but it was still a very good idea.

das

The switch to UPN has had to hurt the Buffy ratings in at least one Top 10 market: Detroit. UPN50 insists on constantly pre-empting first-run Buffy episodes with sports events (usually that can be seen on other cable channels.)

They will finally air Buffy on Sunday at noon or something. They make it really hard for fans to watch the show.

When did anybody think that UPN brass were the sharpest tacks on the board?

Mad TV did a great sketch last week. Andrew Daily, who is as white as Bill Gates, comes to pitch a TV show to a UPN executive. He's "givin' props" and acting as "black" as he can and pitches a horribly sterotypical show about these fat black women who work at nail salons and act "sassy" all the time. The UPN executive gets all pissed off and gives a grand speech about how such programming is offensive to minorities and women and is completely unacceptable. Her coworker turns to her and the following exchange occurs:

Coworker: You did it again.
Executive: Damn it. I did didn't I. I gave the CBS speech.
Coworker: Yep. You work for UPN now. That's what we do here.
Executive: You're absolutely right. Tell me more about Shawnda, the sassy hair dresser; I smell a hit!

das

Why is it a given that Bufffy would only run 7 years. I haven't really been following the behind the scenes stuff too much.

Has Joss W. always said that after 7 he was going to close shop?

Although it's not official, the actor playing Zander/Xander said that next seasson would mostly likely be the last.

I guess Buffy would just be UPN "loss leader".

Originally posted by Kube
Why is it a given that Bufffy would only run 7 years. I haven't really been following the behind the scenes stuff too much.

Has Joss W. always said that after 7 he was going to close shop?

Well, like I said, "almost a given." It's never been a die hard number, but for the past few years, he's spoken in terms of having ideas up through 7 seasons and then a "we'll see" attitude past that. The UPN deal for years 6 and 7 pretty much sealed this mentality in my mind, and Joss has often said that 6 & 7 were somewhat of a two-pack anyway. Season 6 was supposed to set things in motion for a major blowout in season 7.

I guess Buffy would just be UPN "loss leader".

I cannot remember the numbers right now, but WB was reaping much more revenue from Buffy than they were paying for it. UPN's deal (and WB's subsequent proposals) were much closer to the actual ad revenue generated by the show itself. I don't see UPN losing money on the deal, but I do believe that part of the deal was a "loss leader" mentality. By getting a few very established shows (WWF on cable, Star Trek franchise, Buffy (with options for Angel)), they hoped to get people "in the door," so to speak, and change the image of their network. I don't think they ever anticipated actually losing money on these shows, nor do I know if that's even the case with current numbers.

das

Perhaps I'm being overly cynical, but it sometimes seems like the principals of successful TV series publicly muse about closing up shop to force a better contract from the networks.

With the "nothing is set in stone" nature of most comments I've read, I just think they are using their leverage on UPN-as in "show us the money or we'll save our ideas for possible Buffy movies instead."

I love Buffy more than any other show on TV, but I really hope that the next season is the last. There's nothing I hate more than dragging out a franchise because it means more money. I konw that's the way of the world, but why the X-Files should've stopped after seven, maybe before. Simpsons should've stopped around 9 or 10. Joss has always said that his plotlines are 2 to 3 years ahead of the actual show, so if they're going to do a season 8 or 9 and they only have ideas up through season 7, they're really going to suck. I really don't want the show to drag on so long that I get bored (like with the X-Files) and it ends with me not knowing or even caring what happens to the characters. That would be a damn shame. End it while it's still good.