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Buffy and the Stake that Killed the WB and UPN
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Only seven years ago today, the cult series Buffy the Vampire Slayer made the wildly publicized (and highly unusual) jump from the WB network over to UPN. On October 2, 2001, the episodes Bargaining, Part One and Bargaining, Part Two were the symbol of a fresh beginning (and a bit more money in the pockets of producers 20th Century Fox) for the series on a new network. UPN jumped at the opportunity to snag up the broadcast rights to Buffy when the WB balked at the increased licensing costs. Their aim was to arm wrestle away the young viewers away from The WB and it worked... somewhat. The problem was that the UPN was not available in various markets (like Moscow, Idaho where this very writer was stuck watching it the Saturday after it aired for a majority of the country on, ironically enough, the local WB affiliate) and viewership dropped. However, the networks soon found themselves in a heated battle for the young viewer market, which ultimately doomed them both. With escalating losses on both fronts, it was announced that the two networks would officially disband and join forces for the new CW television network. Today, most Hollywood veterans point to Buffy's jump between networks as the beginning of the end for UPN and the WB. As for the title character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the move was fairly jolting as well. Perhaps somewhat symbolically, Buffy ended her run on the WB by diving into a portal and falling to her death to save the world from Glory (okay, that does sound a little strange). Her resurrection came quite literally on the UPN during the first episode and she would continue to fight on for two more seasons at her new home. So in honor of this milestone day for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, let us take a voyage to Torrance High School in Torrance, California, which doubled as the exterior of Sunnydale High School in the series. Granted, the school was no longer around (having been blown up by Buffy and the Scooby Gang at the end of season three) by the time the series shifted networks, but it will do. After all, it also popped up in shows like Wes Craven's Cursed, Beverly Hills 90210, She's All That, and The Hot Chick, which also craved the very audience that led to the downfall of UPN and the WB. Visit the Hellmouth itself at Sunnydale High. -Casey H. This entry was edited on February 4, 2009, 12:57 am.
Filed under: General, Television, Dark Destinations	October 2, 2008, 3:39 pm | Permalink | 0 Comments
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