Pulling Up Stakes

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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UPN is shelling out $2.3 million per ''Buffy'' episode, $500,000 more than what the WB paid for the show this season. Does that mean you'll be going nuts with the special effects?
We're not actually going to get more than we did in the past. The budget will change only in terms of the increases that naturally come in the sixth year. The way it works is, the network pays half the cost for the show, but if the show is a hit, they're generally expected to pick up the entire cost of the show from the studio, which is Fox. The WB wasn't willing to do that at all; Fox would have had to cover the rest of the expenses. So it's not like we're going to suddenly make a more expensive show. And quite frankly, I don't think we should. The more money you have to spend, the lazier you get.

Fans who don't get the UPN have been pretty upset about ''Buffy'''s network switch. What do you say to them?
I feel terrible that there are some people who won't get the show. But they can always get their friends to tape it. Our success has never really rested on Nielsen ratings. With both the WB and UPN, there's only so much market saturation you can get. The advantage is these networks care for you and nurture you, unlike the Big Three, where if I don't do well for two episodes they might cancel me. I'd rather reach fewer people if it means having the opportunity to reach them for a few more years.

Do you feel more appreciated by UPN than you did at the WB?
It's always been great at the WB. But at the highest levels, they made a corporate decision that I found unfathomable. They decided not only to not step up financially, but to sort of dis the show in the press, and to me that was unforgivable. It really hurt. But the people I dealt with, the promotional people and the creative execs, they were great. I have no beef with them. But yeah, it's nice to see a network come up and say, ''We think you're an extraordinary asset and we're going to prove that by writing this large check.''

What do you think the fate of ''Buffy'' will be when the show's contract expires in two years?
To me, ''Buffy'' is limitless. It's a question of, are we ever going to get too goddamn tired to make any more of them? Because I don't want to see it get weak. But we're as excited about next year as we have been about any year. And now with Michelle Trachtenberg on the show [as Buffy's little sister Dawn], you go, my God, we're back in adolescence, this show really could go on forever!

What about another ''Buffy'' spinoff?
I actually have something in mind, but I can't discuss it yet. All I can say is it's very different but it comes from this universe. We're going to have an animated ''Buffy,'' but you're going to have to wait a year for that. The deal with Fox Kids is taking so long, and we can't draw anything until the voices have been recorded, and we're still waiting on making deals with the actors. I think our best bet is for either spring or a year from fall.