'Slayer' It Ain't So

Image credit: Buffy the Vampire: Randy Tepper

BLOOD MONEY Gellar's ''Buffy'' is the WB's second highest rated show

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It's not like the studio expected to make money before now. Producers routinely lose millions in a show's first five years -- and that's assuming there is a first five. Up until then, the network pays a nominal licensing fee -- anywhere between $900,000 and $1.1 million for a drama -- and the studio swallows the deficit. (the WB currently pays $1 million to air an episode of ''Buffy,'' less than half of what it costs to make.) But after the fifth year, a hit show's studio can generally get the networks to cough up big bucks (''Friends'' and ''Frasier'''s licensing fees, for instance, both skyrocketed when their contracts were up). Kellner is arguing that (a) ''Buffy'' isn't enough of a hit, and (b) the rules for an emerging network are different than those for a mature network. To which Twentieth Century Fox has replied, tough luck; if you can change the rules, we can threaten to do the same, and take our show to another network -- even if it's our own.

Thanks to a clause in ''Buffy'''s contract (allowing the studio to move the show to any network if it reaches an impasse with the WB), Twentieth Century Fox may do just that. Though studio insiders have floated ABC as a possible bidder, sources there say reports of the Slayer moving to Alphabet City are unlikely. Which leaves Fox. What sort of fallout does the studio anticipate? ''I don't believe [moving 'Buffy'] will have any impact at all,'' says Gary Newman, president of Twentieth Century Fox TV. ''I have been assured by network heads that they fully understand our position. They understand we have a business to run.''

''Buffy'' might, in fact, be a better fit on the older skewing, male dominated Fox. (Certainly it will have a champion in Fox Entertainment prexy Gail Berman, who helped develop the show while working for Sandollar Productions and still claims an exec producer credit.) One of Kellner's biggest arguments for keeping ''Buffy'''s licensing down is its fans; rather than sucking in new teens -- the lifeblood of the WB -- the show attracts increasingly older viewers. When the drama moved to Tuesdays in 1998, it averaged a 19 share among 12 to 17 year olds; now it's lucky to get a 12. Conversely, ''Seventh Heaven'' is averaging a hefty 18 share. ''Our audience is a younger audience,'' says Kellner. ''Maybe what we should be doing is to not stay with the same show for many years, and refresh our lineup.''

''The idea that ['Buffy' viewers] are getting too old now is a spurious argument for not paying for a show that has as much to do with the WB being the WB as anything else,'' counters Whedon, who, in fact, has never bought the argument that his show is for teens. ''We were told the median age of [our viewers] was 26 to 29 years old in year 2 of the show.''

Whedon acknowledges a debt to Kellner (''There's no other place where 'Buffy' could have happened'') but considers it paid in full. ''There are advantages and disadvantages,'' he says of leaving. ''Other networks reach more people, but other networks also have more hit shows they need to promote. We could be exposed to a new audience, but we could also be buried. But if we decide to move, I'm fine with it.''

Keeping close tabs on ''Buffy'' is Columbia TriStar Television, which could have a fight of its own next season when ''Dawson's Creek'''s contract is up. Like ''Buffy,'' ''Dawson'''s was a landmark show for the WB, and its production costs have also risen dramatically over the years. Columbia fears Kellner may hardball them, too. ''It's increasingly difficult to get shows on the air and to make them financially successful. Networks need to realize that,'' says Len Grossi, Columbia TriStar's president. ''Deficits are large, and even with a big hit, returns are shrinking [because of increased overhead and sharing profits]. Something's got to give.''

''Buffy'''s fate must be decided before May's up fronts. For those who believe the Hellmouth will open should the studio choose its sister net, Sagansky says phooey. Good as ''Buffy'' is, it's always going to have limited appeal; it won't make or break either network. ''This is not a game changer, he says. ''It's not a 'Seinfeld.''' (Additional reporting by Mary Kaye Schilling)

This article is printed in its entirety from Entertainment Weekly's March 23, 2001, issue