Re: OT: SMG kisses girls, again!

[danspector@xxxxxxxxx]

Stef, Cas,

Again, I've never been as certain as some that next year is it, for
several reasons:

?In her latest interview with Cinescape, Marti said that they could
end with 7, but then they thought they were going to end with 5. 5
years was the length of the actors' original contracts, but they got
everyone except ASH back. 5 years was required for the syndication deal
(needed 100 eps), but just because they could stop there didn't mean
they would, and they ultimately didn't. So there's no reason to assume
that's going to happen next year, either.

?When the show went to UPN, Joss said he had another 100 stories to
tell. Hype, yeah, but he wouldn't have been talking about 100 if he was
certatin 44 was it.

?UPN paid a lot of money for a "signature" show--they don't want to
scrub it after just two years. I'm sure they're figuring this is their
"JAG", pick it up and let it run.

?Money talks--look at that 9th season of "Friends" we were never
supposed to get. Known quantities are very attractive to networks.

?Of the cast, the only one making noises about leaving after the
contract expires with S7 is Michelle Trachtenberg (college). That big
movie career SMG is supposed to have waiting for her? I'll believe it
when I see it. Neither "Cruel Intentions" or "Simply Irresistable" was
a big enough hit to build on, and that was 3 years ago. She's 25 in
April (too old for ingenue work), and a lot of execs are going to think
twice about giving "Buffy" a serious part. And there's nothing wrong
with making your career in TV.

?"Scooby Doo" smells like tank city. You've got "Star Wars, Ep 2:
Please God, no more Jar Jar" and "Spider-Man" out there, competing for
the same audience; It might make a few bucks in their wake, or it might
get blown out of the theaters in under a month, pulling in less than $30
million.

?"Angel" has to have 5 seasons for ITS syndie deal to kick in. A
Season 8 of "Buffy", at least, just seems like a natural counterpart.

?It's not like they have to worry about Joss wanting to move on--he
pretty much has. "BtVS" has a nice hierarchy going, with Marti in
charge, and Fury behind her, and Jane behind him. All of whom are doing
producing work now and have years of experience on the show.  

?Joss probably isn't that eager to kill this off, since "Firefly" is
not guaranteed success, or even FOX's full commitment, despite his track
record with them. Two words: "Harsh Realm". Be nice to know the
mothership's there to come home to.

?People think there's a 7-year limit or something, because that's when
"Trek" cuts them off. Well, "Star Trek" does that because they're
continously cranking out new series and have to make room for them, and
because they have a proven schedule for films, post-series. The
Berman/Piller model is not a hard and fast rule. "ER", "NYPD Blue" and
"The X-Files" have all taken arc-driven television well past season 7.
(It's arguable that "ER" and "X-Files" should have quit, but that's not
an indicator for "Buffy", either.)

Having said all this, the fact that 7 would be an acceptable end point
does let the show cut loose if it wants, since a total rejection by the
audience, ratings dive and cancellation wouldn't screw up their plans
particularly at this point. Not that I think any such reaction would
happen.

And if I were running UPN, I'd want to make sure Joss had plans for
beyond 7 if I was signing off on a B/W story. Because the press
coverage has the chance to be an intense publicity gold mine, but if
there's an air of "well they're going to wrap it up soon, so Buffy
dating Willow doesn't really matter", that would squander the
opportunity. And what if the radical change in the show (well, not
really, but to the unknowing audience) is a big hit? If there's a
ratings surge, everyone involved surely would want to ride it.

So, yeah, now's a good time to let it rip, because the downside is IMO
minimal, but I don't think this a "China Beach" or
"?thirtysomething"-like "it's the last year, let's smash it all up"
situation, not as yet.

One last note: while I know wrtiers and such check the discussion
boards, I don't know if they'd visit a list such as this (or any other
fanfic-heavy list) for fear of getting hit with a plagiarism suit if the
show goes somewhere fic has already been. Weren't we saying Shy might
have a case re: "Psych Ward Blues"?

OTOH, if anyone knows that the PTB have been to 'shipper lists or
anywhere particularly femslashy, please feel free to correct me with the
good news.

Dan

(see, Cas, now THAT's a ramble!)