LOS ANGELES (CP) -- Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer got a bit more of a shock than creator Joss Whedon intended at the end of the season finale, People.com reports.

The slayer plunged into hell in the episode, which ended with a shot of her tombstone which read "She saved the universe. A lot." But then superimposed on the screen was something Whedon did not plan: "Five great years. We thank you."

To Whedon, it looked like fans were being told the show was over for good.

Actually, the show, which stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, has just switched networks, from Warner Brothers to UPN.

"The WB decided to pretend the series was ending," Whedon says, adding that the move was "cheesy."

A Warner Brothers spokesman apologizes if anyone was misled, saying the message was meant as a "sincere expression of thanks."

And don't worry fans: the Buffster will return next season.