By BILL BRIOUX
Toronto Sun
PASADENA, Calif. -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon says fans won't feel cheated when Buffy springs back to life on new network UPN next season.
"Dallas was lame," he said, referring to TV's biggest death stretch, the shower scene that wrote off Bobby Ewing's season-long death as a dream. "That was a really silly solution," said Whedon.
Besides, Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar added, "I have a no-shower contract."
Whedon, Gellar and the entire Buffy cast, including Nicholas Brendon (Xander), Michelle Trachtengerg (Dawn) and Alyson Hannigan (Willow), attended a packed UPN press conference yesterday morning. As fans know, the vampire-slaying heroine was killed off in the WB season finale, with her name even appearing on a tombstone.
While there will be no Dallas-style cheat, UPN is gearing up for a Dallas-like buildup to next fall's Buffy season premiere. The series will make a two-hour return Oct. 9 on UPN. (New episodes will also continue to air on VR in the Toronto area.)
"Buffy has pulled up stakes" and "found a new place to slay," blared a UPN promo clip screened for critics.
UPN president Dean Valentine compared interest in the series' return to the "Who Shot J.R." frenzy surrounding Dallas in the early '80s. He said the network will spend whatever it takes to promote the move to UPN.
They've already spent plenty to obtain the series. Industry reports place the cost of obtaining rights to the series at anywhere from US$50 million to $160 million.
Asked if that wasn't a lot of money to spend "on a dead woman," Valentine said he was just glad Buffy's so-called demise was the last WB episode.
What does the higher licence fee mean for the series? Better craft services and massages on the set, suggested Whedon, who says the budget remains the same, although "we will have more leeway than if we had stayed at WB and had to use hand puppets."
When Gellar was asked if she was getting a raise, Whedon quickly stepped in and shut down the money talk. The cast is apparently under contract for two more seasons. "These guys have all sold their souls to me," Whedon joked.
The producer did confirm that Anthony Stewart Head, who plays "watcher" Rupert Giles, will be a recurring character only next season. Head apparently wanted to spend more time with his family in England and will be on just six episodes next year.
With the central characters starting to move beyond their college years, Whedon feels the need for a grown-up on the show was diminished anyway. "Buffy doesn't need anyone to tell her what to do now," he said.
Whedon also said that Buffy's "death" does not bring another slayer onto the show. He added that bringing her back to life will be complicated and difficult. "You have to do it with integrity," he said.
Whedon also said he was cool with the recent Emmy snub (the series got no nominations). "With a name like Buffy The Vampire Slayer it's not like we're Emmy-bait," he said.
The fact that the series mixes comedy with drama and horror also makes it a puzzle for many Emmy voters, he guessed.
Gellar pointed to the incredibly strong fan base for the series via the Internet as recognition enough.
While The WB recently shut down the buffy.com Web site, UPN says they're working to clear legal hurdles to re-open the site at the same address.
Whedon says he has no plans for now to cross over any Buffy character with his other show, Angel, which is stil on The WB. "Angel doesn't need them -- they have a strong ensemble of their own," he said.
