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Buffy, Dharma, Frasier On the Bubble
With contract deadlines looming, and producers and network execs drawing lines in the sand, three of TV's more popular shows are facing the distinct possibility of jumping elsewhere if their current networks don't fork over enough cash.
After months of negotiations and public bickering, the WB is just two days away from losing exclusive renegotiating rights for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, meaning that the teenage cult hit may end up doing its bloodsucker butt-kicking on another network next season.
Buffy's not alone. Two long-running Tuesday-night sitcom staples, NBC's Frasier and ABC's Dharma & Greg, are both up for new deals with their respective networks, and both face the prospect of hopping elsewhere if their current homes hesitate to pay up. NBC is reportedly weighing whether to shell out upwards of $5.5 million an episode for two or three more years of Frasier (currently in its eighth season), while ABC could be asked to hand over at least $3 million an episode for Dharma (now in its fourth season).
For networks like NBC and ABC, getting the right deal could mean the difference between thriving with a proven TV hit--and getting dragged down by an overpriced sitcom that's passed its prime. (NBC need only look back to its cute-couple sitcom Mad About You as proof: After the network plunked down more than $40 million for one more season of the hit series, the show's ratings tanked.)
Meanwhile, for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the WB's exclusive renegotiation period for the show expires Thursday--meaning if no deal is reached by then, Buffy (produced by 20th Century Fox Television) will go to the highest bidder.
Sources tell Daily Variety that the Frog is going to have to croak up some quick cash if it wants to hold onto Sarah Michelle Gellar and the rest of her crew. The WB is reportedly offering $1.6 million per episode for Buffy--up from the $1 million the network now pays. But 20th Century Fox reportedly wants somewhere between $2.3 million and $2.5 million, which would cover the costs of production, plus a premium. That's said to be similar to a deal the WB nailed down for 7th Heaven.
However, those at the WB hasten to add that, while Buffy is one of the net's signature shows, it doesn't grab nearly as many viewers as 7th Heaven, the Frog's highest-rated series.
If the WB ultimately balks, several potential suitors have been named: ABC, UPN and Fox have shown interested in picking up Buffy. The WB, however, has a right to match the first offer any rival makes to 20th Century Fox.
Up to this point, negotiations over Buffy's fate have been well-chronicled. In January, Gellar declared her loyalty to the WB, telling E! Online she would stay on the show "if, and only if, Buffy stays on the WB." The comments reportedly infuriated producers, and Gellar (reportedly under duress) later backpedaled, saying she would stay with Buffy no matter where it ends up.
For Dharma and Frasier, insiders tell the New York Times there are several possibilities about where those sitcoms could end up. While CBS and Fox could step up for a shot, there's also a bizarre switcheroo scenario in which ABC and NBC (upon losing their sitcom staples) could end up bidding on each other's shows.
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