'Angel' And 'Roswell' Next On UPN's Hit List?

Two weeks ago, Star Trek: Voyager network UPN successfully outbid its rivals to bring Buffy the Vampire Slayer to its Fall lineup (story). The move has had wide scale ramifications and has lead to speculation that Buffy spinoff show Angel and sci-fi drama series Roswell may also move to UPN.

According to the the New York Post network officials had previously suggested that Buffy producers Twentieth Century Fox, might find some of their other WB shows would be cancelled if they moved the show to another network. It now seems this may come in the form of cancellation notices for the other two Fox-made series on the WB; namely Angel and Roswell.

The contract that took Buffy to UPN, also included a deal to ensure the future of Angel. Should the WB move to cancel the series, UPN is obliged to pick it up with a two year contract. UPN will pay $2.2 million for each episode of Buffy and is reported to have a figure of $1.1 million in mind for each episode of the spinoff series. These figures reportedly more than double the amounts the WB was prepared to pay for the shows. Angel is the sixth most watched show on the WB, with around 4.1 million viewers each week.

The WB is keeping tight-lipped about its plans for Fall programming, and especially about Angel. "The fate of Angel will be determined when we set our schedule," a WB spokesman commented. A decision is expected by mid May, or June 1st at the latest. However, the network is publicly annoyed about losing Buffy to one of its rivals.

The WB has embarked on a public damage limitation exercise, in an attempt to stop UPN profiting from its new show as much as possible. Publicity shots from the official Buffy web site have been pulled to stop UPN gaining access to shots it could use for its own promotion. A congratulation ad that was due to run in the "Hollywood Reporter" to celebrate the airing of Buffy's 100th episode has been pulled, and replaced by a UPN-sponsored version. The season finale is also being promoted as "The WB Buffy Finale," implying an early ending for the series. The WB defended its actions with the following statement: "We're only exercising our contractual right to exclusively promote the show."

Meanwhile, fans of Roswell see a deal with UPN as a possible life-line for their series. The WB is not expected to renew Roswell, which has seen ratings fall over the past year and its second season. Roswell has several Star Trek connections; Johnathan Frakes (William Riker) is an executive producer and Ronald D. Moore is a co-executive producer.

Two fan online fan campaigns have been organised in an attempt to save the show, with backing from E Online. A campaign organised by crashdownn.com urges fans to send a bottle of Tabasco to UPN president Dean Valentine. It is hoped that this will convince the executive to "Spice Up Your Lineup -- Add Roswell to UPN!" According the web site, the number of bottles pledged stands at 8336 at the time of writing.

UPN will announce its Fall line-up on May 17th when it holds its advertisers upfront presentation. This presentation may also see the announcement that the network will air the fifth Star Trek series. Speculation about its Fall schedule leads to questions about whether UPN has room to air Roswell. Monday night is the comedy block, Thursday is Smackdown, Buffy and Angel are prime time shows, and with its Movie Night and Series V, the network's schedule looks to be packed.

As the crucial May sweeps month gets off to a start, UPN is trailing the WB in the ratings ranks. The networks are tied in numbers of total viewers and the 18-49 age groups, but the WB has already beaten off the challenge of UPN in the adults aged 18-34 and teen groups. But with many of the WB's high profile shows and the next Trek series on their way to UPN, next year could be a different story in the battle of the networks.

For more information on this and a detailed look at UPN's possible Fall schedule, visit the Futon Critic.

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