Season Finale: The Unexpected Rise and Fall of the WB and UPN

by Susanne Daniels, Cynthia Littleton

In the mid-1990s, two major Hollywood studios, Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, each launched their own broadcast television network with the hope of becoming the fifth major player in an industry long dominated by ABC, CBS, NBC, and, more recently, Fox. Despite the odds against them, the WB and UPN went on to alter the landscape of primetime television, only to then merge as the CW network in 2006—each a casualty of conflicting personalities, relentless competition, and a basic failure to anticipate the future of the entertainment business.

Unfolding amid this backdrop of high-stakes business ventures, fanatical creative struggles, and corporate power plays, Season Finale traces the parallel stories of the WB and UPN from their prosperous beginnings to their precipitous demise. Following the big money, big egos, and big risks of network television, Susanne Daniels, a television executive with the WB for most of its life, and Cynthia Littleton, a longtime television reporter for Variety, expose the difficult reality of trying to launch not one but two traditional broadcast networks at the moment when cable television and the Internet were ending the dominance of network television.

Through in-depth reportage and firsthand accounts, Daniels and Littleton expertly re-create the creative and business climate that gave birth to the WB and UPN, illustrating how the race to find suitable programming spawned a heated rivalry between the two but also created shows that became icons of American youth culture. Offering insider stories and never-before-published details about shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek, 7th Heaven, Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Felicity, Girlfriends, Everybody Hates Chris, and America's Next Top Model, Daniels and Littleton provide an exhaustive account of the two creative teams that ushered these groundbreaking programs into the hearts, minds, and living rooms of Americans across the country.

But in spite of these successes, the WB and UPN unraveled, and here the authors elucidate the corporate miscalculations that led to their undoing, examining the management missteps and industry upheaval that brought about their rapid decline and the surprising teamwork that united them as the CW. The result is a cautionary and compelling entertainment saga that skillfully captures a precarious moment in television history, when the dramatic transformation of the broadcast networks signaled an inevitable shift for all pop culture.

Genres: Nonfiction, Tv, Pop Culture, Film, Business

381 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Leila Cohan-Miccio · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly good book, but personally, I rather wish it had been less about affiliate relations and business-y numbers and more about behind the scenes gossip from Dawson's Creek.

I am not a very serious person.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually had no clue this book was even coming out until I noticed it in my own bookstore's front window. I'm a big Whedon fan, but I've watched a fair number of shows on UPN and the WB, as well as the CW. I'm currently in the middle of a huge Gilmore Girls marathon, so not only is it interesting to get a behind the scenes feel for the two networks, it is rather fun to relive the late '90s.

Random note: the author of this book is married to the executive producer of The Office (the US version), Greg Daniels.

ETA after completion: Really interesting. Don't bother if you're looking for dirt on showrunners or stars, because you won't find it. But if you're curious about how television manages to function (or not), then this is the book for you.

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't resist hearing about the behind the scenes of the beginnings of the network that brought me Buffy, Dawson's Felicity, and Gilmore Girls - shows that changed the way I watched TV and used the internet (posting on message boards, making friends with others who liked the same shows as I did). Its nice to know that Susanne Daniels and others who created the WB had as much passion for creating those shows as I had while watching them. Although I dont think there was any mention of Roswell, but I did skim through parts of the book that didnt seem as interesting to me (lots and lots of staff changes at both networks and mergers, while crutial to how everything turned out, were kind of boring).

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

And done!

I liked this, though I think I liked Top of the Rock more. I loved the WB, and this is a really interesting POV on its creation and the war between it and UPN, but there was a lot more business side of things than I wanted as a non-industry person. I get the importance of affiliates and the like, but that doesn't mean I want to read about them if given the choice between that and reading about a James van der Beek/Katie Holmes/Joshua Jackson, and Kevin Williamson giving Katie Mighty Ducks DVDs. (Which is in like, two paragraphs of the book. I wanted more.)

But still, I really think that if you are like me and grew up with the WB or if it is just a subject you're interested in, it's definitely worth picking it up.

[Sunday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book the day it was released off of Amazon, but its always a book I put on the back burner and read other more faster reads. More than halfway through before I move onto to my next book I plan on finishing this one. Its very interesting, and I learn alot about what to do and what not to do when starting a network.

If you're a WB baby like me you'll definitely like this book but might find it a tad boring. The behind the scenes stuff can only truly be understood and appreciated by someone who loves and is interested in all things television, including the technical, economics, and politics of it all.

[Petty Lisbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the merger talk was a little dull and they didn't mention UPN enough (legit question, why is Girlfriends on the cover when you mentioned it by name at most), it was a good look at the entertainment industry that other websites like TVTropes (where apparently we're all too stupid to realize the brilliance of every random show that got cancelled in 3 months compared to the mouth breather programming that lasts) wouldn't give you. Skim through the rough patches and you'll be fine.

[Zack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did -- I love hearing about the combination of creativity and business that go into creating films and TV. This look at the WB and UPN has some entertaining moments, but the result is a bit disjointed. Ironically, I liked the parts about UPN, which don't have the advantage of a first-person account from an executive, more than the WB sections.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having grown-up as a teenie bopper watching "Dawson's Creek" 7th Heaven and Gilmore Girls I found this book interesting. As the title suggests, the book tells about the formation of WB and UPN, their rocky rise and tumble and merge into CW.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you don't like TV or media in general, this probably isn't for you, but it's a pretty fascinating look at birth of the two netlets. I really wish there was a good comparative book on some of the cable networks, HBO and FX especially. If anybody knows of one, please let me know.

[Ellen]

On the other hand, maybe this book simply existing is awesome enough.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a total TV geek like me, you'll be interested to read the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding TV execs in the era of The WB and UPN.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frequently dry, with a lot of industry jargon and detailed business deals (especially at the beginning), not to mention such a blur of executives that it requires judicious use of the "cast list" at the front. However, Susanne Daniels' warmth shines during her personal account of events working at the WB, and she's at her best when describing what I came for: the history of how and why various shows were selected to build programming at each network, and details about which worked and which didn't.

She touches on a good number from both networks, if not every hit, and it was just as fun to learn about a bunch of shows that were totally new to me as it was to beam with recognition at shows I remember premiering. The best part by far is her starry-eyed insider details about the pitches and early development for the WB's charmed-life era of its most classic teen dramas.

All in all, I'm glad I read it. I was too young to see these networks launch, but I vividly remember my shock the day they fell, and after all this time I finally have some kind of grasp on how and why that happened.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insider view of the drama that was the WB, UPN, the CW. I remember being intensely invested in the network home(s) of Buffy, Angel, Veronica- and I knew a surprising number of the names of the big players, but I never really grasped the dealmaking and high stakes. I just knew that it was hard to understand when/where certain shows will land, and I nearly missed a season premiere because of it. I even hopped satellite providers to follow my beloved Buffy when it turned out her new channel would be available from Dish and not DirecTV. Ah, the old days, when if you missed it, you missed it, and there were no takebacks. Also, I very strongly identified as a WB-girl and was not happy at all to start watching UPN. And, oh, the rabid desire for the Buffy - Angel crossovers that were tantalizingly hinted but never managed to leap the cross-network hurdle. Sigh. What might have been!

[Clay N · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who grow up the creation and run of the WB network, I was very interested on a account on the history of the network. For the most part I fount this a very interesting read. Seeing the rise of both networks and how their race to be the next big network (at a time when broadcast network channels supreme reign was on the verge of ending) lead to their downfall made for a real page turner.

My only real criticism are these. First, the book goes much deeper into the history of the WB network then with UPN. While I'll admit I was more interested about the WB network going in, I still would have liked more about UPN then we got. Second, the book never even addresses the cancelation of the show Angel, which at the time was seen as a very confusing blunter (it was the network's second most watched show at the time of it's cancelation.) I would have liked to have read an account on this in a book dealing with the history of the WB.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who came of age watching the golden era of the WB's late-90s shows - Buffy, Felicity, Dawson's Creek - and then quit watching around the time Buffy moved to rival station UPN, this book was an interesting read.

At times it was a bit too technical - I really don't care about the struggle to own and license broadcast stations - but the behind the scenes programming and network stuff was interesting.

If you never watched or cared about WB shows (or UPN, I guess...?), this book won't do much for you. If you did, or maybe if you just like reading about how television production works, this is a solid read.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Daniels said, from the viewpoint of the streaming era, the struggle between UPN and WB to become the "fifth network" (after ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX) is now an archaic, meaningless thing. In its day, though, the struggle was real. UPN scored a hit out of the gate with Voyager but soon floundered while WB soared ahead with Buffy, Seventh Heaven and other shows. By the end of the book, corporate changes and mergers had left WB considerably weaker, so the merger that gave us the CW was probably inevitable.
This is way more than I wanted to know, which is not the author's fault. But whatever makes me think of a book of this sort as compelling, this book did not have it.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid book about the ins and outs of life at the WB from an insider. Also good info on UPN. I'm an old radio guy so at least some of the stuff here is mildly familiar. If you are interested in media or the behind the scenes stuff at a network, this is the book for you.

[G•Bumpy 2000 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re at all interested in the business of broadcast networks, you will be glued to every chapter. If you were a fan of UPN or The WB, this is definitely worth a read.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Big Supporter of The WB l, I was sadden that they merge with UPN to create a new Network called CW.

The WB would had been able to stand on it own for many more years as it brought TV shows that defined a generation. 7th Heaven, Everwood, Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Rescue 77, Brotherly Love, Kirk, Parent Hood, Dawson's Creek, Supernatural, Roswell, Angel and many more.

The WB was like a gold mine with quality television in the late 90s and early 2000s. But after the merger with UPN, the quality of shows wasn't the same ever again on The CW.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book because it showed the behind-the-scenes dealings of my favorite network when I was in high school and college. I know some people belied the book because it didn't talk enough about the shows people wanted to read about, but I was very engaged in everything going on behind the scenes.

[Amanda Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm cursing the friend who mentioned this on Twitter because I can't put it down! I love behind-the-scenes Hollywood stuff, and my favorite TV shows are all refugees from the former WB. Also, I think this is a must-read for young career women in terms of the strength of the female role models presented (flaws and all).

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a big WB junkie growing up, so it was interesting to see the behind-the-scenes politicking, but ultimately, the book was relatively boring.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only worth reading if you are interested in the WB side of the fence. The UPN part of the story is pretty perfunctorily told.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

It only gets two because the author was in love with buffy. It would lose one star otherwise.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nophoto-m-25x33 There are some fascinating tales to be told about the cut-throat politics and meteoric rises of these young networks and the young executives who ran them. But not in this book.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a little more technical than I had hoped. While the topic interested be, every step it took for the creator was a little mundane.

[Leon Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insights on the network television world.