WB Bids Farewell Sept 17 By Going Back To The Future

The WB sings off Sept 17 with a fun stunt: airing the pilots of some of its signature shows. Thanks to the complicated web of rights entailed, this means they'll run ads for cable channels where the shows are airing and promos for the DVD collections. The shows getting this fond farewell? "Felicity," "Angel," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Dawson's Creek." ("Gilmore Girls," "Smallville" and "7th Heaven" are still active so they weren't considered. And consider this one more slap at "Everwood," which didn't get renewed when the WB and UPN merged. This also ignores "Charmed" and more crucially "The Jamie Foxx Show" and other "urban" comedies that gave the WB crucial ratings early on. Besides, Foxx is only one of the biggest stars in the world.) Inteestingly, none of the shows highlighted came from Warner Bros. -- an interesting fact since everyone assumes channels like The WB and Fox will favor their own studio fare. But hits can come from anywhere and network execs are too desperate to play politics when it comes to new shows.