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

by Susanne Daniels (Author), Cynthia Littleton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 47 ratings
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Season Finale is an inside chronicle of the entertainment industry following the unexpected rise and fall of the WB and UPN networks.

In the mid-1990s, Hollywood studios Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures each launched their own broadcast television network, hoping to become the fifth player in an industry dominated by ABC, CBS, NBC, and, more recently, Fox. Against all odds, the WB and UPN altered primetime television’s landscape, only to merge as the CW in 2006—casualties of conflicting personalities, relentless competition, and a failure to anticipate the business’s future.

Following the money, egos, and risks of network television, former WB executive Susanne Daniels and Variety television reporter Cynthia Littleton expose the difficulties of trying to launch two traditional broadcast networks just as cable and the Internet were ending their dominance. Through in-depth reportage and firsthand accounts, Daniels and Littleton re-create the creative and business climate that birthed the WB and UPN, illustrating how the race to find programming spawned their heated rivalry and created shows that became icons of youth culture.

Offering insider stories 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, the authors present the creative environment that ushered these groundbreaking programs into living rooms across America.

Despite success, the WB and UPN unraveled due to corporate miscalculations, management missteps, and industry upheaval that led to their decline—and rebirth as the CW. This is a cautionary and compelling entertainment saga about a precarious moment in television history, when the transformation of the broadcast networks signaled an inevitable shift for all pop culture.
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  1. Print length
    404 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    HarperCollins e-books
  5. Publication date
    October 13, 2009
  6. File size
    1662 KB
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This predictable look at the "unpredictable business" of television tells the tale of upstart networks the WB and UPN, whose eventual failures were both "symptom" and "byproduct" of "an industry in transition" amid "a broader business environment gone bananas." A former executive at the WB, Daniels recounts the 11-year history of the "netlet" and its main competitor, UPN, in exacting detail. Daniels and her co-writer Littleton (of Variety magazine) bring what gossip they have-noting, for instance, that Katie Holmes nearly passed on Dawson's Creek for the lead in her high school musical-but the majority of the writing is strictly business. Unfortunately, neither Daniels nor Littleton have the knack for developing characters; the majority of the large cast (listed helpfully up front) are introduced with lazy cliches (screenwriter Kevin Williamson "was all youthful exuberance that day, sporting a sweet grin, tousled sandy blonde hair and deep-blue eyes"), drawing life from behind-the-scenes discussion of deals, partnerships, creative development and ratings wars. This chronicle should appeal to future network executives, but fans will probably be happier watching Buffy reruns-or even Star Trek: Voyager.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Susanne Daniels is the president of entertainment for Lifetime Networks; she was formerly president of entertainment at the WB Network.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000W939BQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins e-books (October 13, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 13, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1662 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 404 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 47 ratings

About the author

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Cynthia Littleton

Cynthia Littleton

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Cynthia Littleton grew up in Pasadena, California dreaming of being a foreign correspondent in war-torn regions. She fell into covering the TV business right out of college (Occidental, poli sci major) and never looked back. Her husband and daughter are the only things she loves more than Betty White, "The Rockford Files," "The Prisoner," "Barney Miller," Stephen Colbert, "Lost," "Mad Men" and few dozen other TV shows.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
47 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

afcassidy
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent History of Doomed Netlets...
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2010
Verified Purchase
As someone who watched the birth and death of both UPN and The WB, and who really enjoyed a few of the shows along the way, this was a book I was dying for someone to write. From the second I saw it listed on Amazon, it took me about 2 minutes to buy it... download it to my Kindle... and start reading. And who better to have written this history than an executive from within one of the networks?

This is a fascinating story for anyone with an interest in television, tv history or the media in general. Would give this one 6 stars if it were allowed.
3 people found this helpful
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Todd D.
4.0 out of 5 stars New insights into TV
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2008
This book provides a really interesting look into television's recent history, from the beginning of UPN and the WB to their merger to create the CW. Some people may find it a little dry about the making of the sausage that is network programming, but if you're curious how network TV is made, this is the book for you.

I only found two things that really bug me about this book. The first is nothing the author could have gotten around: it's a lot more about the WB than UPN, since she worked at the WB. The second is that the book ended a little bit early. It could have stood to go into just a little bit about the first couple of months for the CW. It also completely glosses over MyNetworkTV, but that network is so much different than the others that it could be a book of its own.

Finally, I believe I can answer one question that might really stick out near the end of the book: why one Acme Communications station didn't go with the CW. The answer is quite simple: all but one of those stations was a WB affiliate, including one in Albuquerque. The other station, Acme's UPN affiliate, is also in Albuquerque, so it would have made no sense to make two Albuquerque CW affiliates. That UPN affiliate went with MyNetworkTV instead.
One person found this helpful
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ttrocc7007
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read!
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2007
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Though I usually don't enjoy books about TV shows I don't watch, I was quite pleasantly surprised in reading Season Finale.
The authors strike just the right balance between 'breezy' and 'hard facts' to make this a fascinating and fun read.
The story of UPN's launch party in New York alone is worth the time! Highly recommended!
4 people found this helpful
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B. A Varkentine
3.0 out of 5 stars the book's WB bias is understandable given that its coauthor was president of entertainment for the network
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2007
Still, it left me skeptical. This book purports to be an expose of both "netlets," but it's really more a valentine to one. How much you like it will depend a lot upon your stomach for network politics.

I can see a lot of television executives, or would-be examples of the same, finding it valuable. But as someone who's just a fan of good television drama and comedy, I found it a quick yet staid read.

It's worth a skim, especially for those with a keen interest in the whys and wherefores of deals and deal breakers like the severing of Buffy from the WB.

Still, you'll get better entertainment from an episode of your favorite UPN or WB series.
4 people found this helpful
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rusty5757
5.0 out of 5 stars This was a great book!
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2014
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I really enjoyed reading it. It brought back a lot of memories from my days working at a local WB affiliate.
One person found this helpful
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Joshua James
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2014
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Very enjoyable read for children of television like myself highly recommend. It's ard to put down once you dig into it.
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Valeria Carlo
5.0 out of 5 stars Great reading
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2014
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Awesome insight. The Wb was better than UPN.
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Nick Powers
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2015
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Very good
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Top reviews from other countries

Nacho Blanco
5.0 out of 5 stars Nostálgic journey
Reviewed in Spain on April 5, 2020
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Amazing book for nostálgic people interested in the story of the shows that were popular during the late 90s, earlys 00.
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Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars Only if this topic interests you...
Reviewed in Germany on April 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
I LOVE this book. However, it is VERY dense in detail and (for me) causes a short nap after a block of reading. It's got a lot of names, dates, places etc but if you're at all interested in this topic THIS is the book! Very well researched and written! I wish there were more books like this! And like this I mean "honest" and not smoke blowing biographies!
One person found this helpful
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