A Tasteful Way To Go

The WB is actually signing off this September with an enormous amount of class. I know, hard to believe given that they always turned their backs on great shows in the end. The final broadcast night, September 17th, will feature a five-hour block of the best shows The WB had to offer. From 5-10, they will broadcast the pilot episodes of Felicity, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Dawson's Creek. Interspersed will be major WB promo campaigns of the past, as well as a tribute montage of all the shows they have broadcast over the years.

The WB had such a keen eye in terms of their marketing, so it will be great to see those promos again. I know, how dorky that I love those things, right? But most were put together really well and fun to watch, making you feel as if the network was a coherent, glamorous destination where you and your friends belonged, even if only ironically. You can click here to see the Faces campaign of 1999, a classic which brings together all of the shows I loved the most (Buffy, Angel, Roswell, Dawson's Creek, Popular, Felicity). Although, if you long to see Xander in a pimp hat checking out ladies at a club, click here to see The Night Is Young campaign of 2000.

And I know that I will be reduced to tears with their big montage. I'm a sucker for montages (thank you 80s cinema), and they always choose the right music. It will also remind me of that past, so far away now simply because I've grown up and the world has changed. Watching Felicity's latest blunders with my roommate and cringing with the knowledge of what it's like to make the same blunder yourself freshman year. Getting together with a group of friends to cheer on Buffy and Angel as they saved us all from the latest apocalypse. Raging against the 7th Heaven machine. Trying to explain the "mythology" of Roswell with a straight face. Swooning as Pacey declares his love for Joey and plotting strategies with my girlfriends to find real-life Paceys of our own. Laughing along with the crackling dialogue of Gilmore Girls. Figuring out how One Tree Hill went from terribly awesome to awesomely terrible in 1.5 seasons. Making fun of Dawson's stupid forehead. You know, golden moments. More importantly, great excuses to call or get together more often and come up with our own in-jokes based on the ridiculous antics of our most loved and loathed characters.

The demise of the network is a kinda sad event for me. I am, after all, an eternal teenager at heart. The WB fulfilled my need for melodrama and angst, all set to awesome music with pretty, pretty people in cool clothes, for nearly a decade. I can't think of a better way to honor both the good shows and the overall WB experience. I'll be watching for sure.