The Slayer's frank scenarios haven't translated into
higher ratings by Lynette Rice
UPN should consider slapping a TV-MA rating on 'Buffy
the Vampire Slayer,' and quickly. First, Willow (Alyson
Hannigan) got a not-so-subtle rise out of her lesbian
lover, Tara (Amber Benson), in the musical episode,
and a recent sex scene between Spike (James Marsters)
and Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was so hot, the net
was forced to insert computerized images over the nudity.
What's with the explicitness?
'Maybe there's some small psychological factor, like 'let's see what the
new dad will say,'' says exec producer Marti Noxon of UPN. 'Truthfully,
the characters are getting a little older and we're now doing things that
were not as permissible when they were teens. The whole premise is that many
of us in our 20s had relationships where we couldn't figure out what we
liked about them except that the sex was so amazing.'
Although the show is surprising the hellmouth out of fans with lurid sex scenes,
ratings have yet to surge. After a ratings spike upon
the show's UPN debut, 'Buffy' settled back into its
WB averages (an anemic 9 share in viewers 12-34). 'We
could do an all-naked 'Buffy' and still get a 7 share,'
admits Noxon. 'It's so elaborate in its mythology, I
just don't know how easy it would be for new viewers
to catch up.' Well, partially nude shots of Gellar and
Marsters won't hurt.
