Buffy The Vampire Slayer

If you have to make an exit, make sure you do it with style.

When the WB signs off for good on Sunday, Sept. 17 — it becomes part of the new CW on Monday, Sept. 18 — the weblet will mark the occasion by showing the original pilots of some of the most important series in its 11-year history. The lineup: the first episodes of "Felicity’’ (5 p.m.), "Angel’’ (6 p.m.), "Buffy the Vampire Slayer’’ (a two-hour installment starting at 7 p.m.) and "Dawson’s Creek’’ (9 p.m.)

Sprinkled throughout the evening will be classic promos — including, one hopes, some involving the late, lamented Michigan J. Frog (above), the net’s one-time symbol — and clips of other notable WB shows. (Some, like "Gilmore Girls,’’ will live on at the CW.)

According to Variety, the farewell took weeks of negotiation because multiple studios own the shows involved. (The WB was owned by Warner Bros., while 20th Century Fox produced "Buffy’’ and "Angel,’’ Touchstone Studios did "Felicity’’ and Sony owns "Dawson’s Creek.’’) Plus the WB also had to work out details with cable channels that own the rights to repeats of the series.

UPN, the WB’s long-time rival and the other half of the new CW, wanted to do the same thing but couldn’t find enough memorable shows to fill an evening. (Just kidding — kind of.)