Keeping a show on the air -- especially with high expectations -- is hard. Just asked Chris Carter, who is practically an unknown now after his breakout hit "The X-Files." After an iffy run with "Millennium," and the short shelf lives of "Harsh Realm" and "X-Files" spinoff "The Lone Gunmen," Carter has left his television career up in the air.

Joss Whedon, who made it big with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and later "Angel," isn't waiting to head into television uncertainty. Instead, he's hanging up his stake when it comes to television, to spend more time on other projects -- like his big screen adaptation of failed series "Firefly" called "Serenity."

Variety is reporting that Whedon has asked Twentieth Century Fox to let him out of his multi-year deal to develop television projects for the studio.

"I have a bitter taste in my mouth where TV has gone in the past five years," Whedon said, citing specifically reality television that does not require his talent -- scriptwriting.

Whedon still had a year left on his contract with Fox, but said he simply ran out of series ideas for Fox.

"I spent a lot of time trying to think what my next series would be," he said. "I couldn't think of anything. When that happens, it generally means something is just not working. I didn't feel like I could come up with anything that the networks would want."

It is unclear if this would have an impact on a possible "Buffy" spinoff series that fans have been clamoring after for a long time involving the character Faith, played by Eliza Dushku. Dushku's recent series, "Tru Calling," appears to have been cancelled, leaving the actress available to pick up a possible series. During a recent fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, Whedon said that he would be interested in pursuing a possible spinoff series with Faith involved.

Even though Whedon is cutting his ties with Fox, Fox is not interested in cutting all their ties with Whedon.

"Hopefully, sooner rather than later, he'll have an inspired TV idea that he can't help himself from doing," said Fox's Dana Walden. "We're just glad that when he decides to do TV again, it will be with us."

The animated "Buffy" television series seems to be continuing as planned. And Whedon said he could find himself working for the small screen again soon.

"My career has always gone through phases of swelling and shrinking," Whedon said. "It's just a different phase, but this is hopefully not the end of my TV career. There are a lot of people I won't be working with that I will miss."