After all the media attention about its controversial move from The WB to UPN, after making people tune in and watch, after making actors like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan stars ... "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" seems poised to "go out on top."

Nicholas Brendon, who plays Xander on the series, recently told Australia's The Courier-Mail that next fall, the series will make its last season premiere and call it quits after seven years.

"It sucks, because with how this year ended, and with what's gonna happen next year, it's gonna go out on top," Brendon said. "We're having a lot of fun doing it. This last year was my most fun year doing the show. But that's life in showbiz, and I'll just do something else."

While ratings have been down for the series since it made the move to UPN, including continual losses to The WB's "Gilmore Girls," Brendon said there are numerous reasons why creator Joss Whedon is interested in pulling the plug on the series. The big thing is that the series stars -- like Gellar -- will be without a contract following the end of the upcoming season, and because of Whedon's lack of time with his new series in development including the British "Buffy" spinoff planned to star Anthony Stewart Head (Giles) and his new Fox science-fiction series, "Firefly."

"Joss always wanted to be attached to ('Buffy'), and as his schedule's become thinner, it's harder for him to be a part of the show," Brendon said. "It was his baby, so if he can't be a part of it like he wants to, then it's just not gonna run.

"It's gonna be really sad for me, 144 episodes and it's my first job. I went through a lot of changes personally in that time, so it's gonna be a teary goodbye."

That's all the more reason why fans should tune into this year's season finale, Brendon said.

"Just wait and see. This year's exciting, I can tell you that. People die."