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Post by Tim on Sept 14, 2016 23:39:01 GMT -5
This is the show that put the WB on the map when it premiered in 1997. A ratings and critical success, Buffy was the show for the WB for a number of years.
Hard to believe that this all rose from a flop movie from five years before. Joss Whedon got a second chance here and he made the Buffy that he had wanted to make in 1992. Of course, the fans loved it.
Even now, nearly twenty years later, Sarah Michelle Gellar is mostly know for Buffy.
Of course, it all went to hell in 2001. When Joss Whedon felt that the WB was sticking its nose in far too often, he walked out of them, and deflected to UPN, taking Buffy with him. The WB never quite recovered from the loss of Buffy, and some feel that this contributed to the demise of the WB, five years later.
The success of Buffy paved the way for Charmed, which would premier the following year. This was both a blessing and curse for Charmed. On the one hand, Charmed owed its existence to Buffy, but, on the other hand, Charmed never quite emerged from Buffy's shadow. In countless comparisons between the two shows, Charmed almost always lost.
Buffy would go on to spawn a spin off, Angel. And even though Buffy the show ended in 2003, it continues in comics. And the Buffy comics are, unlike most comics, considered canon, due to the involvement of Joss Whedon (the comics list him as Executive Producer, the same title he had while he was doing the show).
So, any Buffy fans here?
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Post by BettyNewbie on Sept 15, 2016 0:28:21 GMT -5
Hard to believe that this show will be turning 20 next year.  While this has probably already been said a million times, it can't be overstated enough how influential this show was. At the time, Buffy proved that shows starring strong female characters with female-heavy casts could be popular and successful. TV shows as varied as Charmed, Alias, Kim Possible, Veronica Mars, and Pretty Little Liars all owe something to Buffy. Buffy is also notable for being one of the first mainstream TV shows to portray a lesbian couple in an honest, non-stereotypical way (Willow/Tara). Supposedly, Whedon had to fight nail and tooth against the WB to allow Willow to come out, and even then, he wasn't allowed to portray them kissing or making out. |
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Post by nimue on Sept 15, 2016 0:52:23 GMT -5
I'm a huge fan of the show, and am thinking about doing a rewatch. I love Seasons 1-4, am lukewarm about Season 5, and cannot stand the last two (especially Season 6). While Season 6 dealt with some interesting issues, having it all happen at the same time was a little too much. Poor Buffy 
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Post by Squad 51 on Sept 15, 2016 9:06:55 GMT -5
I watched it too but not all seasons. Was kinda more interested in its Spin-off "Angel". There was more potential for me.  |
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Post by Tim on Sept 15, 2016 10:30:55 GMT -5
Where did the time go?
The influence of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is obvious on Kim Possible.
1. You have what appears to be an average teenage girl, (Buffy Summers/Kim Possible), who goes to school, is a cheerleader. However, this girl leads a double life as a super heroine (she slays vampires/fights crime).
2. She has a group that helps her (Scooby Gang/Ron, Wade, etc).
3. She has an opposite, who matches her in skill. This opposite used to be a hero, but went rogue (Faith/Shego).
Given the WB's talent for Executive Meddling, it's a wonder Whedon was able to get as many concessions from them that he did. However, unlike another Executive Producer (who shall go nameless here), Whedon wasn't afraid to stand up to the WB.
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Post by BettyNewbie on Sept 15, 2016 10:53:00 GMT -5
I'm a huge fan of the show, and am thinking about doing a rewatch. I love Seasons 1-4, am lukewarm about Season 5, and cannot stand the last two (especially Season 6). While Season 6 dealt with some interesting issues, having it all happen at the same time was a little too much. Poor Buffy Yeah, a lot of people feel that the quality took a nosedive in the UPN seasons and that Season 5 should've been the last. One reason for this was Whedon handing over control of the show to Marti Noxon, who has weird personal issues with rape and drug addiction that she felt needed to be played out on a fantasy show about witches and vampires. Another reason may have been UPN itself. I think because of the way the network essentially stole the show from rival WB, they pushed for the show to be darker and edgier than what the WB was comfortable with, hence all of the rape/drug storylines (and half-naked Spike) getting forced into Buffy. |
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Post by Tim on Sept 15, 2016 10:56:32 GMT -5
Whedon really needed to rein Noxon in here. Tell her that this is a fantasy show.
If Noxon wanted to write about rape and drug addiction, she should have gone and worked on a cop show.
UPN really made a triumph of that, didn't they. Many think that this was the decisive blow that led to the fall of the WB.
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Post by adzpower on Sept 15, 2016 14:19:58 GMT -5
It really is one of the best shows of all time, a great blend of fantasy, drama, romance and comedy. Sarah Michelle Gellar is an amazing actress.
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Post by Tim on Sept 15, 2016 17:15:31 GMT -5
Although the WB had started in 1995, this was the show that put them on the map. Even now, many associate the WB with Buffy.
She sure it. I also liked Alyson Hannigan (and enjoyed her on How I Met Your Mother).
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Post by Jean on Dec 4, 2017 5:10:24 GMT -5
I remember watching this show, I was in my 30s when it was airing.
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Post by Melinda Halliwell on Dec 5, 2017 5:32:26 GMT -5
And I was in my teens then early adulthood when this aired to for me.
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Post by Tim on Dec 5, 2017 17:22:12 GMT -5
While I never watched this show myself, I was aware of how popular it was. The shows that followed with strong female lead characters, such as Charmed and Alias, owe much to Buffy.
Apparently, they wanted to make a reboot movie, but it seems to have sank into Development Hell.
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Post by adzpower on Dec 5, 2017 18:05:26 GMT -5
I remember when I was younger, and this show used to air on the BBC and I was TERRIFIED, it isn't even that scary, I just used find the tone of the show a lot darker than what I was used too. But I re-watched it years later and its now probably my favorite show of all time, I regularly re-watch it, have several DVD sets, collect all the comics and have several novels, I just can't get enough of this world and wish it would continue on screen somehow.
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Post by Tim on Dec 5, 2017 18:40:19 GMT -5
You would have only been five when the show started in 1997, Adam. I guess to someone that young, Buffy would seen scary.
I have seen clips of some of the things that Buffy fought, and they do look scary.
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Post by Melinda Halliwell on Dec 6, 2017 4:46:55 GMT -5
That was probably down to the prosphetics used on actors/actresses to make them look scary which they did do like Charmed seasons 1&2 when not all evil appeared like human beings then.
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