In every generation, there’s at least one television series that takes the world by storm. Okay, so in the case of the ’90s, it was a whole bunch of them. But who needs Friends when you have Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Much like the occupants of Sunnydale (a suburbia that resides on a demon-spewing “Hellmouth”), the show itself was a total phenomenon.
Created by Joss Whedon (who wrote the original 1992 movie starring Kristy Swanson), Buffy the Vampire Slayer is widely considered to be one of the greatest shows of all time. It was so popular at the time that it was given its own spinoff in the form of Angel, starring the titular vampire with a soul portrayed by David Boreanaz, who first appeared in the flagship series.
While that show also took on a life of its own, Buffy was the main breadwinner. Viewers just couldn’t get enough of watching Sunnydale characters like Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon), Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan), and Buffy Summers herself (Sarah Michelle Gellar), take on everything from vampires to gods, all the while dealing with their own personal lives. The show launched Gellar’s career and turned her into a cultural icon.
Gellar played Buffy in all seven seasons of the hit show, and also made an appearance in Angel. The flagship show ended in 2003, and Angel the following year. While the Buffyverse has continued in other storytelling mediums, from video games to graphic novels, and tie-in novels to audiobooks, the television side of things appears to have turned to dust.
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While there have been talks of a revival of some kind for years, nothing has ever come to light. And any hopes of seeing Gellar reprise her role as Buffy were dashed in January 2013, when the I Know What You Did Last Summer star told SFX Magazine that, while she was “all for them continuing the story”, she wasn’t necessarily interested in returning, saying, “I love the way the show was left: ‘Every girl who has the power can have the power.’ It’s set up perfectly for someone else to have the power. But like I said, the metaphors of Buffy were the horrors of adolescence. I think I look young, but I am not an adolescent.”
Now, Gellar, 47, is finally ready to reprise her role as Buffy Summers.
“I always used to say no, because it’s in its bubble and it’s so perfect,” the actor said during a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. “But watching [And Just Like That] and seeing [Dexter: Original Sin], and realizing there are ways to do it [a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot], definitely does get your mind thinking, ‘Well, maybe.’”
Gellar is referring to the Sex and the City follow-up and the new Dexter prequel, two of many examples of classic shows that have found new life since their inception way back. But whether Buffy could also be successfully exhumed for a new generation remains to be seen.
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Earlier this year, world-famous singer/songwriter Dolly Parton, who, unbeknownst to many, was an uncredited producer on Buffy, told Business Insider: “They’re still working on that [a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot],” adding, “They’re thinking about bringing it back and revamping it.” However, there has been no word about it since.
Should such a project see the light of day, it’s possible we’ll finally see Sarah Michelle Gellar finally return to the world of Sunnydale. Well, what’s left of it anyway (it ceremoniously collapsed into a gigantic sinkhole AKA the Hellmouth at the end of Season 7). Or maybe, like the actress said herself, it might be time for someone else to dust off the wooden stake.
Either way, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is unlikely to stay dead and buried for too long.
Where Can I Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel?
Buffy was recently announced to be part of the UK channel ITVX’s general TV line-up between January and March, 2025. Until then, you’ll find the show, along with its spinoff, Angel, on Disney+. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a comedy-action series that chronicles the adventures of Buffy Summers, a teenage girl who is gifted with the strength and skill to hunt vampires,” the official synopsis reads.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Juliet Landau (Drusilla), David Boreanaz (Angel), Anthony Head (Rupert Giles), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Seth Green (Oz), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Eliza Dushku (Faith), and James Marsters (Spike).
Would you like to see Sarah Michelle Gellar reprise her role in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot? Let us know in the comments down below!
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