Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)

After the traumatizing ordeal in the movie with the same name, Buffy Summers and her mother move to Sunnydale, only to discover that L.A. was just a walk in the park...

Creator:

Joss Whedon

Stars:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 41 wins & 99 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Buffy Summers (145 episodes, 1996-2003)
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris (145 episodes, 1996-2003)
Alyson Hannigan	...	Willow Rosenberg (144 episodes, 1997-2003)
Anthony Head	...	Rupert Giles (123 episodes, 1996-2003)
James Marsters	...	Spike (97 episodes, 1997-2003)
Emma Caulfield	...	Anya (85 episodes, 1998-2003)
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Dawn Summers (66 episodes, 2000-2003)

Storyline

At the young age of 15, Buffy Summers was chosen to hunt vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. Joined by friends Willow and Xander and her watcher Giles, Buffy fights the challenges of High School and saves the world...a lot.

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Plot Keywords:

demon | vampire | friend | high school | apocalypse | 

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Taglines:

Fight evil, bring Buffy home.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Fox [de] (German) (Flash req'd) Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

BtVS

Filming Locations:

1313 Cota Drive, Torrance, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min 44 min (144 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Series star Sarah Michelle Gellar initially auditioned for the role of Cordelia Chase, and Charisma Carpenter, who plays Cordelia, auditioned for the role of Buffy. Others who auditioned for Buffy and got other roles include Julie Benz (Darla), Elizabeth Anne Allen (Amy Madison), Julia Lee (Anne) and Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall). Bianca Lawson, who played Kendra the Vampire Slayer in season 2, originally auditioned for the role of Cordelia.

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Quotes

Rupert Giles: In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.

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Crazy Credits

The sequence with the Mutant Enemy mascot, the little monster that goes "Grr Argh" at the end of all episodes, was changed for a total of six episodes: in "Becoming Part Two" (#2.22) it said, 'Oh, I need a hug." in "Amends" (#3.10) it wore a Santa hat and bells were jingling. in "Graduation Day Part Two" (#3.22) it wore a graduation cap. in "Once More With Feeling" (#6.07) it sang its "Grr Argh." in "Storyteller" (#7.16) it sang, "We are as gods." in "Chosen" (#7.22) it looked out at the viewers instead of looking straight-forward.

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Connections

Referenced in Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series: ...In America (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme"
by Nerf Herder

User Reviews

Don't judge a book by it's cover.

Very often, when you find a particularly negative review of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you find someone whose glancing opinion bounces off the surface "appearance" of the show and does not delve into the actual substance therein. Frequently, they are people who haven't really seen enough episodes to form a well thought-out opinion on the series, the content, and the characters as a whole--especially, people who have only seen a few eps from season one. Season one is the most shallow end of the series. It really gives you no clue as to what the series ends up being. Believe me, it gets more intense and complicated and dark as it goes on. If you decide to give it a try, I suggest checking out a handful of episodes from season three on before passing judgment. Some good examples are S3--The Wish, Helpless, Doppelgangland, S4--Something Blue, Hush and Restless, S5--Fool for Love, Triangle, Weight of the World, The Gift (I'd also say The Body but that one gives too much away) S6--Bargaining, Tabula Rasa, Older and Far Away, S7--Beneath You, Selfless, Conversations With Dead People, The Killer In Me, Get It Done (I'd say Chosen but it's the series finale which also would give too much away).

About the show itself--Buffy is the antithesis of the "pretty-blond-victim" who runs from the "psycho ax-murderer" in horror films past--the girl who always twisted her ankle and fell in her attempt to get away. How many times did we see that scene and feel just a little bit disgusted with the victim for not even trying to fight back? How many times did we see that scene and feel disgusted with the directors for typing female victims in this way over and over again? Buffy, herself, isn't the "traditional" feminist TV icon. Many of those are women who have forfeited the ultra-feminine symbols of their gender--love, compassion and vulnerability in order to maintain equal footing with men. Buffy doesn't do this. Buffy embraces those symbols in one hand and hones and wields them to fight evil in the other.

The show appears as a bubble-gum program, aimed at teens and while it's fan-base is largely younger viewers (teens-twenties), it's major themes profoundly confront the more mature ideas of good vs. evil, life and death, friendship, religion, the soul and the true meanings of power and love in such a way that is rarely addressed in current entertainment. It challenges the traditional ideas of religion as being an "institution" and asserts that it is something to be lived, that real love requires self-sacrifice, that true friendship requires far-reaching forgiveness, that true power is rooted in love and compassion and that good and evil, while in shades of gray can still be defined.