"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) TV series 1997-2003

Creator:

Joss Whedon

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

10 March 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

Get home before dark.

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Demon | High School | Vampire | College | Chosen One

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 34 wins & 99 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

BtVS (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Buffy (USA) (short title)
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer: The Series (USA) (long title)

Runtime:

44 min (144 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:12 (some episodes) | UK:15 (some episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Portugal:M/12 | New Zealand:M | USA:TV-14 | Australia:M | Israel:PG | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) (season 7) | Singapore:PG | USA:TV-14 (some episodes) | USA:TV-PG (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

California State University Northridge - 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Trivia:

The series is based not on the feature film Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), but Joss Whedon's original screenplay, which had been heavily rewritten to be more comedic. The Buffy comic book series adapted the screenplay, bringing the events of the movie in line with the TV show's continuity.

Quotes:

Xander Harris: Apparently Buffy has decided the problem with the English language is all those pesky words. You. Angel. Big. Smoochies?
Buffy Summers: Shut. Up.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Primeval: (#1.2)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme

Overview of BtVS

Buffy The Vampire Slayer is one of the most inventive and exciting shows on T.V. today. With a wonderful cast of regulars and a weird, scary, and often hilarious cast of monsters, this is the most original product I have seen in a long time.

Sarah Michelle Gellar does wonders with her role as Buffy Summers. She has an amazing range of emotions and she is able to portray each realistically and convincingly. She takes the role with Buffy and runs with it.

Alyson Hannigan is one of the best actresses on the show with her portrayal of Willow Rosenberg. Willow is smart, intelligent, a little awkward, and a great counterpart to Buffy. Her storyline has also been the most intriguing from season 1 to 5. She has grown and developed more than the other characters and the writers have done a supreme job exploring her spirituality, sexuality, and show that it is possible to go from a book worm to a confident woman who can look the world in the face and laugh.

Nick Brendon is a breath of fresh, and comic, air as Xander Harris. Though Xander is a geek by nature, he is always there for his friends and he stands by their side in the face of vampires, wicked mayors, slayers-gone-bad, and Hell Gods.

Anthony Stewart Head had taken the stuffy British character of Giles and turned him into a full, complex, and wonderful character. Giles is not nearly as play-by-the-book as he once was. He's not only Buffy's watcher, but he is also her friend and her confidant.

Among the supporting cast over the years Charisma Carpentar put a spin on the snobby bitch from high school with Cordelia Chase by actually giving "Cordy" a heart. Emma Caulfield is a hilarious delight as 1,000 year old ex-demon Anya, who is trying to find her place in the human world. James Marsters as vampire Spike is always a treat. And his current infatuation with Buffy has made for some great storylines. David Boreanaz gave the show a darker tone with Angel, the vampire with a soul and love of Buffy's life. Eliza Dushku always gives the show a bit a spice with as Faith, a slayer who turned to the dark side. And Kristine Sutherland is wonderful as Buffy's flakey mother who is trying to come to terms with her daughter's destiny.

The shows original concept of a high school student fighting vampires by night has expanded into this amazing portrayal of life and how things rarely go the way you expect. Buffy has to face all the things every teenage girl faces, but she has the extra burden of being the slayer. After 5 seasons the show remains fresh and upbeat. It's impossible to know where creator Joss Whedon will take our favorite slayer and her friends next.

Excellent show! Don't let the title fool you!