"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Unaired Pilot (2003)

Director:

Joss Whedon

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator)
Joss Whedon (written by)

TV Series:

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997)

Original Air Date:

June 2003 (Season 1, Episode 0)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Library | Reference To Home Depot | Unaired TV Series Pilot | Heroine | Female Protagonist

Cast

Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris
Riff Regan	...	Willow
Charisma Carpenter	...	Cordelia Chase
Anthony Head	...	Rupert Giles (as Anthony Stewart Head)
Mercedes McNab	...	Harmony Kendall
Danny Strong	...	Jonathan Levinson
Julie Benz	...	Darla
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Principal Flutie
Amy Chance	...	Aphrodesia
Persia White	...	Girl
Nicole Bilderback	...	Girl

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Trivia:

This pilot was directed by Joss Whedon and financed out of his own pocket to sell the show to the networks. The plot is fairly similar to "Welcome to the Hellmouth", though Angel, Jesse and the Master don't appear. Also, it's only half an hour long. The main differences from the show as aired are the sets and casting. While most of the principals are in place, Riff Regan plays Willow and Stephen Tobolowsky plays Principal Flutie. They were replaced by Alyson Hannigan and Ken Lerner, respectively in the actual show. The library that appears is not the set from the show, rather it is the actual library from Torrance High School where much of the Sunnydale High material was filmed.

Quotes:

Willow Rosenberg: Mr. Worse say's you never pay attention.
Xander Harris: I pay attention. Just not to him.

Movie Connections:

References Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

Soundtrack:

Lady Picture Show

An underrated first attempt

This version of the pilot was written and directed by Joss Whedon himself (as opposed to the aired pilot, which was written by Whedon and directed by others). Many fans don't much like this version of the pilot, as it's lacking in some casting, a few important characters, and music. But it was never intended to be the finished product anyway, only a glimpse of what's to come to sell the networks on the idea. As such, it does a perfect job of distilling the main elements of the show, the most important characters and their relationship to one another, and the incredible balance of humor, horror and metaphor that would become the show's trademark. It does all that in under 30 minutes. That, I say, is quite an achievement.