Unaired Pilot

Episode aired Sep 30, 2011
25m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

1.8K

YOUR RATING

Sarah Michelle Gellar in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

Action Drama Fantasy

Buffy Summers arrives for her first day at a new school, and already weird things are happening. She investigates a dead body that is found in the girls' locker room, and, with the help of h... Read allBuffy Summers arrives for her first day at a new school, and already weird things are happening. She investigates a dead body that is found in the girls' locker room, and, with the help of her new friends Willow and Xander, she fights a gang of vampires. Also, she meets Cordelia ... Read allBuffy Summers arrives for her first day at a new school, and already weird things are happening. She investigates a dead body that is found in the girls' locker room, and, with the help of her new friends Willow and Xander, she fights a gang of vampires. Also, she meets Cordelia and her friends, and Giles, her new Watcher, tells her more about her destiny.

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

1.8K

YOUR RATING

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Photos10

Anthony Head in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Anthony Head in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nicholas Brendon in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Stephen Tobolowsky in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, and Riff Regan in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

Storyline

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Did you know

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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 (1997), 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
Buffy Summers: I don't suppose you'd be sweeties and attack me one at a time?
Vampire: You watch too many movies.
Buffy Summers: You can never watch too many movies!

Alternate versions
The episode was remade into Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Episode 1, "Welcome to the Hellmouth" in March 1997.

Connections
Featured in Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Unaired Pilot Reaction (2021)

Soundtracks
See A Little Light
(uncredited)
by Bob Mould

User reviews10

Review

Featured review

The unaired pilot is of interest to a fan.

I did not watch the series when it came out. I am now (it's 10/2022) binging it a few episodes at a time. I just started watching season 4. Having read about this unaired pilot, I tracked it down. While not on Hulu - which hosts the series - it is on You Tube.

The unaired pilot is like a first draft of the official one. Same plot & style but needing a rewrite. Most noticeable difference is that Willow is played by Riff Regan in the pilot (of course Alyson Hannigan plays her in the series). In the story, Willow is shy & unpopular. While Hannigan plays her with a sense of optimism, Regan's Willow is simply an insecure loner. Hannigan's more appealing interpretation was needed for this central character. Also, Hannigan is more physically attractive, and the network may have felt that would serve an on-going series better.

A fan would enjoy watching this.

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