March 10, 1997
Buffy the Vampire Slayer first airs.
Buffy's
creator, Joss Whedon, developed the series from an original script he had
written for the big screen a number of years earlier. The 1992 movie, starring
Kristy Swanson and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, had disappointed Whedon by
turning his edgy story with its powerful female heroine into too much of a
silly comedy. When he was approached about creating a television series based
on his original script, Whedon jumped at the chance. For the TV series, he went
with the concept of "high school as a horror movie" and re-created
his darker version of Buffy. The result was a blend of drama, romance,
comedy, action and horror unique on network television. Whedon served as an
executive producer throughout the show's run and was heavily involved in its
writing; he also directed a number of episodes.Sarah Michelle Gellar, a Daytime Emmy Award winner for her work on the soap
opera All My Children, took on the lead role of Buffy Summers, the perky
cheerleader who is also her generation's Chosen One, the only person on Earth
with the power to defeat vampires. In the Buffy universe, Sunnydale High
School in Sunnydale, California, sits atop a "Hellmouth," an entrance
point for evil demons, and Buffy's constant battling of undead ghouls served as
a supernatural allegory for surviving the real-life challenges of high school
and adolescence.
Though ratings peaked during the second and third seasons, the show was
consistently well reviewed by critics throughout its six-and-a-half-year run.
As one of the edgiest offerings amid a growing WB line-up that included Dawson's
Creek, 7th Heaven and Felicity, Buffy's success helped
establish the network as a staple among teenage and young adult TV viewers.
After 2001, Buffy moved to the WB's competitor, United Paramount Network
(UPN). Gellar decided not to renew her contract after the seventh season, and
the show aired its final episode in May 2003.
With Buffy Summers hailed by fans and critics as a feminist hero, Gellar
made the transition to the big screen with roles in films such as Scream 2,
I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions and Scooby Doo.
Other breakout stars of the show were Alyson Hannigan, later known for the American
Pie movies and the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and Seth Green,
who left the show after less than three seasons to pursue big-screen stardom,
appearing in the Austin Powers movie franchise. A Buffy spin-off
on the WB, Angel, starred David Boreanaz. Though the show didn't spark
the same amount of frenzied enthusiasm as Buffy, it attracted a small
but devoted fan base.
After the demise of Angel in 2004, rumors swirled about future TV
spin-offs, movie adaptations and even an animated Buffy series. In the
meantime, DVD sales and Whedon-produced comic book series have kept
Slayer-mania alive.
March 10, 1997
Buffy the Vampire Slayer first airs.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, a Daytime Emmy Award winner for her work on the soap
opera All My Children, took on the lead role of Buffy Summers, the perky
cheerleader who is also her generation's Chosen One, the only person on Earth
with the power to defeat vampires. In the Buffy universe, Sunnydale High
School in Sunnydale, California, sits atop a "Hellmouth," an entrance
point for evil demons, and Buffy's constant battling of undead ghouls served as
a supernatural allegory for surviving the real-life challenges of high school
and adolescence.
Though ratings peaked during the second and third seasons, the show was
consistently well reviewed by critics throughout its six-and-a-half-year run.
As one of the edgiest offerings amid a growing WB line-up that included Dawson's
Creek, 7th Heaven and Felicity, Buffy's success helped
establish the network as a staple among teenage and young adult TV viewers.
After 2001, Buffy moved to the WB's competitor, United Paramount Network
(UPN). Gellar decided not to renew her contract after the seventh season, and
the show aired its final episode in May 2003.
With Buffy Summers hailed by fans and critics as a feminist hero, Gellar
made the transition to the big screen with roles in films such as Scream 2,
I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions and Scooby Doo.
Other breakout stars of the show were Alyson Hannigan, later known for the American
Pie movies and the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and Seth Green,
who left the show after less than three seasons to pursue big-screen stardom,
appearing in the Austin Powers movie franchise. A Buffy spin-off
on the WB, Angel, starred David Boreanaz. Though the show didn't spark
the same amount of frenzied enthusiasm as Buffy, it attracted a small
but devoted fan base.
After the demise of Angel in 2004, rumors swirled about future TV spin-offs, movie adaptations and even an animated Buffy series. In the meantime, DVD sales and Whedon-produced comic book series have kept Slayer-mania alive.
Stay Tuned
Tony Figueroa
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