I'm back into the old television shows. This show is really old. It first aired in 1997 and was canceled in 2003 after seven seasons.
I started watching this show when I was about eight or nine. And I think this show is one of the reasons for my obsession with the fantasy and horror genre. Some may get tired of a show after a certain amount of years. But I haven't gotten tired of Buffy yet. I still watch it to this day.
In my opinion, Buffy is one of the best shows to ever air on television. Many critics agree. It was on the list of Time Magazine's ALL-TIME 100 Shows. It was #41 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. It was #2 on Empire's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. These are just a few.
Here are just a few reasons why I think you should consider watching it:
1) The show's writing was genius. Joss Whedon is one of my favourite writers and writing inspirations. The first three seasons of the show were set in Sunnydale High, a high school built over the Hellmouth. High school is hell. That's what most of us say. But in Buffy, high school is literally hell. The show's writers wrote about real life issues and turn them into supernatural metaphors. For example, when Buffy and Angel have sex for the first time, he looses his soul. Joyce's strict new boyfriend turns out to be a heartless robot (literally). Tara, a lesbian, fears her nature is demonic (which is explored in two specific episodes).
Another aspect of the writing that I loved was the strong female characters. Buffy, Willow, Anya, Tara, Joyce (Buffy's mother) and even Dawn. I think Buffy set the standard for strong female characters on television. Women that were able to fend for themselves and not always needing a man to do their saving.
The show's dialogue was truly unique. The characters on the show would make up new words, change existing ones and turn around the common usage of certain words. The youthful lines remind me of Juno in certain ways. And even though it may sound silly, the writers managed to write incredibly funny lines but also move us with deep, touching dialogue.
2) Impeccable acting from the entire cast (Warning: This is an insanely long paragraph). Sarah Michelle Gellar is a great actress and she was beyond brilliant as Buffy throughout those seven seasons. Her ability to portray Buffy's wide range of emotions, from her fearlessness, determination, bravery but also her sensitivity and vulnerability. Nicholas Brendon was Xander, the goofy friend. Despite the character's goofiness, he also had great moments of maturity that made him leading man material. Alyson Hannigan was fantastic to watch. The character development and numerous changes for Willow throughout the seasons and watching her portray those changes effortlessly is fun and fascinating to watch. Anthony Stewart Head was wonderful as Giles. The father figure for everyone in the group, the adult who knows everything and knew how to handle everything until he knew he was no longer needed.
These characters are more supporting in my opinion. Charisma Carpenter was on Buffy for the first three seasons as Cordelia and I think she was very good. Cordelia wasn't always likable, but Carpenter managed to get us to draw sympathy for her (Cordelia). David Boreanaz was on the show for the first three seasons as Angel, Buffy's main love interest. I think he was great and able to portray the good and evil sides of Angel convincingly. Plus he and Sarah Michelle Gellar had intense chemistry together and worked wonderfully well together. Seth Green was Oz, Willow's love interest. I think he had great comedic and dramatic timing and had chemistry with Hannigan. James Marsters was Spike from seasons two to seven. He was the show's breakout character. Funny, scary and so much more, Marsters pulled it off beautifully. Marc Blucas was Riley, Buffy's later love interest in seasons four and five. I think he was decent in the role and had okay chemistry with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Emma Caulfield was Anya for four seasons. I loved the character. She was absolutely hilarious and provided light for dark episodes. Michelle Trachtenberg plays Dawn, Buffy's sister who's introduced in later seasons. I think she had a lot of dept and had good chemistry with all the cast members. I loved the character's obliviousness to certain situations because it really reminds us that she's a teenager. Amber Benson played Tara, Willow's love interest. I think Tara was a spectacular addition to the show. I think after a while she blended in with the group well and plus she had chemistry with Hannigan which really helped make their romance work. Another cast member worth mentioning is Kristine Sutherland, who played Joyce, Buffy and Dawn's mother. Sutherland portrayed the perfect motherly figure, always supporting and reassuring while keeping out of the supernatural world as much as possible. Joyce really was one of the few normal characters on the show and I was sadden to see her go.
3) Good stunts. Violence is one of the show's recurring elements so of course a lot of punches were thrown in during their seven years. But the fights were well choreographed. They even managed to be unique with where they fight. For example, we have fights in the playground where a swing is used a weapon in an episode.
4) Good visual effects. The show aired in the 90s so of course their special effects weren't as good as they are now. Vampires dusting, shapeshifting, vampires transforming into their true faces and much more. For the time it was, they made it work very well.
5) The show has a blend of horror, action, adventure, comedy, drama and romance. What more could you want?
I could go on and on but I'm going to stop myself because I've written down the big reasons why you should consider watching this iconic television series.
I started watching this show when I was about eight or nine. And I think this show is one of the reasons for my obsession with the fantasy and horror genre. Some may get tired of a show after a certain amount of years. But I haven't gotten tired of Buffy yet. I still watch it to this day.
In my opinion, Buffy is one of the best shows to ever air on television. Many critics agree. It was on the list of Time Magazine's ALL-TIME 100 Shows. It was #41 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. It was #2 on Empire's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. These are just a few.
Here are just a few reasons why I think you should consider watching it:
1) The show's writing was genius. Joss Whedon is one of my favourite writers and writing inspirations. The first three seasons of the show were set in Sunnydale High, a high school built over the Hellmouth. High school is hell. That's what most of us say. But in Buffy, high school is literally hell. The show's writers wrote about real life issues and turn them into supernatural metaphors. For example, when Buffy and Angel have sex for the first time, he looses his soul. Joyce's strict new boyfriend turns out to be a heartless robot (literally). Tara, a lesbian, fears her nature is demonic (which is explored in two specific episodes).
Another aspect of the writing that I loved was the strong female characters. Buffy, Willow, Anya, Tara, Joyce (Buffy's mother) and even Dawn. I think Buffy set the standard for strong female characters on television. Women that were able to fend for themselves and not always needing a man to do their saving.
The show's dialogue was truly unique. The characters on the show would make up new words, change existing ones and turn around the common usage of certain words. The youthful lines remind me of Juno in certain ways. And even though it may sound silly, the writers managed to write incredibly funny lines but also move us with deep, touching dialogue.
2) Impeccable acting from the entire cast (Warning: This is an insanely long paragraph). Sarah Michelle Gellar is a great actress and she was beyond brilliant as Buffy throughout those seven seasons. Her ability to portray Buffy's wide range of emotions, from her fearlessness, determination, bravery but also her sensitivity and vulnerability. Nicholas Brendon was Xander, the goofy friend. Despite the character's goofiness, he also had great moments of maturity that made him leading man material. Alyson Hannigan was fantastic to watch. The character development and numerous changes for Willow throughout the seasons and watching her portray those changes effortlessly is fun and fascinating to watch. Anthony Stewart Head was wonderful as Giles. The father figure for everyone in the group, the adult who knows everything and knew how to handle everything until he knew he was no longer needed.
These characters are more supporting in my opinion. Charisma Carpenter was on Buffy for the first three seasons as Cordelia and I think she was very good. Cordelia wasn't always likable, but Carpenter managed to get us to draw sympathy for her (Cordelia). David Boreanaz was on the show for the first three seasons as Angel, Buffy's main love interest. I think he was great and able to portray the good and evil sides of Angel convincingly. Plus he and Sarah Michelle Gellar had intense chemistry together and worked wonderfully well together. Seth Green was Oz, Willow's love interest. I think he had great comedic and dramatic timing and had chemistry with Hannigan. James Marsters was Spike from seasons two to seven. He was the show's breakout character. Funny, scary and so much more, Marsters pulled it off beautifully. Marc Blucas was Riley, Buffy's later love interest in seasons four and five. I think he was decent in the role and had okay chemistry with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Emma Caulfield was Anya for four seasons. I loved the character. She was absolutely hilarious and provided light for dark episodes. Michelle Trachtenberg plays Dawn, Buffy's sister who's introduced in later seasons. I think she had a lot of dept and had good chemistry with all the cast members. I loved the character's obliviousness to certain situations because it really reminds us that she's a teenager. Amber Benson played Tara, Willow's love interest. I think Tara was a spectacular addition to the show. I think after a while she blended in with the group well and plus she had chemistry with Hannigan which really helped make their romance work. Another cast member worth mentioning is Kristine Sutherland, who played Joyce, Buffy and Dawn's mother. Sutherland portrayed the perfect motherly figure, always supporting and reassuring while keeping out of the supernatural world as much as possible. Joyce really was one of the few normal characters on the show and I was sadden to see her go.
3) Good stunts. Violence is one of the show's recurring elements so of course a lot of punches were thrown in during their seven years. But the fights were well choreographed. They even managed to be unique with where they fight. For example, we have fights in the playground where a swing is used a weapon in an episode.
4) Good visual effects. The show aired in the 90s so of course their special effects weren't as good as they are now. Vampires dusting, shapeshifting, vampires transforming into their true faces and much more. For the time it was, they made it work very well.
5) The show has a blend of horror, action, adventure, comedy, drama and romance. What more could you want?
I could go on and on but I'm going to stop myself because I've written down the big reasons why you should consider watching this iconic television series.
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