Buffy the Vampire Slayer
One girl in all the world, a chosen slayer.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a supernatural horror drama television series from the United States, created by Joss Whedon. The show draws from the 1992 film Whedon wrote, but the two are distinct works. Whedon was both executive producer and showrunner through his company, Mutant Enemy Productions. The series first aired on The WB from March 10, 1997, to May 22, 2001, then moved to UPN from October 2, 2001, to May 20, 2003. The story centers on Buffy Summers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, the most recent in a long line of young women fated to be Vampire Slayers. These Slayers are chosen by destiny to fight vampires, demons, and other dark forces. Buffy initially wishes for a normal life but gradually accepts her role. Like those before her, she has a Watcher—a member of England's Watcher's Council—who trains and advises her. Unlike earlier Slayers, she builds a close circle of friends, sometimes called the "Scoobies." The action mostly takes place in the fictional Southern California town of Sunnydale, built atop a "Hellmouth," a mystical hotspot that attracts supernatural beings, both good and evil, to menace the town and the world.
The show earned widespread critical and popular praise and is frequently ranked among the greatest TV series ever. Its original broadcasts typically drew four to six million viewers. While lower than hits on the major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox), these numbers were a success for the newer, smaller WB. Although largely overlooked by the Emmys in major categories, the series received an American Film Institute Award nomination for Drama Series of the Year, Gellar earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Television Drama, and the show was nominated five times for Television Critics Association Awards, winning the Heritage Award in 2003.
Buffy's success spawned hundreds of tie-in products, including novels, comics, and video games. It has inspired fan works, parodies, and academic study, and it shaped the direction of other TV shows. The series was part of a late-1990s and early-2000s trend of television featuring strong female leads, alongside shows like Charmed, Xena: Warrior Princess, La Femme Nikita, Dark Angel, and Alias.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action / Comedy-drama / Coming-of-age / Horror / Philosophical / Supernatural / Teen drama
- Creator
- Joss Whedon
- Showrunner
- Joss Whedon / Marti Noxon
- Theme Music Composer
- Nerf Herder
- Composer
- Walter Murphy / Christophe Beck / Shawn Clement / Sean Murray / Thomas Wander / Robert Duncan
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 7
- Num Episodes
- 144
- List Episodes
- List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes
- Executive Producer
- Joss Whedon / David Greenwalt / Marti Noxon / David Fury / Fran Rubel Kuzui / Kaz Kuzui
- Camera
- Single-camera
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series centers on Buffy Summers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is the latest Slayer, granted mystical powers including increased strength, endurance, agility, accelerated healing, intuition, and prophetic dreams. She is a reluctant hero who wants a normal life but learns to embrace her destiny. Buffy is guided by her Watcher, Rupert Giles, a member of the Watchers' Council based in England, who trains and advises her. Unlike previous Slayers, Buffy surrounds herself with loyal friends—Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, and others—who form the informal 'Scooby Gang.' The show primarily takes place in Sunnydale, a small Southern California city on a Hellmouth, a convergence point of mystical energies that attracts supernatural creatures.
Reader's Guide
Buffy the Vampire Slayer received critical and popular acclaim and is often listed among the greatest television series of all time. Original airings reached four to six million viewers, a success for the relatively new WB network. Despite being mostly ignored by the Emmys, the series was nominated for the American Film Institute Award for Drama Series of the Year, and Gellar was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress. It won the Television Critics Association Heritage Award in 2003. The success of Buffy led to hundreds of tie-in products, including novels, comics, and video games. The series has received attention in fandom, parody, and academia, and influenced other television series. It was part of a wave of late-1990s and early-2000s shows featuring strong female characters, alongside Charmed, Xena: Warrior Princess, La Femme Nikita, Dark Angel, and Alias. The series and its spin-off Angel are collectively termed the 'Buffyverse.'
Did You Know?
- Buffy Summers is the latest in a succession of young women known as 'Vampire Slayers,' chosen by fate to battle vampires, demons, and other forces of darkness.
- The show is set in the fictional town of Sunnydale, located on a 'Hellmouth,' a convergence point of mystical energies.
More in American fantasy drama television series 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced