Buffy saved the world. A lot. And now, 20 years later, the eponymous Slayer has a unique opportunity to save TV too. But news that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is returning — with Sarah Michelle Gellar, no less — was always going to be divisive.
The original series, which ran from 1997 to 2003, was an era-defining show. It shaped genre TV throughout the decades that followed, influencing everything from Alias and Riverdale, to Wednesday and Game of Thrones. In doing so, Buffy helped shape how fans see themselves too.
Every generation has that series which means the world to them, just as every generation has a Slayer — a Chosen One — to fight off vampires and the forces of evil too. In short, Buffy is more than just a show, and that's true whether you watched it weekly as it aired or stumbled across Sunnydale years later for the very first time.
A fresh start
As ever, talent is key. It's heartening then that Oscar winning Nomadland director Chloé Zhao and Poker Face showrunners Nora Zuckerman and Lilla Zuckerman are in talks to film and write the series. Centering female voices like these, especially ones who already know a thing or two about nostalgia, gives the franchise a chance to breathe and forge new ground away from the tainted legacy of original creator Joss Whedon.
As Gellar herself said when the misconduct allegations first came to light, "I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon." And now she doesn't have to be.
Gellar's involvement delivers an instant roundhouse kick to that initial wave of doubts, because she is Buffy in every way that counts. To bring the franchise back without her would have been unthinkable, more soulless than Angelus at his worst.
Confirmation that Gellar's role will be important but not central to the series gives us faith that there's intention here to bridge the gap between old and new. That's important, narratively speaking, because a continuation is far more appealing than a subpar reimagining. But it's also vital in a broader sense.
By making horror's 'Final Girl' a horror to the monsters that once plagued her, Buffy pushed an entire genre forward and revolutionized TV beyond that as well. But centering a kick-ass heroine like Buffy is no longer groundbreaking like it once was. The key now lies in who this new Slayer, Buffy's protege, can be.
A new generation
Hulu could just go through the motions — "Walking through the part" — and cast another actor like Gellar to play this new Slayer, another white, cis, straight woman. But the world is very different now compared to how it was in the late '90s. We need a different Slayer to reflect that, a new kind of character to stake their own claim on heroism and what that can look like in 2025.
It's worth pointing out that some progress has already been made in this regard. Everything from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to Everything Everywhere All At Once has expanded the definition of what a female hero can be. But to do so in a franchise as beloved and sacred as Buffy? Doctor Who aside, that's still relatively rare.
Imagine a Slayer who's pushing back against the societal restrictions that come with not being white? Or one who learns to fight with a disability that others think would hold her back? Or how about a trans woman who manifests her powers pre-transition, tying the Slayer line innately with one's own gender identity?
To argue that these ideas are forced or unnecessary would be missing the Mister Pointy of it all. Didn't the very last episode of Buffy's original run establish that anyone can be a Slayer now? That any woman of any background can harness that power and fight for what's right?
The very existence of this revival speaks to that notion, justifying it in a way that few other reboots can hope to claim. To overlook the inherent potential of that and center another white cis straight protagonist would betray everything Buffy has always strived to be.
Some elements, such as Tara's fate — or Kendra's fate too, come to think of it — don't sit particularly well these days. And don't get me started on the Xander of it all. But Buffy was still incredibly progressive for the time in which it was made, especially when it came to depictions of queerness. It was as close to perfection as TV could get, and now there's an opportunity to improve upon perfection, to modernize what's outdated in ways that could end up revitalizing TV all over again.
Slay another day
Is this too optimistic? Perhaps. Legacy shows are hit and miss at the best of times. Not even Angel could quite live up to Buffy's legacy, let alone a new Buffy. But even if cast favorites such as Alyson Hannigan and Anthony Stewart Head don't return, or writers like Marti Noxon, Drew Goddard, and Jane Espenson don't either, that's ok, because Buffy doesn't belong to any one person (and least of all Joss Whedon).
As director Jane Schoenbrun proved in I Saw The TV Glow, a recent homage to their own Buffy obsession, it's possible to channel Buffy without replicating it exactly. And that's what this revival needs to do. Any attempt to directly copy what came previously will inevitably explode in a cloud of dust faster than you can say "grr, argh!" Although we wouldn't say no to bringing back the 22 episode seasons and 'Big Bad' arcs that Buffy popularized in the first place...
So yes, I have hope for the revival. After all, Buffy has ended before — "Hey, I died twice!" — and she always came back stronger. With the world feeling more apocalyptic than ever, now's the perfect time to beep the Slayer and introduce a brand new Chosen One for a brand new generation. Because Lord knows we need saving.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is streaming for free right now on Tubi. For more, check out our list of the new TV shows coming your way in 2025 and beyond.
