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Buffy the Vampire Slayer is Officially Over
tstoneman writes "Say it ain't so! Yahoo has an article says how SMG herself confirmed the rumors of the series demise. Even though it is clearly in its twilight, it's still one of the vest best shows on TV. It however points to the fact that a spin-off will emerge, hopefully one that is more successful than Angel."
So, the slayer got slayed?
mats
One man's ceiling is another man's floor.
Perhaps a more '2000' reality based vampire show is in order, where the vampires vote each other off the show :)
Do you need a website upgrade?
Now the public can have what it has been craving for YEARS... a sequel to the original movie :-)
(btw, I AM just joking)
It is one of the VEST!
In the 7 years that the show ran, I don't think I ever saw an entire episode.
Some geeks flock to SMG and vampires I guess, others flock to Farscape.
After dealing with some sub-par allegory and poor storytelling in the third to sixth seasons, I'm kinda happy that the series will end with this season, where the writing has appeared to improve despite Joss Whedon's attention to Firefly.
"My God...It's full of ads!" -Fry, about the Internet, Futurama
Damn you Sadam!.. now we bomd the crap out of Iraq!!!!
Thank God....
...is that they're making a sequel to the Scooby-Doo movie.
After the picture on the site it's linking to, I might be thinking "vest" too... and other words that end in the sound made by "est"...
Any time a bad girl got me down and ignored me and played with my heart and wallet, Buffy was an adequate mode to relax by romantically. She was a fantastic celebrity and she will be missed by me and many who are like me.
I suggest you read Slashdot
Remember when Sliders was left with only Remy as the original member of the cast on the show? Or when Adrian Paul didn't really want to do a 6th season of Highlander and didn't appear in half the episodes? It just doesn't work when the main character (Quinn or Duncan or Buffy) is gone. Let it go.
She's killing Buffy so she can make more Scooby Doo movies? This season doesn't feel like it's the end of the story. It's too soon to call it quits. Besides, look at the movies that SMG has made. They're all crap. She clearly should not be allowed on film, unless (maybe) it's a Buffy movie. Note that she said "in this incarnation" (though she could have been referring to the comics. Oh, well. I blame Prinze for this. And cancer.
I've never been a big Buffy fan. In fact, I would be surprised to learn I've seen more than 10 episodes.
But they've been playing the advertising for the current season every time I look at the TV lately, and I have somehow started to want to watch it. Maybe the advertising works, maybe it's just because she's damn sexy, or maybe it's because I've been impressed by the complicated plots.
My friends all watch it, and I keep hearing about complex plot developments that are tangled not only between episodes, but between seasons.
There's not a lot of worthwhile television on these days. It'd be a shame to see this one go before I have a chance to see it all.
(incidently, whoever canned this series is probably the same maniacal genious who cancelled Futurama - my all-time favorite animated series!)
Of course, i could be wrong... any geeks here watch it?
Is to do a spin off with "Faith" Eliza Dushku's charachter. She will be coming back for the final 5 episodes, and its the perfect lead in. Josh Wheedon has been in talks with her from all accounts. I think with a edgier, sexier slayer a spin off could do quite well.
Also, some one mentioned Farscape, now that show for my money has the best charachter and plot development in TV...it is a product of the late 90's 98/99 to be preceise...and its being canned by SCI-FI. Soon, there will truly be no good TV shows, just sitcoms and reality crap. Love live the history channel!
It seems like these are bad times for Whedon, what with the canceling of Firefly too. It's a shame too, because he's got a lot of talent. Firefly had a really interesting storyline. The only problem I really had with it was the blue-gloved enemy. They were ill suited for the show.
Yes, I couldn't agree more. No show has done more for vest wearing in the past 50 years than Buffy the Vestpire..er, Vampire Slayer.
thank god .. this show was schlock crap .. may i
never have to deal with another alterno-fool
goth wannabe that worships that garbage
An average of 5 million viewers for season two isn't doing well?
I personally enjoy Angel very much..
Huhhuh, Hey Beavis he said vest, huhuhhuh.
Oh wait. That makes no sense. Terribly sorry.
Download my free songs!
Maybe its just me, but I never found SMG all that hot. Then again, I'm not into blondes at all.
The new show will be about a midget vampire.
Title: "Little Sucker"
I know, I know...
Buffy comes
and Buffy goes
While wisps of auburn
stirred from blows,
fangs were flashed
in shiny rows.
Forever assigned
to a daredevil task,
Buffy now is free
at last.
Buffy comes
and Buffy goes
and Buffy
and
People seriously watch this stuff and think it's good? My god, it's the laughing stock of all the people I know, geeks included.
I don't mean to start a flame war, but what is it that people see in this show? I've watched it a few times and while it's good to sit down and go "duh" to, I can't imagine people caring it's ending?
I hope Gellar's salary for seven years of Buffy was pretty good, because, truth be told, I can't see her movie career lasting her very long. I mean, crossing over to a movie career from TV is hard enough as it is. Doing it when, frankly, one of your main assets is that you're young and sexy just doesn't seem like a long-term career move. It's not as though she isn't already typecast. And I just can't see her movie career hitting it in the handful of years she has left as a really bankable star. Quite frankly, I think she'd have made more money with two or three more seasons of Buffy. Then again, one doesn't have to read too many interviews with her to get the idea that she's not the brightest crayon in the box.
Philip Sandifer's academic website
The only reason the show is going to be 'respun' after Sarah leaves is because she's the title character and a Buffyless Buffy has to be called something else.
Sarah's leaving, it doesn't mean the franchise is closing down, though it's hardly surprising that she'd want to spin it that way.
Me, I'm secretly hoping for a crossover spinoff from Buffy and Enterprise, where a new slayer named Gargravarr rises up in The Fray's post-slayer universe, and travels by starship from world to world to (and this part's key) alphabetically insult, and then slay, every demon in the known universe.
Things get interesting in the series's two-hour pilot (which happens to also be it's season finale) when she crosses paths with, and consequently teams up with, Malcolm Reynolds and crew. The finale (aired in week two) centers around a final confrontation with the Big Bad: the mysterious yet ugly Reavers.
If only TiVo made new shows based on the ones I like...
Kevin Fox
"It however points to the fact that a spin-off will emerge, hopefully one that is more successful than Angel."
More "successful" does not mean "better".
Hell, Survivor was a "sucessful" show, but it was basically mindless voyeurism.
http://jesus.everdense.com/
... will be back from the dead
I even bought the cast album of "Once More, With Feeling", the musical episode.
Now if Joss can convince ED to spin off ... Yeah!
I'd watch a show based on Willow. She's far and away my favorite character (since way before she was a beautiful lesbian uber witch) In fact, if the show really is over she's the only reason I'll watch a new spin off.
If it doesn't have willow, it isn't worth watching. (And god damn it, they need Giles.)
As long as they don't cancel Toonami, I should be able to keep from going on a killing spree. But if that puppy goes......Hulk Smash!!!!!
Mod Points: Helping you keep your opinion to yourself.
"Tuxxy the BSD Slayer...."
It would be interesting to do a study on how long shows last. I can guarantee that some shows aren't terminated based on falling ratings, but rather the actors stopping (Seinfeld, ST:TNG, Buffy?) While some shows seem to keep on going, like the day time dramas. Is the length of time a good show is on inversely proportional to the ratings? Does the same hold for game shows like Price is Right, or Family Feud?
Modular Redundancy--Because 4 out of 5 Nodes agree
Angel is a great show that really came into its own once BTVS moved to UPN. Its probably not doing well because the WB doesn't advertise it(alla firefly) and no one knows when its on, or it gets bumped for crap like tonight(the lone ranger). But IMO Charisma Carpenter is way hotter than SMG. I've caught the last few episodes only because someone on /. said it wasn't canned after i made some comment about great shows like firefly, farscape and angel gettign canned. I really thought it was gone. As for Buffy, its jumped the shark, this whole training school for potential slayers just bugs me, but the past few seasons, Glorie, ADAM, have been great, I'm sad to see it go.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
After all, for half its run Blake's 7 had no Blake in it... ;)
Then FX started showing all the episodes in order - two a day. Let's just say "thank God for Tivo."
About three months later I'd seen almost every episode from the first five seasons. And I loved it. The writing was often excellent, and the casting was perfect. The first three seasons did a great job capturing the real essence of high school, instead of the Utopia often portrayed in network shows about those awkward years.
It's certainly not perfect, but even the worst episodes were often way above average, which is more than we can expect from the boob tube these days. And when BtVS was at its best, it held it's own with anything on TV - Buffy was nominated for an Emmy for Best Writing in a Drama, and the other nominees were two episodes each of "West Wing" and "The Sopranos". Not too shabby.
Anyway - before you make fun of it too much, it's worth checking. I'm pretty sure FX is still rerunning the series in order. It's definately worth waiting to start with the first season, as the show has a great mythos that later episodes rely on.
The worst thing about recent vampire movies/TV shows, and books (basically since Anne Rice) is that they have this tendancy to turn what used to be undead badass demons into angsty wimps. If I see another angsty vampire, I swear, I'm going to scream.
If not all sentients are human, couldn't it be possible that not all humans are sentient either?
Oh $DEITY, thank you for slaying Buffy off of the TV. The IQ rating of every viewer will sharply increase. Just the whole premise of the show is a turn-off for me.
Why do so many folks watch it? The boobs?
--
# Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
$Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Unemployed geeks with time to watch TV instead of surf slashdot or try to figure out how to mod the latest open-source GNU tool?
Thats for besmirching the memory of Firefly by tainting it with shite from enterprise, you should be ashamed. May the Serenity and especially her crew;), RIP.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Probably 3 times actually (since Willow brought her back yet again), and then there's the time she died in an alternate timeline... Anyway, the premise doesn't really give you a good view of the show. And it's really not like the movie, either. If you actually gave it a chance, you might like it.
How can you say all her movies are crap? Cruel Intentions whilst not entirely original did show quite a bit of good acting on her part. I much preferred to look at Reese Witherspoon, but SMG was displaying some damn fine assets too.
I'm a geek and I love this show. I think it's rather sad that everyone feels the need to compare it to typical "geek" fare such as ST or Babylon. It's not in the same vein but that doesn't mean that it doesnt have total geek appeal and asthetic.
Buffy has consistently been the most topical and best written show on TV for the last 4+ years. Admittedly the show is aimed at a younger and less "hard geek" audience, but in doing so I believe it validates itself. It's brought smart and intelligent writing (of the geek type) to "teenland". And at the same time it provides a rich and well defined fantasy "universe" that hardcore geeks can enjoy.
The fact that you can have Star Trek, Apocolypse Now!, Comics, Twin Peaks and Shakespeare referenced regularily on a popular show with a core audience of 16 year olds is a grand enough achievement. All that without mentioning the 3-5 season spanning story arcs and incredibly fun writing.
I could care less about Sarah Michelle Gellar (which seems to be bearing the brunt of the cheers about this show being cancelled) -- people really need to look beyond the fact that she's married to some other Hollywood dope, that the show has a ridiculous (but charming) name -- and really just evaluate the show for what it is. And I think most open-minded individuals who have actually seen the show would say that it is a charming, well written show with great acting and a very engaging mythos.
I consider myself a moderate geek, and I watch Buffy (and it's sibling show Angel). And you know what? As I write this, I can't for the life of me say exactly what hooked me and keeps me coming back for more.
Of course part of it is the fact that the show raised the "stunt" episode to a new art form. "Hush" used silence, rather than dialogue, to tell a story, and used that silence to set a singularly creepy feeling to the episode. "The Body" was one of the best portrayals of the human reaction to a sudden loss of someone close. "Once More With Feeling" told a story in the form of a musical, without being even remotely corny or over the top - the musical numbers just flowed into the dialogue naturally.
Another part of what attracted me to the show is what attracted many people here to Farscape - the writing. On the whole (excepting the odd clunker episodes that every series has) Buffy has some of the best writing on TV - enough to make you forget the patently - and by design - absurd concept for the show.
But in the end, Buffy is one of those shows that unless you watch, you just don't and won't get what the fascination is with the show.
Strangely enough, it seems to me that Buffy is just one of those shows that ratings just cannot begin to indicate how popular the show really is. Compared to shows on the larger networks, Buffy's ratings are not great (to put it mildly) - yet the announcement that it was coming to an end made headlines on virtually every major news source, and will be the cover story on next week's Entertainment Weekly. Obviously, it must be a big enough story and have enough people that care for it to get this much attention.
Ah, well... all good things must come to an end, I suppose. Hopefully we continue to get more stories and shows from the Buffyverse (while continuing to realize the mistake of Star Trek, that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing).
Having a soul as a vampire is bound to make you a bit angsty, but I really think Spike is getting back to his old sarcastic self. Spike in earlier seasons really is an awesome character to watch.
Kidding, just kidding...
Co-founder of GerbilMechs
Or the fact Spike held a Boba Fett statue hostage, or Willow "Googling" someone, or... Lots of things. Xander fantasizing about T'Pol in gel would fit in right here on Slashdot. The evil nerd trio had a very big Star Wars obsession.
damnation, everything good goes away doesn't it?
Organicsculpture.com
... Slashdotters sure seem to follow the same fads religiously, especially with entertainment. Linux,LOTR,Apple,Farscape, and apparantly Buffy
TO DEATH.. I mean come on.. we want something that is even *remotely* possible, and everyone knows the vampires, zombies, werewolves, all that jazz has been done again and again and again. That's why things like x-men (genetic mutations), farscape (interstellar travel and all that), and other comic book heros (see batman, spiderman, incredible hulk, etc) make good movies. However unlikely, some of these things could happen if perfectly ideal situations were set up.
On a personal note.. I can't believe farscape is dying, and a show like buffy lasted as long as it did... GOOD RIDDANCE
"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." G.W.Bush
Maybe (god forbid) they'll actually try to build on a different story and create something alltogether and original.
But wait, Firefly got cancelled.
A brilliant, three-dimensional villain who wanted to become a giant snake and eat people... but who had hangups on germs and profanity. A slayer who was destined to rid the world of vampires and got a taste for killing people instead. And what about Buffy and Angel's relationship? It had survived monsters, demons and an apocalypse or two, but in the end it couldn't survive the sobering truth that ultimately, they just weren't compatible.
It's these grey areas that make the show so brilliant. The bad guys aren't bad for no reason, the good guys have their weak moments, and the romance is relentlessly true-to-life. No other season represented that better than the third, IMO. It's out on DVD now, btw.
Plus, females get fingerbanged by Hollywood. The only thing they're good for, it appears, is to be rescued. I don't know about you, but female empowerment is sexy
"But the cars are all flashing me, bright lights are passing me, I feel life passing me by" - Stiff Little Fingers
Is it just me or has BtVS more or less become the Willow show? Maybe it's just that all the more intersting parts of the show have revolved around Willow. If they're looking for a more interesting spin off, I say center it on Willow.
I really don't care. Buffy is yet another one of those shows that I'll never mourn of it's passing.
...
...
Maybe it is because I never 'got' the show. I mean, the bad acting, the convoluted plot, the bad acting, the excessive special (and not very special, at that) effects, the bad acting
Did I mention the bad acting?
Sorry, but this show never rated for me. I'd rather watch japanese comedy shows
PLEASE let it be "willow the witch" or something.
We all know that BtVS was really the WILLOW SHOW.
yay sexy lesbian witchiness!
heh
the Buffy Slayer
Ralph Macchio must be some soft of demon immortal like Dick Clark so it's gotta fit. Likely they will work him in at some point.
Maybe 'Willow loves Kennedy'? sort of a witchy 'Ellen'.
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
Eventually all the things that can be done within the confines of a series, get done, and the series gets stale, particularly on character-driven shows like Buffy. (Law and Order, for example, is easier to sustain because it doesn't depend so much on character, more issues which they often pretty much rip out of the newspaper). With Buffy, they have done well to sustain things by letting the characters grow up, introducing and killing off other characters, and so on, but, still, it would be much easier to write for a new series where there's still room to flesh out the characters and play with new relationships, and produce better results.
So don't just think of what you're gaining from the umpteenth series of your favourite show, think of what you're losing by having your favourite writers struggle to take the characters places we haven't already seen before.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
/lurk Throughout Buffy's history, it has been known for outstanding writing with a mythology requiring continuity and a knowledge of the first seasons, great character interaction, and witty writing. No show has ever held my attention, invoked so wide an emotional range, or wrapped me up in its mythology (excluding Star Trek) as Buffy has. The continuity rich, mythic proportions of the show are perfect for the geek nature. Buffy has been the best show on TV for years, and I hope it rests in peace (with maybe a vampiresque resurrection.) Thanks for the memories.
A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
-Thomas Paine
Finally!
Movie was better anyway.
-bZj
.sig
Ummm I wouldn't mind her in a porno either
I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class. Especially since I rule. -Randal, Clerks
I always thought that the guy who plays Xander was the best. He's great at the comedy, great at the sympathy, and he's pretty much an archtype for a lot of the geeks in here who weren't cool, but didn't really have a lot to share with the even para-cool kids that they hung out with. He's not the big star of the show, but every show that focus's on him have been some of the very best of the series. Xander gets laid was great, and it's hard to beat two xanders episode.
The cast is incredible all the way around, but the material is great. Lots of comedy, action, drama. Although I think it's the complex and really well thought out plots that really make the show so incredible. It's the best show on TV.
Ok, I'll give you that one. Hopeless, cronic Victoria Secret catalog masturbating nerds, but nerds none the less. Stuff that matters? Fuck no. The same idiot that allows this story in is probably the one who's rejected much more relivent stories, at least 10 of which I know I've submitted. God knows how much other relivent news has been hit.
I am a latecomer to the Buffy fanbase, but that makes me no less ardent. For years I held disdain for the show, specifically because of SMG. Its the same reason I hated Led Zepplin for so long, because I hated Robert Plant. But I learned to appreciate Led Zep and tune out that godforsaken racket they passed for vocals, and as such I learned to appreciate Buffy. What surprised me however, is that for the first time I didn't hate SMG. In fact, I was quite impressed by her.
... I wish Joss Whedon good in all he does, because I know I can trust that I'll enjoy it. Beyond the great acting and the intensely detailed characters brought to life by the entire cast, Buffy is really more of a vibe. I feel it. Do you feel it? Come on, you know you feel it.
I could go on about the writing, the depth of character and plotline, the deft self-awareness and irony, the throwaway quips that were gems of pop culture gone wrong, but I'd just be rehashing what everyone else has already said. Whoops, I did too.
But seriously, check out the Buffy listings on TV Guide or TitanTV or something. Buffy is on in full effect, y0, and y00z bitchez b3tta b3 sh0\/\/in' r3sP3ct!
and the DVDs will keep on coming
I've become too long winded. But rest assured that Buffy isn't going away any time soon. Even Knight Rider is back on the air. Even if Buffy goes away, she'll ALWAYS be back! That's the great part about retro. And the retro cycle is getting shorter and shorter. Pretty soon, all of society will have witnessed the drama, comedy, learning, and healing that Buffy brings. And, like Bill and Ted before them, become icons for the future, building generations on sound morals, excellent taste, and a penchant for witty banter to be reckoned with.
You just wait.
Let's not forget that Buffy fans are just as obsessive as trekkie, and Star Wars fans that troll Slashdot. Link goes to my girlfriend's (obsessive) site. Buffy Online
From what I've read, a show really needs 5 years to go into syndication, with improvements up to 7 years. As a rule, the studios don't make much money on the first-run of the show, the profits are in syndicating it afterwards. So while Fox wasn't making money off WB/UPN (probably were with UPN, who overpaid to get a hot franchise), it is making money licensing it to its FX subsidiary and the weekend syndication rights.
Once 7 years are complete, the studio has no incentive to "subsidize" the production of the show, which is why most successful shows die at that point. The actors get over compensated for 7 years, which they wouldn't past that. As a result, the actors leave, because it stops being worth it.
No specialized knowledge, just parroting what I've read... feel free to correct if you're "in the industry" and can correct where I'm wrong.
Alex
It also makes sense because the slayer line runs through Faith, not Buffy. B has been a dead end since the Master killed her. The line ran from her through Kendra to Faith. That is why we didn't get yet another slayer the last time she died.
Eliza Dushku is awefully pretty. Plus she's from Boston (Watertown).
It is cowardly, and a betrayal of whatever it means to be a Jew, to act as a white man
-James Baldwin
Spikes been through a lot. Cut a brother some slack, man.
Jesus, get some silicon into those love mounds and the show will last a few more years.
I admit the first few episodes weren't anything special but the plotline lately (season 3/4) have really shown the potential of the show.
Shrub the English Language Slayer
Willow in Lesbian Makeout Scene of the Week
Ethyl the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying
It should be an interesting season...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Any Sports Night fans around? Best thing that ever happened to my DVD player (and worst thing to happen to my dissertation...)
I love Buffy the show, although I've never been crazy about SMG. My wife introduced me to the show when we were dating. We watch it every week since, and we've been married almost 5 years now. I'll miss it very, very much. Maybe it's sad that a tv show can be such a big part of your life, but it's a tradition, and it's something that my wife and I loved watching together, gave us things to laugh about together, and talk about together. It's been more than a show to me, it's been special time with the woman I love and I'll always think of those early days dating my wife, watching the 1st season episodes she taped while sitting in her tiny apartment, whenever I think of Buffy.
That said....No one wants to see a show that runs out of fuel. I also used to watch X-Files with my wife, but I hate that show, that never gave me any good answers despite dozens of promises, that gave forth a bunch of weak plots that didn't go anywhere, why oh why could they not have said, let's go out with a bang instead of slowly bleeding to death in the gutter.
Buffy could probably pull off another season, but they've already had to import some big new characters, mainly a sister. This just barely skirts around the Jump the Shark law that states that adding a kid kills a show or at least indicates the show is dying. She was kind of a teenager, so they could get away with it, but still...
So I say, Joss has killed major loved characters before (jonathon, tara, gyspy teacher). I say, Joss, kill the entire cast and keep them dead, just to show you have the balls to do it.
Firefly, the 2nd best show on TV is already cancelled from what I understand, why oh why can't we get good Sci-Fi on TV at a decent time and keep it on.
What are you guys smokin'? That show was one of the biggest turds ever. Right up there with reality programs, awards shows, sports TV, and %99 of the rest of the programs! Gross.
Maybe I'm showing my age with that reference, but the continuing romantic tension between the heroine and the man who attempted to rape her has been one of the biggest turnoffs this season of a show I used to like. Jumped the shark indeed.
If you don't pretend to be anyone, are you?
I think that show needs to do a one-handed back spin-off the damn TV. A vampire show that has really lousy vampires and a teeny bopper star? Its not what your going to spin-off its how your going to 'spin' it.
Step 1: Buffy
Step 2: Bad spin-off
Step 3: ?????
Step 4: Profit!
---- The real Slashdot is still here. You just have to browse at -1 to read the comments.
We've known since September that SMG's contract was up for renewal after this season and she hadn't made up her mind. And they've been throwing around crazy references to seasons past, in almost every episode. This announcement could not have been foreshadowed more starkly, and if you're surprised by it, then frankly, you reflect the level of intelligence the show's last two seasons have descended to.
Okay, maybe that's sort of harsh. And I admit I liked the musical. There, I said it.
If you don't pretend to be anyone, are you?
Truer words were never spoken.
Oh no. Now people will have to find a new show with a hottie heroine so they can download faked pr0n pics of said hottie. Oh yeah. Wouldn't hurt if it was about Vampires, either...
...it's just resting - I think it'll go for a walk!
To sort of refute the henny-penny doom-mongers and nay-sayers, while SMG's tenure on the show is definitely over, the series is by no means on its last legs. A quick look to one of the many spoiler sites (Spoiler Slayer, Wendy's Spoiler Zone, to name a couple), shows that there are already plans for a spin-off. And while it won't be quite the same without SMG or Eliz Dushku (who has signed on for a Fox pilot for next season), there's still some unexplored territory there.
I realize there are some for "Buffy" is not their cup of tea, but for those who call the show 'bad', I would wager that they haven't seen any of the scores of decent episodes in the series.
All he has to do is have Buffy's soul enter the body of a similarly freshly dead potential and voila... same buffy, new actress.
Then again, it has to end some time.
Only pathetic slashbots would think this stupid show is worth watching. It's typical of the useless trash on TV nowadays. Would that every show was as good as The Simpsons. No, I'm not a troll, just a lone voice of reason.
"Oh, it's just german for 'The Buffy, the.'"
"Anyone who's German can't be bad."
Why do people watch it? Here's a few reasons, in the form of quotes from the show:
"...it's the biggest con since Ghengis."
"Any last requests?"
"Don't kill me."
"You never give me any support."
"I give you plenty of support. I'm a flying butress of support!"
Plus there's all the great made-up/oblique slang, like "5x5" (meaning "doing great"), or "kicking the gearshift" (for making out in a car).
Sure, it's no "Uncle Vanya," nor is it even perfect entertainment like "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but if you're looking for a show to ease your mind after getting home from work, you can't do any better than Buffy. I'm currently hooked on the reruns on FX every night, which they're showing in glorious order (they're just starting the 5th season now). My favorite part about the whole show? It never gets stale. There is no status quo. It gets built up and torn down on an almost daily basis. I can't think of any other show that has such a blatant disregard for the status quo as Buffy. Sopranos even. During the 2nd season, they were getting into a lot of stuff that was calling into question the whole idea of being in the mafia, and then they ignored it and went back to business as usual. Not the Buffy writers - they have balls.
c-hack.com |
As long as they kept the Nerf Herder doing the theme I'd be happy! Never watched the show much anyway... but Nerf Herder rule.
"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything" -- Josef Stalin
sub machine gun man.
The folks at slashdot are crazy about him.
i really don't see how anyone could really enjoy watching that show. it's a clever idea, i guess, but it could only reasonably last one season. the only reason people kept watching it was because of sarah whats-her-face.
it's good for all of society to shut it down.
...I want Ripper, damnit.
She could have a very profitable movie career. Or she could have an uneventful one with her clothes on...
coz its the vampires who are immortal and not the vampire slayers ;) :D
Coming to think of it... the best vampire series that one can do would be BLADE
|/________
|\A|ALYS|
> I consider myself a moderate geek, and I watch Buffy (and it's sibling show Angel). And you know what? As I write this, I can't for the life of me say exactly what hooked me and keeps me coming back for more.
Mind if I posit a possible reason? You're a mindless dolt, with nothing more important than life than watching television for hours on end and sitting in front of your PC playing multi-user "strategy" games with your like-minded (virtual) friends. You've not even ONCE contemplated picking your fatass off of your fucking chair, going out and getting some sun and EXERCISE, and maybe just MAYBE meet up and actually TALK to a real-live human girl, rather than wank off 5 times a week to Sarah Michelle Gellar images.
travels by starship from world to world to (and this part's key) alphabetically insult, and then slay, every demon in the known universe
How can you call this the key part without even mentioning its source (HHGTTG #3)? How DARE you!
Seriously, good ol' Wowbagger. I think he and Agrajag (sp?) were my favourite minor characters from the series.
RIP, DNA...
Can't find examples of evolution? No matter, neither could Dawkins
I just love that "my nose is stuffed" voice. But she's hot so I can deal with it. Here have some google cached pics Willow Pics
Doh. Here in Turkey, we are a couple of seasons behind the US.
I'm 28 and think it's great. A lot more intelligent than almost anything else out there, with lots of subtle irony and some of the best one-liners I've ever heard.
I agree with everything that everyone who is earning karma points says. Can I have some karma now?
lamer and lamer shit being posted. If you try to post legitimate science news it's never accepted but BUFFY news will. LAme!
What ?
And the planet you live on is ?
If you consider buffy the vampire slayer one of the best shows ever, you really need HELP now !
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
ive been a buffy watcher since season 1, and i mist say i am very glad they are ending the show now before it starts to get bad. I haven't had the same intrest i used to have in the show since season 5. I would have been very happy to see it end with buffy's tragic death.
But since JW got 2 more seasons, some problems have arisen:
1. He originally didn't plan for this, and wrote an overall story to end at season 5, leaving the seasons 6 and 7 (mainly 7) feeling a bit tacked on.
2. All the freakin character relationships, love triangles, etc. Mainly season 6, feturing such classics as "Xander tuning in just as Anya and Spike are doing the deed" and "Massive kissing on behalf of Willow and Tara." Ugh. Not to say the season's suck, they just lacked somethings that were present in the original 5 seasons.
Anyway, my 2 cents.
My perception of MST3K is that the show was always generally good, but in particular had two "glory periods" (whereas most shows have just one, if that): the first one being the two- or three-year period surrounding the transition from Joel to Mike (seasons four through six), and season eight, perhaps peaking in season five and the early part of six, and the second one being season eight. After season eight, it seemed to us it fell back a bit, but its star was still bright throughout the remaining two seasons, and it remained great. In fact, the weakest point in the show's run appears to me to be the first season, when the writers/cast were still feeling their way through this show that was so different from most TV, and even that first season was entertaining at the time; it's only now, after seeing how much more fully the show lived up to the potential of the premise in later seasons and getting used to that level of keen writing, that the first season seems so rough.
Even though it is clearly in its twilight, it's still one of the vest best shows on TV.
I know so many people who absolutely love this show. I've tried to watch it, but it insults me everytime. I don't get it... what makes this show so appealing? I think it's garbage.
3cx.org - A truly bad website.
The cast really came together when Keven Murphy became the new voice of Tom Servo when the Comedy Central episodes began to air. His mellow delivery really balanced the wildness of Crow.
Anyway, my point was that the writing is what made MST3K work, and the same is true for Buffy. Cast changes can be endured as long as the writing stays good.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Instead of a spinoff, I want Whedon to fight for a new home for Firefly. That was the best first season of any show, ever. But I guess the average viewer is too dumb to recognize a masterpiece.
Wow, seven *is* the magic number. Star Trek: TNG had seven seasons. DS9 had seven seasons. Even Voyager had seven seasons. Now Buffy. That's kind of frightening.
There are always exceptions, of course. Star Trek: TOS is in syndication still, despite only having three seasons. Of course, those were 29/26/24 episodes, unlike the twenty-ep seasons we're stuck with now. It's almost like four seasons of modern TV... not even counting the fact that each ep was fifty-two or fifty-five minutes long instead of forty-two.
I suppose it makes sense, though it puts a mean limitation on the medium. Then again, what shows haven't sucked after seven years? I haven't gotten to the last two seasons of X-Files, but I heard it got pretty dismal in the last two years...
--grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
Of course part of it is the fact that the show raised the "stunt" episode to a new art form. [snip] "The Body" was one of the best portrayals of the human reaction to a sudden loss of someone close.
Joss doesn't do a lot of "stunt" writing, and when he does, he does it more as a personal challenge than anything else.
Next time you watch "The Body", pay attention to how he uses music in that episode to provoke viewer's emotion. I'll say that it's different than most.
I was merciless to my sister back during the first two seasons. Oh, I was a mean, mean brother, refusing to watch any episodes and complaining that it was crap when I saw thirty seconds of a single ep.
Then came #buffy-unlimited on EFNet and the year or so it took me to watch all of it. Wow. My sister still reminds me that I was always a naysayer, but my doubts have seriously been put to rest at this point.
"Acting isn't about behaving, it's about hiding. The audience wants to find you, strip you naked and eat you alive---so hide."
Let's hope the series finale gives us everything we wish for from these characters. Although, seriously, it'll be damned hard to beat 4x22, "Restless". We'll see.
--grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
its about damn time....the show was pure crap
I think the dark thing started with 2x13--14, "Surprise"/"Innocence", when Angel goes evil. None of the major characters had had any sort of real trouble before that (closest thing was in 2x08, "Lie to Me"), and suddenly we have betrayal, pain and that blue dude getting blown up with a rocket launcher.
Then comes 2x17, "Passion", and the show sets its standard way, way above normal TV. Damn straight. "Sorry, Jenny... this is where you get off."
--grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
This is why Star Trek: TNG is so popular in reruns; episodes can be shown in any order, and they make perfect sense. I remember watching it growing up, catching every episode religiously... but I don't think it would have really mattered if I hadn't. The show had tremendous moments ("Q Who", "The Best of Both Worlds", "The Inner Light", "Yesterday's Enterprise", etc etc), but didn't do the continuity schtick. Yet the characters slowly but surely evolved over the seasons.
Was the lack of continuity that much of a hindrance?
--grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
Perhaps it's time for Scooby Doo the Vampire Slayer (who in his part-time solves mysteries) :)
They might have to take the name "Buffy" out of the title
I don't necessarily think it's a good idea to do so, but they could use the Dr Who approach, zap Buffy with magic and voila, same character, different face.
This is just a post for the people who have their TiVo set to record "Best Quality". :P
This is not the greatest sig in the world, this is just a tribute.
i cant stand it. and the sad thing is allmost every lousy wimp i know likes it, when i ask them: "do you know buffy?" - i get the answer: "Yes, but i prefer charmed".
wheres that LART gun? can i order it online?
I can't believe that adults actually take the time to view this utterly midless trash.
Hot dames tho'.
sig sig sputnik
Jews? In Hollywood? Surely you're joking.
Your mastery of language is amazing...
Anywho, I sincerely hope the rest of your post is sarcasm.
You're comparing mythical creatures to sci-fi concepts and movies. That's not even a valid comparision.
In any case, I present to you with two movies to disprove your statements:
Evil Dead (which has zombies!)
vs
Swamp Thing(mutation!)
Thats nice, I don't watch TV.
"Buffy the vampire slayer" has a special place in my heart - its one of my all time favourite tv series. First off, I don't watch a lot of TV series. I think I can count the ones I paid any real attention to on one hand. 'V','X-Files'(only the first two seasons), 'Startrek: NG' (I've grown to accept voyager, and the latest installment looks good but I've only seen the first episde)' & 'Father Ted'. Sure, I'll take a Frasier, Seinfeld, Simpsons or family guy if they happen to be on tv while I'm eating.. but I don't turn on the tv to watch them. If they're on, while I crave a bit of 'mind-ease', fine.
Now when Buffy appeared on the TV, I already seen the movie long ago. My bro and I are into black humor horror flics. We love evil dead stuff, but we also watch horror movies that aren't necessarily intended to be funny, but turn out to be laughable due to their poor quality. Poor effects, idiocy amongst protagonists/victims, mindless plots.. we're suckers for that. "Buffy the vampire slayer" poked fun at horror, and we had a blast watching it. Gore, cheesy lines.. It was all there.
I was living in Denmark when I caught the tv show.. I think I watched the disappearing girl episode then, and I was appalled. A non-violence teenage mockery of a flick I had enjoyed.. or so I thought. I think I was 21 at the time. I would chat with a fellow geek who resides in the us, who was a couple of years older than me and had been praising the series. At first I just critize the series, hardly giving him a chance to defend it. I failed to see how had gotten to attached to something which I thought was clearly intended for a much younger audience.
Keep in mind that this was a time when shows like Xena and Hercules, not to mention countless of powerranger'ish kiddie series in fantasy settings were showing on tv. They were all a bunch of fighting-and-spellcasting escapades with cheesy effects without jokes or real character to me, and I had failed to see how Buffy was any different.
At some point I did catch another episode of buffy and it was somewhat of a different experience. I gave it a chance, possibly due to my friends praise.. and I suddenly realized that this was actually quite an enjoyable show. In 2000 I moved to Germany to work and take a break from my studies. My family was living there as well (we've been moving about a lot), and my bro was going to school in germany. In Germany every flic and series is dubbed.. it's an indescribable horror and the very reason I was quick to convince my parents to purchase a standalone dvd player. This meant we could watch movies now and then in their original tongue. I had a decent job at the time, and few expenses so I started buying a lot of dvds when I stumbled upon the dvd installments of the buffy series.
I decided to purchase the first season of series, partially to show my brother what we both had been missing out on (he was skeptical at the time, at best). Pretty soon we had watched the first 3 seasons - and we had enjoyed every minute of it.
I've moved back to Denmark to resume my studies, and I am, once again, a poor student (in economic terms). This means no more dvds for me.. and especially not full feature series. I have, however managed to watch every episode up til the very last season and I no longer frown at the acclaim that the series has received. It is truly a quality tv show. Its becomes much more gloomy towards the end, wrought with death and disaster and you watch every character mature and twist by events beyond their power, but there's always the odd joke or two to keep a smile on your face.
One of the series absolute zeniths is the 'once more, with feeling' episode that plays like a musical. Its awesome, and I still find myself humming the tunes as I go. Now, I think my bro will be visiting me soon, but I'm pretty sure I hasn't gotten much further than season 3.. so I fear he wont be able to enjoy that episode on the same level, should I show it to him.
Pheew.. that was quite the lengthy comment.. but lemme boil it down for you:
If you like action, horror, geekish humour with a plot that does require some dedication from its viewers, give the show a chance. Its best to see it from the beginning so buy/rent/borrow the dvds, and if you do - don't dismiss it for its "carefree start". The late seasons are gold.
Buffy, I shall miss you.
P.s. I've only watched one or two angel episodes. I've got a few neighbors that swear by his show.. but they're women and they think he's hot. I guess I should give that series a chance as well.. but so far it hasn't really caught me.
And shows like BTVS tops the list. Get a Computer.
Finally. I thought id never be able to own them all. But at last now i can wait until all the DVDs are part of my collection. Buffy was a killerseires and it evolved great beyond its original Highschool roots. But lately it turned out to feel way constructed to make the ends meet. Whedon did a great job and now kills it off at the right point...Thank you for many great hours of tv!!!
cu,
Lispy
Regarding both the (lack of meaning) of ratings and the geek contingent, there was also a story making the rounds a while back that TiVo's released figures didn't jibe with Neilson's - specifically more people were recording BtVS than anything else on TV.
And regarding "trick" shows, The Zeppo is another favourite, though it's not as obvious as the three you mention. It's a deconstruction of the whole show to that point, really the BtVS take on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. And of course Restless was pretty cool too.
Dubya the Terrorist Hunter would be appropriate, I think.
"I love my job, but I hate talking to people like you" (Freddie Mercury)
The blonde, however, will be missed in some respects.
It's only funny until someone gets hurt. Then, it's hilarious.
Genetic mutations, interstellar travel, and comic book hero's have all been done to death, and been done crappily at that. The shows and movies you mentioned changed all that.
So it was with Buffy. IMO, the movie sucked (no pun), but the show is different altogether. It's a bit soapy (drama), it's a bit comedy, it's a bit horror.
You and the other children really *REALLY* need to get over yourselves. If you have actually tried to watch the show from a suitable entry point, and didn't like it, then fine.
But most of you haven't. You've never seen more than a few minutes at a time, probably just when the vampire appeared, or someone mentioned 'game face', or 'dust him', or perhaps even just during the less serious parts of the episode.
And if that's the case: STFU and learn some manners.
curvy sorry for the guest
curvy (arguably)
curvy
NOT curvy (IMO, yours may vary - more power if they do).
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. - Aldous Huxley
Seriously.
The best season was #5.
Then again, what shows haven't sucked after seven years?
well, the simpsons were still ok, they hit bottom around...9 to 11 i'd say.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. - Aldous Huxley
It's worth noting that the romance between Spike and Buffy always involved equal parts violence and sexuality. And in particular, nearly all of that violence was her kicking his ass.
And even before any of that, Spike did spend a certain amount of time slaughtering innocents and planning apocalypses. Their romance was able to develop despite these atrocities of a much larger scale.
With that as history, the idea of him raping her is rather different from the usual concept. While his actions were repugnant, they weren't a huge leap from their historical method of interacting with one another.
One could even make an argument that he may not have actually been attempting to force himself upon her in the most literal sense, being quite aware of her ability to defend herself. In the past, overt persistence on his part had repeatedly lead to her acquiescing.
I don't think Willow has been nearly the center of attention lately. A lot of secondary characters have had a lot of screen time lately (Andrew in "Storyteller" being a prefect example), but it's all about the Slayer this year. We see her changing, growing darker and angrier, descending into the abyss even more so than right after (2nd) her return from the dead.
The "Willow changing into Warren" thing was important - she needed to move on from her guilt and grief over Tara's death, probably because like everyone else on the show, she had to undergo some self-purification before finally facing the First Evil. Andrew had to face his murder of Jonathan, Xander had to tell Anya he still loves her. If for no other reason than that they could all die soon (and they could, Joss has no compunctions about the dying).
Freedom: "I won't!"
Where a team of well dressed young corporate execs seek out and expose corporate fraud, corporate pollution, corporate bribes (eg to political entities), and general corporate stuffing of the masses on whose backs they stand.
After they've busted the people and the planet - then how they going to make any money? Well I guess they don't have to be smart or forward thinking. There was a little bit around the edges in some of angel with the evil lawyers, although this is a bit lame these days. How about evil oil barons with missiles (how do we tell the difference between George and Saddam?)
-- it must be true, it's on the internet.
One must be really a total jackass to tell this is the best show he knows. It plain sucked and I'm glad they finally cut the crap !
How on earth can someone mod a post 'informative' when it contains a phrase like 'best ass shot'?
We don't watch a lot of TV -- we've never seen any of the "reality" TV shows, don't watch "The West Wing", or "The Sopranos", but we never miss an episode of Buffy if we can help it.
Of course, since UPN picked it up, it's consistently being preempted by local sporting events. SCREW YOU UPN! /rant
Sorry about that -- I'd just generally rather watch an episode of an intelligent, well done comedy/drama than watch our pathetic local sports teams lose again.
That said, I think that BTVS is past it's prime, and is heading downhill towards mediocrity. I personally think that the second and third seasons were the best of Buffy. My wife & I thought that Mayor Wilkins was one of the best villians ever portrayed. His combination of big E Evil and ordinary small town charm was sidesplitting at times. I especially recall the scene where he gave Faith (evil Slayer) a glass of milk, as he was giving instructions for an assassination, and said "There's nothing uncool about healthy teeth and bones."
I say, Joss, kill the entire cast and keep them dead, just to show you have the balls to do it.
While I wouldn't necessarily like such an ending, it would make a fitting end to this show. Joss has consistently tried to bend the rules, and shake up the viewers by betraying most of the Hollywood rules (good wins, evil loses, main characters don' die, etc)... If it wasn't for Angel, and other possible spinoffs, I wouldn't put it past Joss to let the evil win just one time, and kill off the entire town of Sunnydale.
Of course, then that would open the door to a new, Anti-Slayer spinoff series. Does anyone else remember evil-Willow from Doppelgängerland (Season 3)? Rowr!
Help find a cure for Gidget.
I can hardly believe my eyes. I can't believe all the /. Buffy fans. Come on guys. All the time most people spend on the computer, I am too. All the time most people watch tv, I'm still on the computer. Shouldn't you be too?
Whale
While she is certainly an attractive woman, SMG has always been one of those Hollywood women who really needs to eat a sandwitch sometime.
;-) they pick actors with the starved look to get at younger demographics. (Even this doesn't always work, check out usenet sometime for just about any show and se kids bitch about how fat some of the actors are, when in fact they have a low BMI)
You can keep the Jenifer Garners and Calista Flockharts of the world. They're all knees and elbows. I like woman-shaped women. I like soft curves.
As do most, a study recently (and i forget all references, believe it or not as you please) showed that 83% of males preferred curvy women with a bit of padding.
However, consider this: The metabolism of the body change when you grow older. If you keep eating as you always have to tend to put on weight. In fact most people need to actively do something to avoid putting on weight when they grow older. Thusly, most people - on a subconscious level have tended to associate fatness with age, being older. And since TV is only being made for profit, and since advertisers prefer to target a younger audience (not that they have more money, they are just more gullible
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
You guys are gonna bleed this pun out.
Another bad joke like that would be a real pain in the neck.
--- I wish I could hear the soundtrack to my life. That way I'd know when to duck.
Look out, Sarah Michelle Gellar has been referenced on Slashdot by her initials. This puts her in the same category as RMS and ESR doesn't it? I'm sure this is a great thing for linux, er, um, somehow.
Okay, look, it's early, haven't had my caffeine yet.
--Stupid Sig Here--
His message is:
Here is the link.
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
N Korea restarted a reactor which will allow increased production of plutonium for nuclear bombs, an attorney was arrested in New Mexico for claiming that "George Bush is out of control", and nation building in Afghanistan continues with the assassination of a senior government minister. But first, more on Buffy and how cancellation of the program will affect you.
I'm being sarcastic.
Whedon was asked recently what movie he would like to have written and he replied "Revenge of the Jedi." (the original title before George decided revenge wasn't something jedi would do)
How cool would that have been? No Ewoks, no warmed over Death Star plot, harder core attitude, fresh ideas. Wow.
Syntax error: loose != lose, affect != effect, then!=than
I'm glad they ditched this. It's much better to stop it while there's still demand than for people to gradually get more and more sick of it.
I haven't had a tv since December 1998. It's amazing having all this extra time. You actually have to think of what you're going to do with your evenings. Of course a side-effect is not understanding what the hell so many people around me are talking about. It's frightening how thoughts and speech patterns are shaped by television and in-jokes that are tv-related and thus total gibberish for any non-tv person. "What the hell are you talking about? Is that English?"
Another side effect is the few times I see television at another person's house, I find myself laughing at it. It seems so fake. Even CNN makes me howl. I can't even take a news anchor seriously much less their "discussion" shows. I usually can't watch more than a few minutes before squirming and walking away.
I don't mean this as a moral statement; I used to watch tv then I stopped for 4 1/4 years. I just think it's amazing how it's affected my perception of the world. Maybe this is how people who stop smoking or drinking feel?
Uhm. "The Body" was notable for not having an incidental soundtrack - I don't know if that's what you were referring to. This episode used the total lack of a music background to really drive home the feelings of isolation and loss. It's rather disturbing to see Buffy wander through the house in the best acting portrayals of clinical shock, all while all you can hear is the wind whistling in the background and the occasional windchime outside the house.
I like Angel alot more than Buffy, he always has the cool 'dark side' thing going on, you really dont know how he will react when things happen (like when he tried to kill Wes for kidnapping Connor, reguardless of his motives) but hey thats just me
With Buffy, more so that with any other show I can think of, it all comes down to which episode you see first.
If you catch it right, you'll think you're watching the best thing you've ever seen on TV. If you catch it wrong (starting with an episode like "The Body," for example), you'll think the show is depressing and overly morbid.
When Buffy first aired, I never watched it -- I thought it looked like some silly teen-horror-movie-turned-TV-show. I had zero interest until one summer night when I had no plans, and I was even less interested in the crap on every other channel. The first episode I saw was a rerun of that Halloween episode where they turn into their costumes. It sounds like a cliche, but it completely blew me away. I never missed another episode, and now I'm catching all the earlier ones on DVD.
A friend recently tried to watch Buffy for the first time, and tuned in for the one where Spike was hanging from the ceiling with blood draining from his chest. It didn't make a great first impression, and I know she'll never be a fan.
Actually, wouldn't the series be in its 'dawn' rather than 'twilight'? I guess it is about the slayers, though, so perhaps 'twilight' is acceptable.
Ugg, nevermind =P Whichever way you look at, I still think the show should've been over a while ago.
So I say, Joss has killed major loved characters before (jonathon, tara, gyspy teacher). I say, Joss, kill the entire cast and keep them dead, just to show you have the balls to do it.
Been done. Space: Above and Beyond and The Others both did this when they were canceled. Of course, they didn't last a season; and they were obviously "I hate the networks" reactionary kills.
If JW decides to kill everyone off, at least I know he'll do it well!
I don't see things in black and white; I see the gray. Heck, I actually see in color, which makes things more difficult
than Buffy this season. I don't have any source besides my thick skull, but I think that Angel's been doing better this season. Salon had some great articles about the last season of Buffy. Check 'em out before salon is gone!
Actually, the show isn't officially over. SMG just won't do anymore. It is possible (however pathetic) that the show could continue without her. It wouldn't be the first time a show has continued after the title character left. Welcome back Kotter continued after the title character left. I know there's better examples, but I'm only on my second cup of coffee.
"We shall party like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean." - HedonismBot
and Buffy's ass looked sooooo good. I'm crying here.
is release the rest of the damn seasons. all of STNG was out in a year, but what about other shows? Buffy only has up to season 3 out here, and same with M*A*S*H, while over in europe they get more, if you're gonna axe the damn show, atleast put the dvds out so that those of us that LIKE the show, can see what we haven't seen yet (or watch it again), since stations like FX can't seem to get past season 5, (ok ok, they showed most of season 6 *once*, and skipped 3 episodes)...
-sorphin
If you haven't seen it, Whedon wrote a comics series for Dark Horse called "The Fray", which was basically a Slayer in the future. Perhaps that could be on tap for a sequel series?
What about Blake's 7? There were only 7 of them for a few episodes, and they killed Blake off after season 2.
Blake wasn't killed off. He was "missing" and the better part of the 3rd season was spent looking for him. He turns up in the show's final episode "Blake", which is one of the best final episodes for a series ever made.
Many buffy fans who posted said something along these lines: "BtVS is one of the best shows on tv." Yes, compared to other shows on tv, it isn't too bad. But I'd still rather jam my hands into a toaster than watch this show. My buffy review: "BtVS is as fun as it is cool" (and I mean that in a derogatory way.)
I don't
want
none
unless you've got buns, hon.
The girl from (ugh) That 70s Show, Laura Prepon, has got curves.
So does Sarah Chalke, from Scrubs.
Don't you mean Scott Baio?
The SciFi channel has turned down "Polaris" - a series concept from Straczynski that was "too science-fictiony", in favor of "Bloodsuckers", a show about intergalactic vampires.
__
Do ya feel happy-go-lucky, punk?
I'll take 'em. Both.
Are you this guy?
The spin-off that everybody's chomping at the bit about is most likely Ripper (Alternative title:The Watcher), which is going to be primarily about Giles.
Filming for Ripper starts this May, and if all goes well it will air on UPN September 2004. (Source: tvtome.com)
"Max, come over here. French-Canadian bean soup. I want to pay. Let them leave me alone." - Dutch Schultz
It's a sad reflection of American society when Buffy the Vampire Slayer is declared the best show on TV today...
Right, so that's now two of my favourite shows taking a nosedive.
Samn TV is gonna suck for the next few years.
Buffy and Farscape. Perfect TV.
-Nano.
Sweet!
Dude!
Sweet!
Dude!
Sweet!!
Dude!!
Yes! Wooohoooo! Fina-fscking-lee! Yeeha!
Must-not-watch TV!
Ha, no. I didn't bring up the discussion, I just commented on it. That guy's filled all his non-tv time talking about the bloody thing.
My wife and I have watched BtVS since the first episode. As far as we're concerned, it's the best written show on television. Joss Whedeon has a wonderful style and writing ability. Marti Noxon also deserves cudos for her writing. I can't think of another series that has suprised and shocked us so consistently.
Joss loves to shake things up. He's never happy with the status quo or finding a "comfortable place."
We will both miss the show greatly. At least there's still Angel and a hopeful spin-off. Most spin-offs are crap, but if anyone can pull off a good one (like Angel), it's Joss.
Of course, I speak with a little bit of bias - The Alyson Hannigan Appreciation Society.
Having no TV is actually a lot more common than you think. The first time I ran into it was a guy at law school who frankly became my inspiration a couple years later (though being told he didn't have one when I asked him about a TV show was frankly off-putting at the time, but that's my own problem).
The managing partner at the law firm I was last at also didn't use the thing. Unfortunately, often you just gotta say you don't have a TV or people will keep asking you about TV shows day after day.
It doesn't make anyone some huge intellectual or morally superior person. But it does change your life.
Does anyone else remember evil-Willow from Doppelgängerland (Season 3)? Rowr!
:)
I have watched that episode on my Season 3 DVD at least 6 times - it's just a really fun episode, with a lot of great comments tossed in here and there, enough that it takes more than one watching to appreciate them all. Of course, Vamp Willow presents a lot of foreshadowing about Willow's character later on in the series.
And the great quotes, too..
"In my world, there are people in cages, and we can ride them like ponies."
"...and I think I'm kinda gay."
And the good old "Bored now."
"You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
I think that Buffy is better since it often seems to be about one thing (outsiders, death, lesbians, monsters) but is really about something much more serious and interesting (finding your place in the world, loneliness, discovering who you are, rational and irrational fears). Many of the issues may be "teen angst" but are still meaningful for me. The Sopranos is deep but not resonant for me.
If I have a complaint about Buffy, is that too often the monster-of-the-week is vanquished in the last ten minutes of the show (yeah, you might say formulaic), while issues are raised over time on The Sopranos.
I remember hearing that Star Trek (the original series) would have gone into obscurity had it not completed a third season. At least at that time, that provided the minimum number of episodes to support syndication.
I'm not sure what the magic number is now, and there are exceptions, thanks to specialty cable channels. You can watch the one season of "Highlander: The Raven" on the SciFi Channel. You can watch the half season of "Dilbert" on Comedy Central. But for regular shows syndicated to independent broadcast stations (or for air during non-network time), I'm guessing they want a minimum of 80 or 100 episodes to avoid repeating them too often.
It's sad in a way, but all things must come to an end. SMG has been working 80 hour weeks on it for 7 years now, since she was 19. No matter what you do or how much you get paid for it, that's gotta wear you out. Sure, the show made SMG the star she is, but she also made the show the star it is. In the hands of a less talented and hard working actress, who knows what it would have been. I doubt we'd be discussing it here.
Neil Youngs Law states that "it is better to burn out than to fade away", and I would so much more want to see a grandiose mindboggling finale to top all finales - and I can't see Joss Whedon going for anything less - than the heart breaking Alzheimerish multi year decline of X-Files and Xena.
Buffy showed that you can make stunningly novel and smart TV, and have it be successful. All you need is a freakishly talented genius. Joss just went ahead and invented a new genre - the horror-comedy-action-drama-soap opera. Anyone would have told you that that is impossible to pull of. Until he proved it.
I watch TV differently now. I still appreciate a good comedy - but why was there no acrobatic kung fu action? A good heart wrenching drama? Fine, but it could have used some side splitting laughter to spice it up. At it's best, Buffy delivers an hour that is at the same time high quality drama, comedy, action, horror and soap opera.
Life will go on. And the half full is that all the talented people will still be around to do other work. Alyson Hannigan is very good at saying "pussy" on American Pie. Nothing wrong with that, but it's just 5% of her range. She can do anything, and I'm sure we'll see her prove that. SMG seems determined to make a name in the fart comedy movie world. I can see how she'd need a change of pace... But she'll be back in the serious acting world where she belongs in a while. Eliza Dushku, the one star to come out of Buffy in my book, can be as big as she wants to be. If she wants to spend the effort. And so on.
And whatever Joss does after this, it will not be nothing. He's incapable of that. And it will not be boring.
So, don't be sad. This is only the beginning.
I know, everybody loves it. I tried to like it, I wanted to like it. it was boring, dull and predictable. Not to mention that I can not stand the stuff that SMG calls acting.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Joss will be doing fray http://www.buffycollector.com/comics/fray.shtml If you don't know what it is, check out the link.
anime+manga together at last.. in real time.
and Sarah Michelle Gellar is stupid for listening to him. None of his recent performances as an actor justify his cocky, arrogant attitude. I am pretty sure he convinced Sarah that doing Scooby Doo was the best for her career. And look what a stellar movie that was. :)
Here's last year's quote from Freddie:
"I had made it clear to everyone that I wanted to play Spider-Man. I wanted to do that project so badly. Sam Raimi met with me but it was clear we had very different views of the direction a Spider-Man movie should take."
Since when did Freddie become a director? Thank god Sam Raimi is a good judge of character. Freddie would have been horrible as the spiderman and the movie would have sucked, like Scooby.
I think Sarah is doing the right thing by leaving Buffy since the show has ran out of steam. However, I wouldn't do any more movies with Freddie if I were her. She's a real actress where he's just a hack. I wish she would stop acting like his wife too
I ignored Buffy for years, thinking that the entire premise was just stupid. Then, FX started airing the reruns, 2 a day. I watched a couple of them one afternoon, and thought, "This isn't half bad." Before I knew it, I was entirely hooked on the premise, the characters, the writing, etc.
Don't ignore Buffy because of the premise. You'll thank yourself if you give the show a few episodes to grow on you.
Why are you letting these clowns ruin our country?
They will find a show that avoided formula, made it's own path, and actually had had their characters think.
Unlike the X files, (where people who were trying to keep their "advanced technology" a secret routinely used that technology to kill people instead of shooting them), Buffy the Vampire Slayer had villains that were not morons and when the Hero outsmarted them, chances are you were as saying WOW what a good idea, not "DUH".
This show taught morals and ethics, it showed the world in shades of Gray, not Black and white. It demonstrated unhappy endings and that bad things do happen to good people.
100 years from now, real intellectualists will treat Buffy the Vampire Slayer the way people talk about the Hitchcock films. They are Classics and will be studied in Film Schools.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
The subtle pleasures of the Buffy TV show takes about 10 episodes to fully appreciate, not 10 minutes (which is all it takes to understand everything the movie had to offer).
This disclaimer, repeated a hundred thousand times, is exactly why I never bothered with Buffy. I've heard it before. Life is too short to "stick with it until it stops sucking" for *anything* you wouldn't want in your eulogy, guys. Demand more.
The movie was campy and didn't take itself too seriously and ended just at the right time. The show, AFAIK, is eye-rollingly earnest, takes itself more seriously than global warming, and should have bowed out gracefully three or four years ago.
The article doesn't really say why the series is being cancelled, but I suspect SMG is getting tired of it. This is a summary of what Buffy had against it:
1. The silly name.
2. The WB->UPN switchover. Neither of these networks are as widely available as Fox and the big 3, especially on satellite.
3. The depressing 6th season. I haven't even seen all of those eps.
4. The serial nature of the series. To get the full story you had to see the past episodes, sometimes several seasons back! I personally like that because it's not so restrictive plotwise, but it's not good for casual viewers.
In spite of all this, it had a good run because it's an excellent SciFi/comedy/drama/horror show. Maybe the spinoff will be good.
I didn't get "into" the show until season 1 came out on DVD and a friend and I watched the whole thing in 1 weekend...
I'll be sad to see it go because Willow has always been my secret girlfirend.
...is named Joss, not Josh, Whedon.
Now if only they could get rid of the WB completely the tv moron factor would shrink by 50%.
Though maybe "The awful truth", with, say, Christina Ricci and $(RANDOM_EX_BOY_BAND_MEMBER) would be an improvement...
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
"it's still one of the vest best shows on TV."
It just makes you want to think about how you spell
"BEST".
That's actually what I wanted the reader to notice, but didn't want to give it away directly (for impact). But since the cat's out of the bag...
At one point (in a previous episode), SMG commented to Joss that he was just going to cut away to music instead of playing out a scene emotionally. In "The Body", Joss forbade himself from doing that. He has one scene per act. He doesn't cut to music. He forces the viewer to confront the emotion that's playing out, and confront it head-on. (Source: OMWF Script Book)
It's quite effective.
Great they finally stop making that shit !
Now start making something not for dumb yanks guys !
Dawn is Buffy. Buffy is Dawn.
- Tjp
I am in wallow with my inner money grubbing capitalistic pig. ... Oink!
I've been watching buffy since season 1. I'll miss it.
Rest in peace, slayer.
last post... oh yeah baby!
...assuming he doesn't die by the end of the series....
Spike is seriously my favorite character from Buffy, even though I resemble Xander in ways often too close for my comfort. Makes a Spikey series. Or just have The James Marsters Show, in which he'd pose while decked out in leather. my wife would dig that, too.
mmmmm... Spikey goodness...
dooling slightly,
haaz.
-- haaz.
The show will be much better without a one-dimensional actor like SMG. (I suggest she sticks to comedy) Of course then it won't be called Buffy. May I suggest "Willow"? The two actors that sustain the show, after the Giles character emigrated back to British isles, is Allyson "Band Camp Girl" Hannigan and Nick Brendon. Nick is more of a sidekick type of actor, so I don't think there will ever be a "Xander" series. On the other hand, "Willow" can likely kick (or should I say, enchant) the ass out of "Charmed."
A new series based on Faith is likely to suffer the same faith [sic] as X Files without David or Gillian or Baywatch without Pamela Anderson. It would feel so much like Buffy, fans will just watch the series waiting for Buffy's next guest appearance.
Of course, Joss Whedon can always go for a Buffy movie set 10 years into the future. I imagine the following the opening scenario: Buffy is a washout being driven home by her successful lawyer (or dotcom-trepreneur) sister Dawn. They run into some (what else vampire). After whupping them, Buffy says, in her most Buffyesque voice, "Why is my life so fucked up!"
nt
The subtle pleasures of my cult takes about 10 days of fasting and sleep deprevation to fully appreciate, not 10 minutes.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
officially over... and will be replaced by another bizarre cult show that will we watched religiously by legions of wierdos who will obsess about it on Slashdot.
It's sad in a way, but all things must come to an end. SMG has been working 80 hour weeks on it for 7 years now, since she was 19. No matter what you do or how much you get paid for it, that's gotta wear you out. Sure, the show made SMG the star she is, but she also made the show the star it is.
In my personal opinion, Ms. Gellar needs to take a break from the entertainment industry for at least two years. She is already past the point of being typecast, an issue that has ruined not a few acting careers in Hollywood, especially in television.
She's probably saved enough money to move to a smaller town far away from the entertainment industry, spend two years to get back a normal life, then start over again with a new TV series or new movie doing something completely different. That way, she can then be remembered for doing something significant in terms of acting besides Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.
SMACK!
I just got a slap in the back of the head for that one.
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
You guys are all crazy, almost 700 hundred posts about a stupid kid show. Buffy is/was probably the worst sci/fi/fantasy show ever.
... or whoever. That show, and so many others, are for the braindead. One drawback here in Germany is that they will probably re-run it to bits and then some. Oh well, won't take very much longer and I'll use my TV for target practice...
I don't know anything about whether Angel has been successful or not ratings wise, but personally I like the show for the most part. I tend to think of the show as a rather warped hybridisation of Star Trek, the Anne Rice novels/movies, and the movie The Craft. Lorne is far and away my favourite character, and the abstract (and occasionally demented) creativity of Whedon is certainly welcome.
I don't think it's too excessively dramatic to refer to this as the passing of an era though, because although I tended to consider Buffy more juvenile than Angel, (mainly due to Willow and her attendant lameness) it always amazed me how far Whedon was able to go with what was essentially a handful of wiccan, gothic, and Catholic stereotypes, at least at first. That takes creativity and persistence, two things we don't see enough of in television any more.
Also, Gellar might not be the greatest thespian the world has ever seen, but she definitely had guts and a a distinctive presence. In a time where more and more of what we're seeing has been recycled two, three, and four times, that also is becoming more rare and elusive...and it will be missed.
It is a load of rubish but I like rubish.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Perhaps it's
Snuffy, the Vampire Killer Killer ?
Kent M Pitman
Philosopher, Technologist, Writer
If Buffy had kept wearing leather, then you would have kept a bigger audience.
I agree completely with the original comments. Buffy is one of the few shows I watch. Sure, it's not as hip as it once was, but it's sooo such better than dreck like "Charmed".
I've always said and I will stand by the best character on the show being Oz. I feel that Seth Green is an extremely talented and entertaining actor due to his sardonic whit. Not to mention that his character would make an amazing offshoot of a show. I mean the guy turns into a werewolf for crissake!! There's that whole time that he left and sought a cure for his lycanthropy. Not to mention leaving again after coming back to learn of Willow's whole "lifestyle choice" Come on people, whose with me??
I guess Peter Falk got away with that look. But I'd rather see fit, and athletic and moderately cute. After all how many tv shows are vaguely true to life now. Eg where is the bumbling inarticulate fat balding lawyer? Ah hell looks don't matter (Eg Rumpole of the Bailey), but the inarticulate does. Real lawyers like real politicians at work (not like spin city) are so dull, you'd cure insomnia with that TV. They call it "Question Time" in Australia. Victoria's parliment got a little bit titilating recently, when they ejected our olympic aerial skier Kirsty Marshall for breastfeeding her baby, in the house. The excuse was - the baby was not elected. Say what?
-- it must be true, it's on the internet.