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Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Buffy Reboot: 10 Characters We Need Back — and One We Don't
One prophecy we thought would never be fulfilled: Another Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. But the Hellmouth hath frozen over because in February, Sarah Michelle Gellar announced she'd be reprising her titular role in a new follow-up series on Hulu. The 'next chapter in the Buffyverse' will focus on a new young Slayer, with Gellar popping up in a recurring role. And while we don't have too many details yet — besides that the new Slayer will be played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong — we're already eagerly anticipating which OG characters might return to Sunnydale to help Buffy battle vampires, demons and the forces of darkness. More from TVLine Scrubs Revival Officially Ordered at ABC - Find Out Who's Returning for Season 10 Buffy Reboot: Charisma Carpenter Hopeful for 'Poetic' Return After Character's 'Unjust' End in Spinoff Was Dead City Monologue a Groaner? Is Ironheart's Mom Oddly Chill About 'Resurrected' Friend? Was Disney+'s Frozen Quite Magical? More TV Qs! So we put on our yummy sushi pajamas and called for an emergency meeting of TVLine's most fanatic Scoobies to kick around which 10 characters we want — no, need — to see back on our screens alongside Gellar and Armstrong. And since Queen SMG (now an executive producer) declared that even dearly departed characters could be revived from the dead (hey, even Buffy died twice), no one is off the table in our list below. We even went so far as to declare one character we don't want to see return. (Just don't go all 'Gingerbread' and try to burn us at the stake, OK?) View our highly debated picks below, then hit the comments to tell us which characters most want to see back in the upcoming sequel series! Rupert Giles What would a Buffy series be without the man, the myth, the legend… one, Rupert Giles? Now, we're not suggesting that Giles should enter combat in his 70s (the man's had enough head injuries as it is!), but surely his expert Watcher knowledge and multilingual capabilities will be needed for something, right? After all, who's going to translate the next ominous demon scripture? Buffy's former Watcher and father figure is never just 'standing in the way,' regardless of what he sang in that 'Once More With Feeling' song. Buffy needs him, the new Slayer will need him… we need him. Willow Rosenberg How could any fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer not want to see Willow Rosenberg back up to her witchy ways? Alyson Hannigan's character had such a huge arc. From nerdy teen to powerful witch to Big Bad, Willow was one of Buffy's most important Scoobies who came in handy with her magic on more than one occasion. (Sure, she tried to destroy the world once, but we'll let that slide.) Now that every potential Slayer has been activated, it would make sense that the woman who made that all happen pops in to say hello. Hannigan can be so effectively funny in Buffy, while also so staggeringly heartbreaking — her tears in 'Wild at Heart,' for example, continue to slay us (pun intended) to this day. So if SMG's looking to call up some of her old pals to join this project, here's to hoping Hannigan's at the very top of that list. Faith Lehane The addition of Eliza Dushku's Faith in Season 3 gave the show a bolt of fresh energy, leading to some of the series' best episodes. (Look no further than 'Consequences,' 'Graduation Day Part 1' and 'Who Are You?' for prime examples.) The character's tough-as-nails demeanor mixed with the drama and strife she brought delivered some gripping television, and a brand-new foil for Buffy that wasn't a vampire or a demon. She was just a young woman, like Buffy herself, who traveled down a much darker path. But what would the women's relationship be like after re-teaming to fight the First Evil in Season 7? Are the mended fences still standing strong? Has the formerly nefarious Faith stayed on the straight and narrow? We're dying to know. Cordelia Chase We're going to continue shouting this from the highest mountaintop in Sunnydale: JUSTICE FOR CORDELIA! The way Cordy's character was handled in Angel's fourth season left a lot to be desired. (Understatement of the century.) Then for this fan-favorite to return in Season 5 just to be killed off in one episode? As if! Over the course of the Buffy spinoff, Cordelia became part-demon when she took on Doyle's visions. Then, she fell victim to that whole Jasmine business and ultimately became a higher power. She can be brought back in a myriad of ways, so to the gentle writers of Buffy 2.0: Please right this serious Buffyverse wrong because her mishandling and death was my childhood trauma. (Plus, Charisma Carpenter is hopeful for a 'poetic' return, so let's make it happen!) Drusilla Hands down, one of our favorite Buffy villains ever, and oddly enough, a vamp who never found herself on the wrong end of the Slayer's stake. Juliet Landau delivered a haunting performance as Spike's former lover, and the young woman who was tortured to insanity and sired by Angelus. If the new Powers That Be are in need of a Big Bad (or even just a Medium Bad!), reuniting Kendra's killer with the Scoobies could make for some big drama and reeeeally creepy moments. Tara Maclay Straight up: Tara's death hurt. It hurt her girlfriend (Dark Willow, much?) and it hurt us viewers. Tara's kindness and gentle nature brought out a different side of Willow, and we loved seeing Will explore her identity and sexuality, while growing as a much more confident character than the one we first met in Season 1. That was all thanks to Tara. We were under Tara's spell far before she was bleeding out all over Willow's shirt. (OK, this got dark.) At the risk of detracting from the huge moment that was her shocking death, we can't help it. Seeing Tara revived in any way, shape or form would be magic. Anya Jenkins Most fans can agree: Anya Jenkins deserved more. (And no, we're not just talking about Xander.) No one was immune from the Grim Reaper on any Joss Whedon show, but Anya's blink-and-you-miss-it death in the series finale seemed more like a checked box for a 'big' finale moment, rather a justified offing of a character we'd grown to adore. (She was sliced in half by one of the First's Harbingers of Death.) The character's departure always left us wanting… a different fate, an alternate ending, anything! Bringing Emma Caulfield Ford's irreverent mortal-in-training back in any form — ghost, human, vengeance demon, whatever — could correct one of Season 7's most confounding moments. Daniel 'Oz' Osbourne First, we've got to figure out what kind of party this new show's going to be. Will it be a gathering, a shindig or a hootenanny? Regardless, we've got to send Sunnydale's pithy, guitar-playing werewolf an invite! A reunion between Oz and Willow would be ideal, but even despite that possibility, we'd love to hear what's new with the former Dingoes Ate My Baby axe man. Where's he been? What's he been up to? How has he controlled his wolfy ways throughout the years? Yes, we may have gotten a bit of insight from some of the follow-up comics, but getting Seth Green back on screen in the Buffyverse would truly be cause for celebration. The Bronze, anyone? Darla Julie Benz's Darla has come a long way. Not only was she the first vamp to grace our screens way back in '97, but she was also the first to draw blood. (R.I.P., random high school guy.) After working side-by-side with the Master and getting staked by Angel, Darla was resurrected (as a human!) on Angel, revamped by Dru, had a kid and die again. (Phew!) Despite all that, we still haven't seen enough of Benz's badass mistress of the night. However it happens, reviving Darla would be the ultimate throwback to Buffy's early years. Perhaps she has one last massacre left in her? Andrew Wells When the later seasons got all dark and doom-y, Andrew stood tall(-ish) as one of the biggest sources of comedic relief. We'd love nothing more than to see Tom Lenk's lovable Trio nerd reunited with the 'Slayer of the Vaaahm-pires' — whether she likes it or not. He may be like the annoying little brother Buffy never wanted, but Tucker's sibling was always good for some ridiculous one-liners, and elicited top-notch reactions from the clearly peeved characters around him. And what we wouldn't give for a 'Storyteller' follow-up… We Don't Want Back: Spike Before you sick a pack of bloodythirsty hellhounds on us, hear us out. There are two legions of Buffy fans — Team 'Bangel' and Team 'Spuffy' — and look. We're just not in the latter camp. But besides not vibing with 'Spuffy' (we won't even get into that trigger warning-worthy moment from 'Seeing Red'), Spike has had his moment in the sun—, err, spotlight. Even after he left Sunnydale and was magically transported to Angel's L.A. compound, Spike continued to dominate storylines, and honestly, we enjoyed his snarky back-and-forths with Angel during the spinoff's fifth and final season. But enough is enough, already! If this reboot only has a meager 8-12 episodes (speculating here — the official episode count remains TBA), we don't want any more screen time spent on William the Bloody. (#SorryNotSorry) Reuniting Buffy with the white-haired Brit would only retread storylines we've already seen, and we doubt that after 22+ years, our sassy Slayer would need to rekindle anything with that admittedly dashing vamp, soul be damned! And remember the countless crappy things Spike did to the gang in the past, like, you know, trying to kill them a bajillion times? Besides, the Buffyverse is filled with so many charismatic characters, both recurring and regular, that we'd rather leave some room for bigger surprises. And of course, some brand-new Scoobies and Slayers who are dedicated to saving the world a lot. Buffy's 20 Best Episodes, Ranked! View List Best of TVLine 90+ TV Shows That Switched Networks — And How Long They Ran After They Relocated TV's 30+ Best Cliffhangers of All Time From Buffy, Friends, Grey's Anatomy, Twin Peaks, Severance, Soap and More 20+ Age-Defying Parent-Child Castings From Blue Bloods, ER, Ginny & Georgia, Golden Girls, Supernatural and More Solve the daily Crossword
Tom's Guide
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer' revival is moving forward on Hulu — and I really wish it wasn't
RIP beepers. That was my first thought when Sarah Michelle Gellar recently announced the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" revival on Hulu. Then came the existential dread. Don't get me wrong — my "Buffy" obsession runs deep. I even spent my 21st birthday meeting David Boreanaz and James Marsters at a convention instead of gambling in Atlantic City. Every year, I queue up season 2's 'Surprise' exactly 17 minutes and 50 seconds before midnight on my birthday, just so Willow's 'It's happy birthday, Buffy!' hits right on time. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" defined my childhood (and let's be real, my adulthood) as much as it did the '90s. But to paraphrase a certain angsty, bottle-blonde vamp: Let it rest in peace. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" gave us a beautiful ending (spoiler alert for anyone over 20 years late to the party). Both Buffy and fans bid farewell to Sunnydale and the Hellmouth after the Scooby Gang took on their most insidious and oldest adversary yet. 'Chosen' marks the end of Buffy's coming-of-age arc, and frankly, we don't need to see what she's up to decades later. Our Slayer doesn't get a happy ending with either of her fanged suitors, Angel and Spike, but both receive powerful goodbyes honoring the part they played in making Buffy who she is. Ultimately, she departs with the weight of the world no longer solely on her shoulders as she enters the next era of her life off-screen. Yet it wasn't Buffy who closed out the show. Love Dawn or hate her, the final line comes from Buffy's sister asking, 'What are we going to do now?' Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Well, apparently, we're going to revive the show two decades later. Though the reboot was in the works long before the tragic death of Michelle Trachtenberg, sullying that ending feels even more wrong now. Gellar just confirmed that the show will pay homage to Trachtenberg, but the best way to honor her legacy is to leave that ending be. I'm no Dawn fan, but Buffy died for her sister, and the inevitability of killing Dawn off-screen leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Yes, life went on after the credits rolled, but we don't need to see it. The awful Buffy comic books make that abundantly clear (did anyone ask for Troll Dawn and Xander to hook up?). Activating the potential slayers was a powerful story arc, but it also offered a natural conclusion to Buffy's Chosen One journey. I don't want to know if Buffy is married, divorced, widowed or has kids. We don't need to know that — because that's not the story we tuned into every week for seven years. Those details are better left to the imagination and AO3. At this point, most "Buffy" fans are probably as sick of love triangles as I am. Yet Spike and Angel helped define the original series. James Marsters and David Boreanaz certainly made the most of the vampiric elixir of youth that Hollywood hides from the rest of us mere mortals, but they're not 20 anymore. Even if they wanted to return, they couldn't — not convincingly — which is one of the biggest reasons a reboot never seemed feasible. With key characters dead, others unavailable and the vampire-aging thing being what it is, the revival already feels like a hollow version of the original. And yeah, I know — 'What's dead doesn't have to stay dead.' But maybe it should. Especially if it's just for the sake of a cash grab. I trust Sarah Michelle Gellar. She's always been fiercely protective of Buffy as a character, and the fact that she's turned down so many revival pitches before makes me think she sees something here. But without most of the core cast, it's hard to imagine this feeling like anything other than a shadow. The original show resonated because of who stood next to Buffy when the world ended, not just the monsters she slayed. Look, Hulu isn't the problem. If "Buffy" has to come back, it's the best place for it. Hulu's track record with smart, emotionally rich genre shows ("The Handmaid's Tale") and even its approach to camp ("The Great") actually lines up with "Buffy's" tone. The platform could support a revival ... but that doesn't mean it should. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was lightning in a bottle: sharp writing, iconic one-liners ('I may be dead, but I'm still pretty'), flawed but lovable characters, and emotional stakes that often hit harder than the supernatural ones. At its core, "Buffy" was about found family, love and choosing to fight through darkness together. You can't recreate that with a couple of callbacks. You can't reboot the soul of a show without the people who gave it one. "Buffy" was a product of its time and that's part of what made it work. Set it in the 2020s and you lose the charm, the cheese, the campy magic. We've already lost the Hellmouth; now we're losing the plot. Sure, there may be merit to the new story. And yes, I'll stream it the second it drops and probably hate myself for it. I did it with the "Teen Wolf" movie. I'll do it for "Clueless." And I'll definitely do it for "Buffy." But reviving these quintessential '90s titles — especially when the original ended on such a strong note — risks sullying the legacy for what? One or two seasons of mid content? Nostalgia runs pop culture now, sure. But the hardest thing in this world is to love and let go. The Powers That Be need to be brave and allow Buffy stay in the '90s, where she belongs.
Boston Globe
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Meredith Goldstein's newsletter: perimenopause, vampire slayers, and iced coffee
Today we have an episode about perimenopause, menopause, and dating, and how an aging body can make our romantic life better. It's an upbeat, funny story about a woman who thinks she's going to be alone forever and then isn't. Advertisement Welcome to the Hellmouth I love a good TV rewatch podcast. I am partial to the ones that dive into every episode of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' because they help me revisit the lessons in a show that felt like therapy in my early 20s. Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers. (The WB/Richard Cartwright) THE WB/RICHARD CARTWRIGHT/WB During lockdown I started ' ,' a podcast many 'Buffy' fans already knew about. It's had a loyal following since its launch in 2016. The hosts – musician Youngs, whose songs have been featured in ' Advertisement At the start, I liked listening to 'Buffering' because I liked all of the talk about the show, paired with Youngs's music. But over time, I developed the And then … I realized they weren't married anymore. At some point in 2018, they announced As a Love Letters advice-columnist person, I was very interested in that. Now Russo and Youngs have a new book: ' It's about 'Buffy,' the evolution of the 'Buffering' podcast, and how art can imitate life, even when the art is about vampires and demons. Youngs and Russo will stop in Boston with their book Before the event, Youngs, Russo, and I had a Zoom interview to talk about everything from having to tell fans you're getting a divorce, to the way a TV show can inspire a podcast, which inspires music and a book … which inspires others to make their own art. Advertisement Jenny Owen Youngs and Kristin Russo, hosts of "Buffering the Vampire Slayer," a long-running podcast about "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and more. Buffering the Vampire Slayer This interview has been edited and condensed. Meredith: How quickly did you realize that a podcast about a show could be as powerful to an audience as the show itself? Kristin: We started the podcast and we wanted to have a good time, and we still are having a good time. But the 2016 presidential election is the thing that shaped where a lot of our needs were, and that shaped the heartbeat of 'Buffering the Vampire Slayer.' Jenny and I are both queer, and we're both women, and at that moment in time, those were two identities that were directly – I mean, that are always directly under attack – but they were specifically very under attack. And our listenership shares those and other marginalized identities. We could never have the power that 'Buffy' [the show] has. It transcends all things. But … the moment we realized the power that we had in revisiting the text and show was when we were at Union Hall in New York City in December, right after the election, and right before the inauguration, and we had a room full of people who so desperately needed something to hold on to, and so did we. It was that moment in that space, physically together, that we really understood how important we all were to each other, and started to see how that was going to continue. Meredith: Do you think there's something about audio in general, and the podcasting medium, that makes everything more personal? For me, to listen to you while doing ritualistic things in my house, like folding laundry or eating … I think it inspires a more powerful connection than if I was watching a TV show. Advertisement Jenny: If you think about it, a lot of people who are listening to podcasts, just as I am now talking to you, we're literally inside of their ears, like it's an intimate proposition. Meredith: One of the reasons I was so excited to read the book is that you do have this intimate relationship with a lot of listeners, and you kind of become moms to fans. You've probably had to negotiate how much personal information you share with them. How have you figured out what to keep for yourselves? Kristin: It's negotiation with ourselves and also with each other, right? I'm an open book to an extent. I have my limits, but they're quite high, and Jenny doesn't operate that way. I think we had to learn together what we were comfortable sharing. Jenny: What's been really special about our community is that people in it are just so unbelievably respectful. Just imagine me at Buffy Prom last weekend … people are like, 'I have a gift for you. 'That's the vibe. They're like, 'I hate to be a bother. I just did a really nice thing.' Meredith: I love the idea that there are inspirational pieces of media (like 'Buffy') that can lead to a whole new piece of art. That you (Jenny) have created so much music. I think about how the two of you have nurtured this creativity within your own fandom – that liking a show can inspire people to make art, music … something more. Jenny: What's been really incredible to me is to see the people who have found each other through the podcast, or people who listen to the podcast and then are making their own television recap podcast. I just watched the first season of 'The Last of Us,' so really, everything that I'm thinking about now is just in terms of Advertisement Meredith: I like that you're taking the very scary mushrooms from that show, but making them good and about networking. Kristin: [Laughing.] She keeps doing it, and I'm like, danger! Jenny: The mushrooms. Those yearning tendrils, they long to connect! [Everyone laughs because this is sweet but gross.] Meredith: What can people expect when you're in Boston, for the die-hard fans and also for people who might not know about 'Buffering'? Kristin: It's a very loving space. It's a very caring space. And in terms of what we're going to show up to do, I mean, you know, we love nothing more than to have fun with the text. So we're going to be diving into the 'Buffy' of it all. But I think probably this will be one of our more vulnerable events, because it really will be the first time that Jenny and I are together in a space, physically with our book, sharing what we wrote. If you're at Good Reads In The Big Day, In Dinner With Cupid, Advertisement In the Love Letters column, I am a woman and I actually Parasocially delicious 'Buffering the Vampire Slayer' isn't the only podcast that has the best, kindest fans. A Love Letters podcast listener wanted a Anyway, here's my pic of my treat. May all Love Letters readers and listeners find and give others treats, when appropriate. This truly made my month. Oatmilk included. Meredith Goldstein Sign up for Meredith's newsletter at Send your own relationship and dating questions to or Catch new episodes of wherever you listen to podcasts.
