‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Doesn’t Need a Reboot — It Needs a Spin-off

The Big Picture

• A
  Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  spin-off would benefit from exploring new stories in the Buffyverse and could feature the potential of countless new slayers.
• The original show should address its mishandling of LGBTQ+ representation and problematic storylines, prioritizing bisexual visibility and healthy relationships for the protagonist.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  has proven its longevity through successful comic book and audio adaptations, indicating that there is still much more to be explored in the franchise.

One of the multiple ways for a media franchise to prove its worth is having an everlasting quality. This has been the case for a certain Chosen One who slays vampires. Since its conception, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has seen life through multiple forms of media. Beginning as a critically-panned campy film starring Kristy Swanson, it somehow found further life as a lauded TV show. The series hit all the right notes, making Sarah Michelle Gellar a late 90s icon as Buffy Summers. Still, everything comes to an end, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s seventh season was the Scooby gang’s last outing. Reviving the show has always been a touchy subject – given its cult status – but the franchise has proved once again that it has much more to give.

As seen in the show’s sixth season, Buffy can come back from the dead. In the actual world, this became a reality thanks to novels, comic books and, more recently, an audio serial. The comic series published by Dark Horse Comics is considered canon, with each set of issues labeled as a new season, going from Season 8 all the way up to Season 12. In the last few years, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been anything but absent. Boom! Studios rejuvenated the characters and their setting in a modern-day comic reboot. Plus, the audio series Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, written by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden, gave the opportunity to tell a multiversal story while respecting the established canon. While talks have involved the possibility of a reboot – more recently by Dolly Parton – Buffy the Vampire Slayer would benefit in a greater aspect by producing a spin-off series.

Yes, Dolly Parton Gave an Update on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Reboot

It might be an unexpected source, but it has a reasonable explanation. Dolly Parton co-owns Sandollar Productions, the only production company to have participated in all the Buffyverse screen releases – the film, the show, and spin-off series Angel. Hence, in a Business Insider interview, Parton was specifically asked for an update about the new show’s status, to which she expressed she knows there’s an intention to revamp it, but only that.

While there’s no word on who is attached to the project, the franchise has two ways to go: reboot the original story or conceive a continuation of the Buffyverse through established canon. Rebooting is not an infallible solution, given the end product could either be loved or reviled. But perhaps a spin-off would benefit from an update on the slayers through this day and age, giving us a fresh look at the Buffyverse while allowing the possibility of having nods to the past.

What Should Be Fixed from the Original ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’

Whether it’s in the form of a reboot or a continuation, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s priority should be righting the many wrongs from the original show that haven’t aged well. The mishandling of Willow’s (Alyson Hannigan) sexuality should put bisexual visibility at the top of their list. Also up there should be giving its protagonist the chance of having a healthy relationship – for instance, one in which she isn’t shamed for losing her virginity, or one that doesn’t involve her falling for someone who tried to sexually abuse her.

While the shock of unexpected deaths is part of what made the show great, Tara’s death drew huge criticism because of the lesbian punishing undertone and the exploitation of the “Bury Your Gays” trope. Whereas a spin-off could easily fix this issue through new characters, a reboot would allow the series to make it right and still find a believable trigger for Willow to turn into the big bad because – let’s face it – Dark Willow was cool as hell. Still, trying to retell these exact same stories with a few tweaks might not be appealing enough, so a spin-off should be pursued to reestablish the slayer as the feminist icon she once was.

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Would Benefit from a Spin-Off

A Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off would be a tricky solution to the dilemma – given the expectations that would be placed on the show’s shoulders – but the richness of the Buffyverse would allow for new stories to be told this way. If the show respects the comic book canon, there are countless potentials-turned-slayers to focus on. It’d allow to explore the slayer world twenty years after the Sunnydale apocalypse, and it could be set anywhere on Earth. Plus, the possibility of having the new cast cross over with legacy characters every now and then would be right there, waiting to be taken advantage of.

But perhaps the answer to a Buffy spin-off/continuation is already out there. Turning the unofficial audio sequel Slayers: A Buffyverse Story into an official Buffyverse story and using it as a starting point could be the way to go. The series meshes the original show’s continuity with an alternate reality where Tara is still alive and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) became the slayer. It has been praised for giving Tara a better ending and redeeming Cordelia by finally giving her the place she deserves. Besides Benson and Carpenter, it also counts with the participation of original characters Spike (James Masters), Drusilla (Juliet Landau), Giles (Anthony Head), and Anyanka (Emma Caulfield). True, it’s easier said than done, given the difference in budget and production process between a podcast and a live-action series, but Slayers stands as proof of the potential of the Buffyverse.

While news of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot have come and gone several times, Dolly Parton’s update shines a new hopeful light on its status. Whether it’s a reboot or a spin-off, whichever way Sandollar Productions decides to go, the desire for more Buffy is evident. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a franchise so rich, that it’d be a waste not to tell further related stories. The success of its comic book and audio adaptations prove that it still has much more to give. If learning from past mistakes comes into play, it represents an opportunity to reach a new audience, while distancing the franchise from the Joss Whedon controversy of it all. Nearing the show’s 27th year premiere anniversary, now is the ideal time to pursue a Buffy spin-off and have it live on.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is streaming on Hulu in the U.S.

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