I’m sure by now you’ve seen plenty of articles online about how Buffy the Vampire Slayer is celebrating 20 years since its premiere. I’m sure you’ve also seen plenty of people tell their stories about how Buffy saved or changed their life in some way. Allow me to be a last-minute addition and share what Buffy means to me (and how it shaped television as we know it today).
BtVS premiered on this day in 1997. I gotta admit, my memory is poor but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I wasn’t watching this show when I was 9. I know I started watching episodes as they aired at some point, but as far as I can remember the show had already been on for a few seasons. (Don’t worry, I was able to catch up in repeats real quick). Regardless, from my first glimpse of the slayer I could feel her speak to my innermost self. She was awkward, terrible at relationships, and had all the same problems every girl faces, but also was a badass who kicked butt and took names. She was what I already was combined with what I wanted to be. She also was the only female superhero I can think of (other than the girls in the Power Rangers) that I had to look up to. Yeah, I know, there are plenty of other badass ladies out there, but back then I watched a lot of dudes in tights (Superman, Batman, Spider-man) and Buffy. She and Willow were my everything. Yes, the whole cast of Scoobies were great, but they were my favorites.
After watching Buffy (and Angel once that got its spinoff) I started expanding to other vampire/occult offerings. As luck would have it, the show that turned me onto the genre also influenced it. I think it’s fair to say that a lot of the tv and movies you see today would not have had a chance if Buffy didn’t have the success that it did. It masterfully blended the dark and the quirky in ways every television show ever would only hope to achieve. (Charmed comes to mind almost instantly as having similar qualities). It also was the jumping point for a wonderful career for Joss Whedon, as well as many of the cast members. Joss jumped from Buffy and Angel to Dollhouse and Firefly, the latter getting a cult following that might even surpass Buffy levels, before eventually getting to jump into the Marvel Universe with Avengers. Suddenly one of my favorite creators in the industry was in charge of the only genre I love as much as the vampire/magic stuff: superheroes.
Backstory: I learned to read with comic books, and some of the first television I remember watching were cartoons based on those comics. Even today, most of the television I watch is the CW lineup of superhero/comic book related programming. Supergirl, Flash, Arrow – the genre has gotten a big bump with the success of the Marvel films. I also think that CW (formally WB) has been a leader in focusing on “nerdier” fair. Kids WB was my go-to for cartoons as a kid because of how many hero type shows it had, Buffy and Charmed (as well as many others) were WB primetime staples back in the day, and now it continues with the lineup of hero shows I already mentioned. Of all the shows I’ve mentioned, however, I think Buffy was the most significant. And based on how much people have been talking about this anniversary today, I think the masses would agree.
Thanks for letting me ramble for a bit. It’s been over a year since I’ve been inspired to write anything, but it feels appropriate that Buffy Summers finally pushed me into action. She was an inspiration to many. May she continue to do so for 20 more years and beyond.
