FISCHER: Grave feelings about ‘Buffy’ revival

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

There are few television shows I feel more fondly about than “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.” When it comes to turn-of-the-century television, it was in a league of its own in terms of developing story and characters.

In a time where syndication was king it was common practice for shows to shoot for 100 episodes of one-and-done stories that could be watched in practically any order, Buffy had season-long arcs, a cast of characters that changed and grew over time, and a respect for continuity that we take for granted in the 21st century.

I used to marathon DVD box sets back in the day, have who knows how many novels and comics spun-off from the show, and songs from the musical episode still get stuck in my head on a semi-regular basis.

I like the show. All five seasons of it.

Now, a quarter century later, it’s looking increasingly probable that Buffy is next in line for a revival. It’s unclear if we’re taking about a reboot or a continuation, but Buffy star herself Sarah Michelle Gellar is publicly on board with a new project that is seemingly close to a pilot for Hulu.

I am normally all about tapping into nostalgia, but this project immediately gives me a bad feeling.

As much as I love the show, it was very much a product of its time and that time is no more. A Hulu show isn’t going to have a 22-episode season to flesh out characters with monster-of-the-week high jinx. Meanwhile, the trope-defying irreverence and quippy humor that was fresh and groundbreaking back in 1997 has itself become stale and well-trodden.

I believe the kids today would call it “cringe.”

The magic of the show is deeply tied to the environment it was created in and that environment no longer exists. To adjust it for a 2020s audience means changing what made it unique in the first place. It’s a no-win scenario.

Then there’s the elephant in the room.

The new show will not involve series creator Joss Whedon. Once a veritable deity in pop-culture circles, Whedon’s behind-the-scenes behavior over the years has left him persona non grata in Hollywood.

Say what you will about Whedon’s personal failings, and there are many out there itching to do just that, it is an undeniable reality that his creative talent was the driving force that fueled the show. Everything that made Buffy so culturally beloved that 20 years later we’re even talking about a revival has his fingerprints on it.

Nothing against Nora and Lila Zuckerman, the prospective showrunners for the revival, but that’s not a role that can be easily replaced.

What’s the best case scenario here? Eight episodes of a show struggling to balance the late-90s nostalgia of its predecessor in a 2020s environment while also trying to simultaneously emulate and disavow its creator? A show where the new cast of characters will fight for the attention of an audience that just wants to know what Buffy and her friends have been up to for the last 20 years?

I could be wrong. I’ve been wrong before. But my gut feeling says there’s no clear path to success here. Too much of what made Buffy great in the first place is incompatible with today’s environment and changing those elements risks compromising the whole point of a revival.

But I guess we’ll see.

— Travis Fischer is a news writer for the Charles City Press and can’t wait for the inevitable David Boreanaz guest-appearance.