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4[[quoteright:281:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/buffystake.jpg]]
5[[caption-width-right:281:[[HorrifyingTheHorror She's the thing that monsters have nightmares about.]]]]
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7->''[[AC:Into every generation a Slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a Chosen One. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. She is the Slayer.]]''
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9Bluntly put, this show is why Website/TVTropes exists.
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11In 1992, the film ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', written by Creator/JossWhedon, played with a bog-standard trope: the fragile (and doomed) blonde DamselInDistress cheerleader attacked by monsters in a dark alley. In a {{postmodern|ism}} twist, the blonde cheerleader is the "Slayer," a powerful warrior that the ''monsters'' are afraid of meeting in dark alleys. Since Whedon, a mere writer, [[ExecutiveMeddling lacked creative control]] over his work, he viewed the actual film as a disappointment[[note]]His intent was for the film to have some self-referential comedy but still be a largely serious take on the genre; the producers made it more campy and incorporated slapstick[[/note]]. He did love the original concept and the film did end up a CultClassic, so when he was given the opportunity to revisit it as a television series a few years later, he wasted no time saying "yes."
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13In 1997, the fledgling [[Creator/TheWB WB]] network raised ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' from the dead with an abbreviated first season. The pilot treats the motion picture as originally ''[[BroadStrokes scripted]]'' (not the film that resulted) as canon: Buffy (now played by Creator/SarahMichelleGellar) learns that she is the most recent in a succession of warrior women chosen by fate to fight evil, and in a pitched battle sets [[KillItWithFire the school gym on fire to kill the vampires inside]]. She can't fully explain this to the authorities, making her a social pariah. Hoping to elude her Slayer responsibilities, she and her mother move to Sunnydale, a sleepy town in Southern California. In spite of that, she learns Sunnydale is sitting on top of a Hellmouth, a [[MagneticPlotDevice well of evil that attracts all types of demons]]. She is assigned a "Watcher" from an AncientConspiracy dedicated to finding and training Slayers. Forming a tight-knit group of friends, Buffy battles hellspawn while juggling her double life as a carefree schoolgirl. That last part is easier than it sounds, as Sunnydale's adults are too wrapped up in lawn care ([[StepfordSuburbia and denial]]) to acknowledge the evil brewing right under their feet.
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15Since demons on ''Buffy'' are walking metaphors for existing evils -- reptilian authority figures, suddenly-soulless boyfriends, and so on -- the B-horror trappings take on an entirely new meaning, usually with a sly [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical feminist wink]] inserted.
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17----
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19The show didn't catch fire in its first season, but did garner enough critical acclaim to attract viewers by year two. However, ''Buffy'' (and ''{{Series/Angel}}'') were ''not'' inexpensive shows to produce, and [[ItWillNeverCatchOn neither were expected to grow beyond their cult demographic]]. Although WB attempted to shove ''Buffy'' off the air in 2001, it was picked up by {{Creator/UPN}} in time for Season 6 and 7. The jump was heralded by Buffy's [[RiseFromYourGrave literal death and resurrection]], along with a ratings-grabbing ad campaign.
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21The show pioneered the HalfArcSeason, with a singular BigBad behind that year's events that helped make each season have a self-contained StoryArc while interspersing standalone episodes, they were able to signpost major plot developments months (and even ''years'') in advance. This is in contrast to prior serialized MythArc shows, where everything fed into an ongoing storyline but lacked a clear beginning, middle and end. With the exception of specific {{filler}} episodes, each season of Buffy would come across as a 15 hour movie and resolve itself in a big SeasonFinale, and the next season would start over again. Perhaps most surprisingly, the central cast grew like kudzu, with even [[AscendedExtra walk-on roles]] getting a dose of character development much later on... Just in time for [[SacrificialLamb Joss to kill them off]], alas.
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23Nobody can deny or ignore the influence of ''Buffy'' on the TV shows that followed it, both within and outside the genre. (Creator/RussellTDavies had at least one eye on this show when he revived ''Series/DoctorWho'' -- and ''{{Series/Angel}}'' when he created its more adult spin-off, ''{{Series/Torchwood}}''.) This series has become one of the most JustForFun/TropeOverdosed and {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d shows in existence; thousands of references to ''Buffy'' exist across this entire wiki, partially because Website/TVTropes began with a specific focus on ''Buffy'' (based on a 2004 thread on the fan site Website/BuffistasOrg) before branching out to all of TV and eventually all of everything. This show is considered part of the Truly Awesome; with over 9,000 wicks and a runtime of 6,056 minutes, this page (well, this ''entry'' and its metapages) now has over one wick per minute.
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25'''For more information about the franchise that encompasses ''Buffy'', ''Angel'' and other spinoffs, check out [[Franchise/{{Buffyverse}} the Buffyverse]].'''
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27!!Tie-ins and Possible Reboot
28''Buffy'' remains Joss Whedon's mothership series, with numerous tie-in novels, merchandise, video games, and spinoffs in the offing (see ''{{ComicBook/Fray}}''), though plans for a Spike and/or Giles TV show remain in DevelopmentHell. In 2001, Joss even tried shopping around an animated series based on the show, but most networks felt it wasn't suitable for small kids.
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30In 1999, Joss and co-producer David Greenwalt conceived a [[SpinOff spin-off]] starring Buffy's vampiric love interest, Angel -- the [[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man]] to ''Buffy's'' [[WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower She-Ra]], if you will. While ''Buffy'' focused on adolescent woe, ''Angel'' revolved around stressed-out twenty-somethings in thankless jobs, trying to hold onto their youthful ideals. ''Angel'' ended the only way it could have: the gang sold out and become {{Corporate Sponsored Superhero}}es, much to the disgust of Buffy and her allies, who [[AHouseDivided disavowed them]]. Crossovers and cross-references between the two shows persisted even after ''Buffy'' ended on TV with the seventh season finale in 2003.
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32In 2007 ''Buffy'' started up again -- [[ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer in comic form]]. Produced and confirmed as canon by Joss Whedon, it encompasses four "seasons" of TV time (Seasons 8 through 12), ultimately coming to an end in 2018 due to Dark Horse comics losing the license which in turn finally ended the original continuity of the series. Creator/BoomStudios picks it up later and initiated a full ContinuityReboot to begin in 2019. In 2011, the mainline series branched off into ''ComicBook/AngelAndFaith'', which is London-based (in a nod to ''ComicBook/{{Excalibur}}'').
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34There were also a few stand alone comics based on Buffy's high school days, being much LighterAndSofter then the source material, it only got three books and was forced to end due to the aforementioned losing of the licensee by Dark Horse. Bizarrely, the series likewise got an all ages story set in its own continuity, ''Buffy: New School Nightmare'', in which she once more arrives in a new town and has to contend with vampires, joined along the way by a witch and a werewolf Sarafina and Alvaro and a new, female watcher named Ms. Sparks guiding her. In this version, Buffy is much younger (12) and the vampires are all silly ones from various eras (in fact there isn't any kid vampire at all). While it does mention death and what not (with even ''Santa Claus'' being a vampire) it never gets as dark as it's mainstream counterpart and is even more Lighter and Softer then the Stand Alone "High School Years" series. A sequel to this continuity is said to be in the works.
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36The producers of the original film (the Kuzui couple listed in the credits) [[GodDoesNotOwnThisWorld retained the rights]] to ''Buffy'' throughout the show's run despite having no creative involvement past the film. Plans have been proposed to revive/remake the film without Joss Whedon's input. No one involved with the series had [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOiyLDsHHfw anything pleasant]] [[http://www.blastr.com/2011/01/6_buffy_veterans_on_a_whe.php to say]] [[http://www.endofshow.com/2010/11/23/buffy-cast-react-to-joss-whedon-less-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-movie-remake/ about that idea.]]
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38----
39!! ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' has been indexed to avoid one day breaking the site:
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41[[index]]
42* General Tropes
43** Buffy/TropesAToG
44** Buffy/TropesHToN
45** Buffy/TropesOToZ
46* Buffy/SeasonSpecificTropes
47** [[ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Comic-Specific Tropes]]
48** [[ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayerBoomStudios Boom! Studios Reboot]]
49[[/index]]
50
51----
52->''"[[TheStinger If the Apocalypse comes, beep me]]."''

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