History Series / Buffythevampireslayer

In 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 in 2003.

In 2007 ''Buffy'' started up again -- [[ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer in comic form]]. Produced by Joss Whedon, it encompasses four "Seasons" of TV time, 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}}'').

In 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 line 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.

Nobody 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 Trope Overdosed and 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.

The 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 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.

Bluntly put, this show is why TV Tropes exists.

In 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 learns that she is the most recent in a line 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.