- Buffy the Vampire Slayer is being rebooted on Hulu
- Original star Sarah Michelle Gellar is returning as Buffy
- Creator and original showrunner Joss Whedon is not involved
Much-loved 90s/00s vampire drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer is returning to our screens – and there will be things that fans will want to see in the new series.
It was confirmed that Hulu is developing a reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which originally ran from 1997-2003. Sarah Michelle Gellar is reprising her role as the titular character too. However, creator and showrunner Joss Whedon is not involved.
The announcement created a huge amount of comment – positive and negative – on social media, with some concerned that a new series wouldn’t come up to the standards of the original.
As yet details on what will be in the reboot are scarce, other than that SMG is on board. So this gives us scope to speculate on what we would like to see in the new series.
Buffy joined by new slayer
In the original Buffy series, the lore stated that there could only be one slayer, with the mantle being passed on only when the currently slayer died. However, the final series turned that round, transforming all potential slayers into actual slayers.
This means that Buffy doesn’t have to be the slayer herself – or the only slayer – she could be mentoring a younger slayer, which would present an interesting dynamic. Even more so if were to be her daughter.
Return of other legacy characters
Buffy’s return is good, but we really need other members of the Scooby Gang such as Willow and Xander back too. It could easily be done as we are more than 20 years on from the end of the original series, so the characters could easily have teenage children themselves too – why not make it an inter-generational series?
And if the original actors Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendan can be convinced to return, so much the better.
Mix of vampires and teen issues
One of the keys to the success of Buffy was that it wasn’t just about killing vampires and other monsters. Buffy also had to deal with regular teen issues in high school, as well as family dramas.
It helps that the characters were so well written that viewers felt like they knew them, meaning that their pain felt more real.
A new series must have a similar mix if it is to connect with the legion of fans of the original show out there and pick up a new generation of fans.
Monster of the week episodes
While Buffy the Vampire Slayer has its roster of recurring monsters and baddies, it also had plenty that only appeared in one episode. These episodes – often referred to as Monster of the Week – have enduring popularity. Some of the monsters are well remembered, others not, but they were fun and could stretch characters in different directions than they were used to with overall story arcs.
Buffy musical episode
One of the most famous episodes of Buffy was the seventh episode of season 6, called ‘Once More With Feeling’. In this episode, thanks to the influence of a demon, characters randomly break out into song.
While at the time it was well received critically, the episode has gone down as one of the most famous in the show’s seven season run.
Indeed, for several years, the episode was shown in theaters where attendees would dress like characters from the show and sing along to the musical numbers and shout out key lines.
However, just as these were growing in popularity, 20th Century Fox pulled the licencing for public screenings over a dispute over unpaid residuals.
Many other shows have done similar episodes since, but Buffy did it best. Another musical episode would be meta but also go down well with fans.
