10 Reasons The Buffyverse Should Be Back On Our Screens

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer has now been off our TV screens for a staggering 10 years, while Angel disappeared 9 years ago. In an attempt to keep the ‘Buffyverse’ fandom satisfied, supposedly canon continuations (in the form of comic books) have been printed for both shows and for various characters within the shows. But – for reasons we shall look in to further in this list – not everyone is content with this idea.

Now, I’m the first to admit that there are undoubtedly a number of reasons why bringing either show back to TV screens would be incredibly difficult and probably shouldn’t happen, but I’ve always been a ‘glass half-full’ kind of chap, so let’s blissfully ignore those reasons for the sake of our happy faces.

So, whether it’s for a full new season, a spin-off, or even a movie or one-off special, here are 10 reasons why the Buffyverse should be back on screen.

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1. Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Michelle Gellar, like Nicholas Brendon, has not hit the heights of Buffy the Vampire Slayer since the show came to an end. Again, like Brendon, she has been busy but, apart from Ringer (of which she is both the star and the executive producer), her TV career in particular has been relatively low-key in comparison to her Buffy days.

She’s been busy on the movie scene (Scooby Doo 2, The Grudge series, Southland Tales), but the majority of her latest offerings have been on limited release or have simply gone straight-to-DVD. Throw Gellar back in to the television limelight and give her one last hurrah as the vampire slaying heroine, even if it isn’t for the long haul, or if it’s merely a cameo in a spin-off. Millions of Buffy fans would love it.

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2. An On Screen Reunion For Buffy and Spike

After making the ultimate sacrifice in the final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, despite the fact that he ended up being resurrected and thought his big gesture would be meaningless if they were reunited, Spike deserves an on screen reunion with Buffy.

Even if it’s just for some form of closure, or for Buffy to thank him, it would appease thousands of ‘Spuffy’ fans around the world to see them meet again. Although I’m sure many would be more than happy if there was more to it than that…

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3. Spike

Spike alone should be reason enough to bring the Buffyverse back to the big screen. He’s one of the funniest, most charismatic, likeable and detestable (at the same time), charming and badass characters in television history. Yes, I mean that.

In terms of spin-offs, if I could give one to any Buffyverse character it would be to the man who stole the show on both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel whenever he appeared in either of them.

With some of the best one-liners of any character in the entire run of Buffy and Angel (which I could frankly write a whole article about – in fact, I might), a return to the screen for James Marsters’ inimitable Billy Idol wannabe would be an absolute treat.

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4. Spin-Offs

I briefly mentioned this in the opening paragraphs of the article, because it is so undeniably true; The scope, potential and possibility for spin-off shows in the Buffyverse is second-to-none.

A ‘Ripper’ spin-off, exploring Giles’ dark past, was long touted when Buffy first left our screens, but ultimately failed to materialise. But there are countless possibilities for other spin-offs, whether they be prequels or continuations of what we’ve seen on screen so far.

For example, the TV series left us with a world full of slayers who could become the focal point of their own show(s), something which could also happen with Faith. Other ideas could focus on Robin Wood’s freelance vampire hunting or Illyria adapting to a new world (instead of all that silliness where she became her old, skyscraper-sized self).

Essentially, the possibility of continuing the Buffyverse on screen, even if the main stars refuse to play ball, is surely very plausible.

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5. Giles Needs To Find Love

As heroic and brave as Giles’ death in the comics was, the fact is that he died, and frankly this just won’t do. Of all of the characters in the Buffyverse, Giles is certainly one of the most deserving of a happy ending.

Mostly a loner in his time in the television show, Giles did have a serious relationship with Jenny Calendar (whose tragic on screen death was basically mirrored in the comics by Giles’ own demise) and a hinted-at casual relationship with old friend Olivia (whom Anya so memorably referred to as ‘an orgasm friend’. But, apart from these (and one mystically induced liaison with Joyce Summers), Giles was basically celibate.

A character so memorable and likeable deserves a better ending than the one he suffered in the comics, and a reappearance on our TV screens would be the ideal opportunity to give him one.

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6. How Exactly Did That Final Battle In Los Angeles Go Down?

Obviously the comics made us aware that, in that particular continuity (which I can’t stress enough that I can’t accept as canon to the TV show), Angel, Illyria and Spike survived, while Gunn became a vampire.

But, wouldn’t it be cool to see a big budget, live action depiction of that final battle? Even if it was just in flashbacks? In a nutshell: Angel, Spike, Illyria and Gunn Vs Giants, dragons and demons. On screen. Enough said.

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7. The Aftermath Of Sunnydale

We know where Buffy and company ultimately ended up in the comics, but even they didn’t really show exactly what happened after the destruction of Sunnydale.

Did they investigate the wreckage? How long was it before the government arrived? Did Faith sleep for a week? Did Xander play mini-golf? Did Willow and Buffy go shopping at the mall?

It would just be nice to see exactly what instigated the Scoobies’ post-Sunnydale adventures, and where they headed straight after the final scene in the TV series, whether or not those adventures ended up being the same as in the comics or not.

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8. To Ensure the Comics Are Never Truly Considered Canon

The ‘canon’ continuations of the Buffy and Angel TV shows, which have been in comic book form for the last few years, have certainly been fun. Twilight, Mecha-Dawn, Spike’s spaceship, aliens, SuperBuffy, Hell-A, zompires and a telepathic floating fish… great!

But none of that is anything like how we remember the TV shows. In fact, it all got a little bit… silly. Let’s put that silliness to bed and concentrate on creatures and feats of power more suited to the Buffyverse that we grew to know and love between 1997 and 2004.

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9. Unfinished Business

There is so much unfinished business in the Buffyverse, and so many loose ends to tie up, that at least some of them have to be brought to an on-screen conclusion.

In a universe where Dracula is depicted in his most lame and pathetic form in the history of fiction, why the hell isn’t he dead? Who, if anyone, does Buffy ultimately end up settling down in to a relationship with? How did an intangible, malevolent presence like the First Evil, supposedly an omnipresent force existing all over the world, end up being killed by the destruction of a single town?

Plus, Dracula owes Spike £11 (and I do not consider the conclusion to the non-canon Spike Vs Dracula comic as a suitable outcome to that predicament!).

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10. Nicholas Brendon

It’s not as though Nicholas Brendon hasn’t had much work since Buffy – he certainly has – it’s just that he has failed to hit the heights of his role as the ever-present and ever-loyal Xander Harris.

He has been limited to roles in films nobody has heard of (The Portal, Big Gay Love, A Golden Christmas) and while he’s appeared in some fairly decent TV shows (Without A Trace, Criminal Minds, Private Practice), these have mostly been brief appearances in a small number of, or even individual, episodes.

This seems a bit of a waste because, as Xander, Brendon was likeable and oozed charisma.

The majority of the rest of the main supporting cast have found success in more high-profile roles. Alyson Hannigan (American Reunion, How I Met Your Mother), James Marsters (Torchwood, Smallville, Dragonball Evolution), Anthony Head (Little Britain, Merlin, The Inbetweeners), Amy Acker (Alias, Dollhouse, The Cabin in the Woods), Eliza Dushku (Tru Calling, Dollhouse, The Big Bang Theory), Michelle Trachtenberg (Six Feet Under, House, 17 Again, Ice Princess) and Alexis Denisof (How I Met Your Mother, Dollhouse, The Avengers) have all been regularly utilised in well-known, highly-rated TV shows and popular film franchises (however brief their roles may have been).

And nearly all of them have been re-cast by Joss Whedon at some point. It seems a shame that Brendon is missing out. So, for the sake of Nicholas himself, and for the sake of bringing a brilliant character back to life, Nicholas Brendon is one reason to bring the Buffyverse back to the screen.

Le point numéro 2. Grandement.

Que pensez-vous de ce top 10 des raisons ?