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[RockTurtle]

as a young kid, here's why buffy was awesome to me:

1) the show was filled with young attractive people. Buffy specially was a personal crush.

2) even though they were sexy, the main character was strong and could take care of herself. she was a power fantasy ! looks meek and weak, but can kick ass with pom poms and cheerleader outfits.

*which goes to show you can have sexy and strong at the same time, much the chagrin of some gaf constituents*

3) the lore was interesing. ok not so much interesting as easily followable. Every episode built the lore, and you could tell there was a continuing storyline. that made every episode, even the episodic ones, a must- see to keep up.

4) Visuals and cinematography were ok for the time. stylish.

5) there were consequences. again part of continuing storylines, but characters made mistakes and paid for them.

6) but with dramatic moments, there were also a lot of goofy ones that didnt feel forced.

same with Xena. but that might have been young me waiting for that lesbian kiss.

 

[cascardian]

I didn't agree with those choices at all

Spoiler

why didn't he just tell the gang about the dumb prophecy?

, but I appreciated the harder edge it gave him.

One of the most crippling problems with the Whedon crews' writing was that most problems could have simply been overcome or outright avoided if the characters would have actually talked like reasoning adults with each other. That and Connor was just so very hard to watch... Dawn was pleasant by comparison.

 

[poppabk]

I think the writing style plays a big part. Something about how whedon writes his characters and their dialog just seems to click for some people. I can't even put my finger on what exactly is unique about it. I can say that he writes a dream sequence better than anyone.

 

[Dereck]

This gif is missing crucial frames

My only problem with Buffy is that it was a little bloated, 22 45 minute episodes per-season wore me out. Awful for binge watching, especially when some of the episodes have silly storylines.

 

[XxSlasherMcGirkxX]

I'm actually baffled on why the OP asked this. He basically answers his own question in the OP. The show had high quality then and over ten years later people still have incredibly high feelings towards it. Hell I'd say that it's most likely more revered now then when it aired.

 

[The Cowboy]

The dance deserves better.

Its a big gif, but worth it for the glorious (complete) dance.

Edit.
Changed to widescreen version.

 

[akira28]

I guess because it was on for a long time and it was moderately popular with the ideal rolling demographic, with some lingering relevance. Also JJ Abrams is famous so people like to pay lipservice to famous people's popular works.

Just for you.

Its a big gif, but worth it for the glorious (complete) dance.

Is that the dance from that game? what that a reference to this?

 

[LurkerPrime]

I guess because it was on for a long time and it was moderately popular with the ideal rolling demographic, with some lingering relevance. Also JJ Abrams is famous so people like to pay lipservice to famous people's popular works

I have some (potentially) bad news for you:

Spoiler

Joss Whedon is not JJ Abrams.

 

[Dereck]

I have some (potentially) bad news for you:

Spoiler

Joss Whedon is not JJ Abrams.

 

[Manu]

What's a Rogue Demon?

 

[Dusk Soldier]

What's a Rogue Demon?

You're reading that sentence wrong. "Rogue" and "Demon" are adjectives used to describe the noun "Hunter."

So he is a Hunter aka he is searching for for something. In this case he is a Hunter of Demons. And he is also a Rogue Hunter. Rogue in this case meaning he is unregulated by any sort of higher authority.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Besides a strong female lead, the other thing I like about the show (disclaimer: I don't particularly love the show and only watched a few episodes, but I liked it well enough) is its self deprecating humor.

It's a stupid, silly show that is aware of its stupid silliness, and that's good by me. It makes ample fun of traditional schlock drama tropes.

I mean, it certainly could be stupid and silly but It could also knock it out of the fucking park, same with Angel. At their most consistent, they struck a great(and fairly unique) balance between the monster of the week type stuff and overall story/character arc's, better then pretty much any other show of the type.

They were both incredibly rewatchable to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if I went through both seasons 5-6 times at one point. (reruns every day FX/TNT).

It has been years since I've seen any episode from both but there's always this itch to just marathon through them again but doing stuff like that has become an increasingly difficult thing for me.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

Buffy is GOAT and by a large margin. It´s so much better than Angel.
Spike>>>The entire cast of Angel.
Buffy was amazing. Xander and Willow were great support cast, and Giles is awesome. Dawn was the only weak character in this show.

Fred on Angel was amazing, until she got possessed by a demon.

 

[BKatastrophe]

You're reading that sentence wrong. "Rogue" and "Demon" are adjectives used to describe the noun "Hunter."

So he is a Hunter aka he is searching for for something. In this case he is a Hunter of Demons. And he is also a Rogue Hunter. Rogue in this case meaning he is unregulated by any sort of higher authority.

Cordelia (I think) asks that question in the episode he says that.

 

[iirate]

It had a great female lead, and the best and most powerful redemption story every filmed on television.

This post/gif gives me goosebumps.

Spoiler

It's from the best episode in the series, too.

 

[Ecotic]

The show really captured my imagination as a teenager back when the WB was huge, and it still does. The second half of season 2 through season 3 was truly something special.

 

[Brakke]

I missed this show and just went back to watch it in the last couple years. It's pretty terrible for binging--so many monster-of-the-week episodes that just don't move the needle--and it's definitely dated, but overall I thought it was great.

 

[Black-Wind]

Buffy isn't a "cult classic", tons of people still love it ..

 

[Sesuadra]

The problem with Buffy is, I love it tooooo much. Like..everyone in this thread who said something negative I really wanted to say something mean ~_~ (but self reflection helps lol)

I love that show. It has wonderful main characters, awesome ideas, amazing quotes, pop culture references and that episode "The Body" damn!

Every time I feel bad I watch an episode of buffy..I love the episode "Tabula Rasa" for a good mood with a bitter ending..

I’m free if that bitch dies!
I better help her out…

Just watched all Buffy Episodes again (except for "The Body"...)

Yes it has it flaws, of course. I just do not see them anymore ^^".. just wish we would get a blu ray

 

[zorlaczerohero]

I've just finished watching the whole of Buffy and Angel whilst grinding out credits on Elite Dangerous. I loved it when it first came out and I have to say it's aged rather well, considering it's 18 years old.

Going back to it I now prefer Angel overall, though Buffy probably has my favourite episode "Once more with feeling". I also find the last season hard to watch because I can't abide Kennedy, she was just thrown in as a Buffy hating love interest for Willow. Wesley too, annoying as buggery all the way through and then turns into some hard as nails angry person.

Spike was the best character in my opinion, over both shows. Should have done a more adult 'Spike' spin off. Maybe a Spike and Fredzilla show. That'd work!

His best work is still Firefly. I really feel he hit his flow with that.

 

[dalin80]

I used to watch it for the nipple pokies.

What? I was a teenager and had no internet.

 

[dejay]

Buffy had a good ensemble cast, a strong, complicated female lead, memorable villains (although I didn't like the creature-feature stuff in the first season), it was self aware and mixed genre's in a way that's taken for granted today. I'm also a big fan of the music they featured on the show.

It had it's flaws but I think it has it's place in TV history.

The other thing that Angel did was make characters from Buffy 10 times better

Wesley
Angel/Spike
Cordelia

Wesley is the GOAT though

I love Wesley's character arc throughout Angel. Definitely my fav character out of the Buffyverse.

A Hole in the World is my fav episode - I tear up every time I watch that scene. The best Wheddon bait-and-switch episode too. Then I tear up again when the characters play the same scene but in reverse in the final episode. Brilliant!

 

[akira28]

I have some (potentially) bad news for you:

Spoiler

Joss Whedon is not JJ Abrams.

You know who I mean!!

 

[Bishop89]

 

[JesseEwiak]

One underrated part is that it was one of the first 'snarky' shows. In 2015, where snark reigns over everything and Twitter had made 45 year old Mom's in Iowa think they're comedians, it's weird, but Buffy was one of the first shows where people made jokes like people, instead of like TV characters.

Also, just as a side note, it's weird to think that Buffy got 5 million viewers a week and was regularly in the #120's for ratings, when that will get you renewed on NBC (Grimm) or ABC (Revenge) these days.

 

[Replicant]

The dance deserves better.

Its a big gif, but worth it for the glorious (complete) dance.

Edit.
Changed to widescreen version.

Need the complete one with dorky Wes joining.

And yes, Wes is the GOAT. I'm still pissed off at what Joss did to him while shitty Spike continues to exist.

 

[TheDanger]

I thought it was okay.

clever

Spoiler

His username is what Kendra in Buffy named her favorite stake after.

 

[yoplay]

This show was my heart. I even separate network dramas from cable dramas on my top 10 lists just so I can have it ranked at number 1. Just imagine if Joss and his crew developed this show on cable rather than the constraints of network television. These shows were levied with 22-24 episode orders. That is a lot of filling in-between the gaps. They didn't have the luxury of condensing a season into 13 episodes like on HBO. Season 6 would have been awesome if not for the filler episodes. Lost also suffered because of this as well as Angel.

 

[yoplay]

His best work is still Firefly. I really feel he hit his flow with that.

This would have ultimately been true had Firefly survived it's only season. Felt like it would have opened up a new set of tropes for adults as Buffy did with teenagers.

 

[squarerootofpie]

I think the best bit was that Buffy wasn't meant to be a complete hero or stereotypical. She was a normal girl who made mistakes, relied on friends and boyfriends, but also was badass at times. She didn't make it seem like you had to pick between being feminine and awesome.

 

[Platy]

The other thing that Angel did was make characters from Buffy 10 times better

Wesley
Angel/Spike
Cordelia

Wesley is the GOAT though

Was rewatching the series on netflix and it really impressed me how ... dork Weskey is in the beginning.

All I remember is badass Wesley from Season 5 ....

 

[yoplay]

At the end of the day, as long as there is mention on these "lists" about Buffy, I'm all good. My top was topped 2 years ago (The Wire was replaced by Breaking Bad as best ever). I'm sure I will eventually have to come to terms with Game of Thrones being the best when it's run is over if it continues to enthrall as it is now.

 

[True Savior]

Because the standards for Television are as high as when you're horny saturday night at 3am and there's that one girl left dancing.

 

[T.O.P]

I grew up with this show, can't say anything bad about it, loved every single second of it

SMG is still the only straight crush i've ever had too

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

It was a great show, but it wasn't perfect. Joss Whedon is the not the paragon of feminism he makes himself out to be either. One of the worst parts of Buffy is how the women characters get punished for having sex. I'm not joking, every time Buffy has had sex in the show she has been punished in some way for it.

I love the show but I don't like Whedon.

 

[Roven]

Nobody knows.
Everything from Joss Whedon is fucking overrated.

 

[Dereck]

It was a great show, but it wasn't perfect. Joss Whedon is the not the paragon of feminism he makes himself out to be either. One of the worst parts of Buffy is how the women characters get punished for having sex. I'm not joking, every time Buffy has had sex in the show she has been punished in some way for it.

What are you talking about

 

[Robin64]

Just watched all Buffy Episodes again (except for "The Body"...)

Just wondering why you skipped one of the best episodes ever made?

 

[Volimar]

The Body remains the single most emotionally gutting episode of any show for me.



Also the actress that played Glory was on a recent episode of Tabletop. She does not contribute much and it is a meh episode but she still looks great.

 

[Robin64]

The Body remains the single most emotionally gutting episode of any show for me.

I'd never seen death handled like that before on TV and I'm not sure I've seen it handled like that since either.

 

[McBradders]

The show was also pretty subversive for the time. Brilliant television all around. The only dud season was the Adam season, the rest all are pretty strong overall.

 

[Manu]

You're reading that sentence wrong. "Rogue" and "Demon" are adjectives used to describe the noun "Hunter."

So he is a Hunter aka he is searching for for something. In this case he is a Hunter of Demons. And he is also a Rogue Hunter. Rogue in this case meaning he is unregulated by any sort of higher authority.

 

[TheDanger]

What are you talking about

well he's not entirely wrong, when she had sex with Angel he lost his soul, when she fucked Parker he was just using her, fucking Spike lead to almost rape. I can't remember any consequences that were caused by having sex with Riley though.

 

[Dereck]

well he's not entirely wrong, when she had sex with Angel he lost his soul, when she fucked Parker he was just using her, fucking Spike lead to almost rape. I can't remember any consequences that were caused by having sex with Riley though.

I asked because it's been awhile, but I thought the punishments had to do with the sexual partners being vampires.

 

[Kai Dracon]

I'd never seen death handled like that before on TV and I'm not sure I've seen it handled like that since either.

I read Whedon based it on his own experience with his mother's death.

I've never seen any television show handle it that way either - it is a raw and blunt look at what death is really like for the survivors. Even "gritty" and realistic shows seem to dress it up with a message, theme, etc. Or subsume it to moving the story forward. In The Body, what it's like when someone dies is the story and there's no moral besides - pain and confusion.

 

[Manu]

I can't remember any consequences that were caused by having sex with Riley though.

It gave us Where The Wild Things Are.

Ugh.

 

[Anoregon]

I read Whedon based it on his own experience with his mother's death.

I've never seen any television show handle it that way either - it is a raw and blunt look at what death is really like for the survivors. Even "gritty" and realistic shows seem to dress it up with a message, theme, etc. Or subsume it to moving the story forward. In The Body, what it's like when someone dies is the story and there's no moral besides - pain and confusion.

It's also totally music-less, which is a really impactful touch. And of course that Anya Monologue.

 

[LegoArmo]

I want to change my answer to:

Because Faith

 

[Goodstyle]

In the minority here but S6 was my favourite season. It definitely had its flaws, but the positives shined so damn brightly I was able to overlook them.

Magic being a drug is a dumb metaphor, but Hannigan's acting and the culmination of that arc was amazing.

Riley showing up again was tedious, but his final message to Buffy was pretty much perfect.

The Trio was annoying at first, but the fallout of their actions was devastating (and Life Serial is endlessly rewatchable).

I felt bad for Xander, but the wedding episode was great and what he did in the finale had me pretty close to tears (almost nothing makes me cry in fiction too).

S3 is the only season I feel as strongly for, and while it didn't reach the same heights (OMWF) it was definitely the more consistent season.

 

[Vinci]

I'm in that camp that Buffy was better than Angel.

Season 1-4 were so... sloppy. And OMG Connor. Season 4 was just a trial to get through. Jasmine was just awful. Only real good things about that series was Fred and Lorne. And Season 5 was awesome tier.

Not to say the show didn't have good episodes or even that its not worth watching but the quality is below Buffy's story telling.

Yeah. Angel was virtually unwatchable throughout the whole Connor stuff. Hated that character so much.

Season 5, as you said, is god tier. Just an amazing season.