Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an US TV series which ran from March 1997 until May 2003, and one of the first of many successful TV series in this genre, paving the way for the likes of Vampire Diaries and True Blood.

The show is all about Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a “Vampire Slayer”. Slayers are fated to do battle against vampires, demons, and other forces of the underworld. Buffy is helped by a Watcher, who instructs her in the ways of a Slayer. Buffy’s loyal friends are known as the “Scooby Gang”.

The series was a smash hit and was watched by up to 6 million viewers at a time. It won 3 Emmys. The merchandising and franchising off the back of the show has also seen big success with novels, comics, and video games launched under the Buffy banner.

Plots

Season one kicks the action off with Buffy trying to cope at high school with all the usual trials and tribulations. Buffy Summers has recently moved to Sunnydale and is fleeing from her Slayer responsibilities. Her Watcher, Rupert Giles, is having none of it- there’s evil out there to confront!
Her new high school happens to have been built right on top of a Hellmouth- you can guess what that is, and it’s not friendly. Buffy teams up with 2 schoolmates, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg, who help her in her battle against evil in the series.

In season 2, a romantic liason sparks up between Buffy and a vampire called Angel which all ends very badly. He turns, basically, and Buffy has to deal with him and this almost destroys her. She quits Sunnydale.

After heading back to LA, Buffy returns to town for season 3. Her ex Angel has escaped from the demon dimension (where Buffy banished him).There’s a new Watcher in town called Wesley (Giles was sacked after getting too emotionally attached to Buffy).

Seaons 4 through 7 continue with some very rich storylines, but eventually, like most shows, Buffy runs its course. But this should have given you a good flavour of the show- a smash hit of its time.