Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite series ever and it is massively important to me. It's why I started writing episode reviews back in (omg) 1997, and really, why Doux Reviews exists at all. So I'm feeling conflicted. I don't think there's a reboot/revival of any show that I have found truly satisfying. But I can't deny that the thought of more Buffy is tantalizing.
What do you all think? Yay or no? Maybe so?
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
I actually like this idea, especially if I think of it as less of a reboot and more like the third season of Twin Peaks. (Which has been on my mind since it's been getting comments lately.)
ReplyDeleteSome of the people mentioned in that article worked on Pokerface, which is an amazing show with a very specific, of-the-moment vibe. It might be a way to retain the mood of OG Buffy without trying to re-discover the magic of early aughts Whedon dialogue, which would likely just sound derivative these days even if it were sparkling.
I wonder if Boreanaz would do it.
OMG, that's right -- Boreanaz is between serieses right now!
DeleteI'll roughly paraphrase what I said in the writer's room: I'm cautiously curious about this, and the second article from SMG is very encouraging. I'd be curious who comes back, if anyone. I'd be curious if it's a reboot or more of a re-quel. I'm not sure which would be more encouraging. I guess it really would depend on the plot. So I'm very much in Wait and See mode.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of any reboots/revivals of shows that I truly care about. The various Star Treks don't really count, imo. They're more of a shared universe than a true reboot.
As much as I would love to see more Buffy, I just don't see it working unless the original writers come back for it. That said, obviously Joss can't and won't come back for it. But Buffy IS Joss. Or the original writers anyway. So I just don't see it being any good... better to stay buried.
ReplyDeleteAnd will it follow the comics continuity?
- Sancho
I've been reading your reviews for as long as I could find them, lol. I didn't start Buffy until S2 when the network was brilliant enough to do a double feature of S2 and rerun of S1 on same night to get new viewers caught up. I will agree it was best tv made and exactly the form of storytelling I was used to, world-building fun.
ReplyDeleteI think if they could get Marti, Steven, Jane, Drew, etc in some combination any retelling would hold onto the same spirit and style the predecessor had. I actually liked one of the most recent comic book arcs Buffy The Last Vampire Slayer and something like that could pass a torch, or not... Michael
I'll remain skeptical until I have more details. Even with the most important members of the original cast and the original showrunner/lead writer onboard, the X-files still failed to recapture the magic of the original series. While it would be cool to see what Buffy and Angel are up to twenty years down the road (now that she's presumably fully baked!), I have a feeling that like the X-files, its appeal would be mostly nostalgia. And if they're planning a reboot, well, I don't find the idea of a new teenage slayer in 2020's America all that interesting. Maybe something else entirely in the Buffyverse, like something involving the Council could be interesting.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the best reboots have been the ones that eschewed fan service for an entirely fresh take on the material, like Battlestar Galactica. But they often don't please the fan base because, well, they're something different.
Hopefully it’s solid, it would be nice to see Buffy on screen again after so long but if it’s bringing in new characters which I think would be essential they are going to have to be interesting otherwise it’s going to run into similar problems to the Star Wars sequels.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the status quo will be in the Buffyverse will there still hundreds of slayers? Will the Shanshue prophecy have been resolved? Are they going to set in Cleveland on the second Hellmouth? Lots of places they could go.
From what I understand SMG will be staring in this sequel/refresh, the writing team are accomplished and lifelong fans of the original. The original producers are involved except for Joss. They have also spent years with a pitch that actually got SMG interested after 20+ years of saying no. There will apparently be a new primary slayer, but other than that there are no details because they haven't even started casting. While I'm feeling cautiously optimistic, A lot of the modern troupes of serialized storytelling and witty dialogue came from Buffy, so I don't know how they pick back up without feeling derivative. That being said, if they can rope in Marti, Steven, Drew or Jane to write some scripts like Michael suggested then perhaps this will be the 'dream' project we've all been hoping for. Because if any property can pull off a miracle, it's Buffy.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. My curiosity is piqued to a point, but I've never seen the show, although I did enjoy the movie.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the few who enjoyed Slayers: A Buffyverse Story despite how amateur-ish it was so I'm ecstatic elated and definitely going to check this out either way. I think they can do something passable without Whedon... just bring some of the other writers back. Espenson alone could handle it! Just keep Marti Noxon out of it for my sake LOL. I think creatively she's straight-up evil
ReplyDeleteI'm cautiously optimistic, but will probably not consider this "canon" unless it really wows me. I'm curious if Angel season 5 will be included or if any of the comic book happenings will be referenced as part of the past or reworked into the show.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit of a full-circle moment for me if it is released by Hulu - the first time I found Buffy and Angel were when Hulu was brand new and hosted the first seasons of each.
After reading more about the reboot's genesis, my internal dial is shifting from "noooooo!" to "we'll see". I admit that I'll probably end up watching it, no matter how it turns out. It gives me hope that it seems driven more by true creative interest than by cynical greed, and I'd be interested to see Chloé Zhao's take on the Buffyverse.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that this likely be embarrassing, unfortunately. That won't stop me from watching it, of course, and I hope to be proven wrong.
ReplyDeleteShocked and sad to see that Michelle Trachtenberg passed away today. I had no idea she was sick enough to have needed a liver transplant.
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