I’m Terrified The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot Tarnishes The Series’ Legacy, But Here’s How It Could Work

Since I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a kid in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I’ve yearned for more from the franchise.

The series is one of my biggest comfort shows for many reasons, but most of all, because it’s as near to perfect as a show can get.

Yes, it had some issues in the final two seasons, but it was still a cut above most of the other fare on TV at the time.

Considering the series is approaching its 30th anniversary, it has held up very well.

Now that we’re on the cusp of a continuation with Sarah Michelle Gellar involved, I’m thinking more about what could go wrong because most reboots and continuations of popular series have failed to enthrall audiences again.

For one reason or another, executives care more about their bottom line than the damage they could do to a legacy IP by bringing it back for a poorly executed next chapter.

Thankfully, Sarah has been very involved in the creative process and recently revealed that this new entry is in the early stages of development.

Sarah Michelle Gellar Won’t Appear If She Doesn’t Like the Idea

Plus, Sarah assured fans that she would only participate in kickstarting the franchise again if she believed there was a story to tell.

It’s refreshing to hear that this show will lead with quality above everyone else, but how can the series successfully pick up over 20 years from the original finale?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7 Episode 22 concluded with Sunnydale and, in turn, the Hellmouth being destroyed and killing all the supernatural beings inside.

But that fateful mission wasn’t possible without some creative swings to upend the world Buffy Summers knew and became accustomed to over the years.

For so long, the world’s weight rested on her soldiers, but that all changed with Williow’s spell that allowed everyone who could be a slayer to become a slayer.

The final shot of the series left Buffy grinning into the massive hole she once called home because she could do anything for the first time in as long as she could remember.

Angel Season 5 gave some minor updates about her whereabouts following the series finale, but despite countless teases, Sarah was not present for any of it.

Joss Whedon continued the Buffy the Vampire Slayer storyline in a series of comic books, but they left fans with a sour taste because many of the developments didn’t feel like they’d occur in this franchise.

Initial reports about the sequel series suggest that Sarah will be a recurring character and help out a new slayer tasked with being the one girl in the world to slay the undead.

If that is the case, then it sounds like the series will retcon the series finale spell somehow because why would Buffy help just one of the young women?

Audible’s Slayers: A Buffyverse Story successfully kept the spell intact. The eight-hour audio drama was a valiant effort to reunite various characters without Buffy being along for the ride.

Maybe that’s what sold Disney on making a new series: After all these years, there’s still a passionate audience just waiting for more Buffy the Vampire Slayer content.

How Can Buffy the Vampire Slayer Return After the Series Finale?

If I had to guess, a new or old villain will emerge out of nowhere and throw the world into chaos after a period of peace following the events of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7.

Perhaps this villain will find a way to return to the old way when one person had the power and the mission to take down the undead.

Buffy could then track down this individual and serve as a Watcher because the former lead slayer could help a young woman struggling to come to terms with this lifestyle.

The Watchers’ Council exploded during the final season, but given the influx of new slayers, the Scooby Gang will have spearheaded a new effort to help these women come to terms with their powers and what they had to do.

There are many possibilities here, but something tells me we won’t see Spike, Angel, or other legacy vampires unless the storyline calls for it.

Vampires aren’t supposed to age, and James Marsters and David Boreanaz have understandably aged in the 20+ years since they last played these roles on-screen.

Then again, there is fantastic technology to de-age people, so maybe that will come into play.

But any reboot or sequel shouldn’t be about trying to shoehorn in these legacy characters because that would suck.

The only way for this show to succeed is if it leads with the new characters and storyline and features necessary cameos. It has to feel like the show can survive on its own merits rather than on familiar faces.

What are your thoughts on the return news, Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanatics? Do you think now is the time to kickstart this vampire franchise again? Hit the comments below.

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