Buffy: New Sunnydale, Hulu's continuation of the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Chloé Zhao and original star Sarah Michelle Gellar attached, was officially not moving forward as of March. It appeared for a while that Dynamite Entertainment's forthcoming comics reboot of the Buffyverse, by Kelly Thompson and Stephen Byrne, was just as canceled. However, Dynamite recently resolicited both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel – which appear to be interquels set between seasons 5 and 6 of the original run — for an unspecified future date.
For this Halloween, that does mean Buffy fans and newcomers will have to tide themselves over with the established Buffyverse: 7 seasons of TV, 5 full "seasons" of official comics, and a host of hazily out-of-continuity novels, video games, and older Dark Horse comic tie-ins. If you’re looking to stick with the canon, Buffy's original TV series is a rollercoaster ride. When Buffy was firing on all cylinders, it offered some of the best TV ever made.
When it was having an off day, on the other hand, it was... okay, but caught a lot of smoke because its heights were so high. The problem with making a TV show that people care about is that they tend to put it on a pedestal, and there's nowhere to go from there but down. If you're interested in checking out Buffy for the first time this Halloween, it's a creepy enough ride to get you through the spooky season.
Here’s our official ranking of the best seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from the worst to the best. Some will argue this is Buffy's best season. Those people are entitled to their opinion.
I’m a firm believer that Buffy should have ended with season 5. Season 6 marked a change in both networks and showrunners, as well as Anthony Head (Giles) stepping down from the main cast. At the start of the season, that leaves Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) broke, unemployed, adrift, depressed, and with surprisingly little support from her friends, most of whom assume everything is fine with her.
That leaves Buffy struggling with both her life and her duties as a vampire slayer, particularly as she can’t seem to bring herself to care about... well, anything. Season 6 does include Whedon’s widely beloved musical episode "Once More, with Feeling," which is on the short list of candidates for the single best episode of Buffy and is absolutely the best thing about this season. You also apparently get a lot more out of season 6 if you're somehow invested in the relationship between Buffy and Spike (James Marsters), which shifts in this season from a one-sided obsession to a deeply toxic relationship.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
