Into Every Generation - 10 years on - BtVS

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March 10 2007

Into Every Generation - 10 years on. Back in March 10th 1997, Buffy first aired on The WB. For many of us, everything kinda changed after that. Anyhow read what Entertainment Weekly thought of the two hour pilot way back then. And for those wanting more, check out this interview (with Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt and the cast) that was conducted before the show even aired.

Last but not least, a big thanks to everyone who was involved in the making of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You did yourselves proud.

Simon | BtVS | 03:08 CET | 36 comments total | tags: buffy, 10 years

Wow - it's amazing that they were so positive about the show. I just don't expect that from critics. And it is funny to see the previous show credits for Sarah and Charisma.

Kyrax | March 10, 03:26 CET

They mention Sarah as Kendall in All My Children but ignore her as Sydney in Swans Crossing? ;)

(Does anyone but me even remember Swans Crossing?)

The One True b!X | March 10, 03:29 CET

Yes, thanks to Asian Dan for changing my life.

gossi | March 10, 03:33 CET

It is nice to see critics were behind the show from the get-go.

Also, I've always got the impression that "All My Children" was/is much bigger than "Swans Crossing"?

Dalton | March 10, 03:35 CET

Dalton, I wasn't seriously suggesting the writer should have referenced Swans Crossing, most of which, for some peculiar reason suggesting I was even lamer back then than I might be today, I have on VHS.

Anyway, on topic, has this article on the legacy of Buffy been posted yet?

The One True b!X | March 10, 03:39 CET

OK I'm not completely in the know about these things because we don't get those shows. I'm only familiar of their existence because of the SMG connection.

Dalton | March 10, 03:47 CET

Nice link Simon. I really enjoyed that little blast from the past. Sigh. Wouldn't it be nice if we were looking forward to 10 years of Buffyverse today?
And the second entry was for Daria, who I loved even before I loved Buffy.
The flakmagazine article was nice too.

Xane | March 10, 03:55 CET

Ah yes, 10 years ago I was...uh, thinking about starting college in the fall and not at all interested in Buffy. And I was probably a scoffer.

Forgive me, Joss, for I have sinned. I was, after all, but a child, and unlearned in the ways of the Whedon.

Rogue Slayer | March 10, 04:21 CET

Awww... nice link, Simon; thanks for sharing. :-)

OzLady | March 10, 04:24 CET

(Does anyone but me even remember Swans Crossing?)

Yep, I remember it. lol And I'm not ashamed to admit I was a fan but thankfully my standards have gone up over time.

10 years ago, I was in college and caught BtVS on the first night it aired thanks to SMG. The rest is a very enjoyable history.

maje | March 10, 04:37 CET

Yes, nice link, Simon, and nice article, theonetruebix. I wish I could say that I jumped on the Buffy fan-wagon at the beginning, but I don't think it was even carried on my cable provider at the start, and I didn't actually start watching it until it was almost over. Better late than never, though, and I am so grateful for all the many hours of entertainment emerging from the mind of Whedon that I have had the pleasure to enjoy since. Happy Anniversary, Buffy (and I hope your anniversaries are happier than your birthdays had a habit of being)!

palehorse | March 10, 04:38 CET

The odd thing that makes no sense to me is that this means Buffy premiered 7 days after I moved to Portland. I don't know why, but I think I always assumed it had been on before I moved here.

The One True b!X | March 10, 04:49 CET

Buffy premiered on my birthday 10 years ago...thats when it all started...this whole world of Joss...wow...10 years ago.

Long live the Whedonverse and the Whedon!

Much Love.

ChosenOne5376 | March 10, 04:54 CET

Digging through the archives, I found a great interview which has to be added to the subject line.

http://www.vampiresandslayers.com/buffy.htm

Simon | March 10, 04:54 CET

Happy birthday, ChosenOne5376!

Hard to believe that ten years ago right now, I was less than fifteen minutes into the Buffy pilot but already a fan.

ETA: 10 years minus 24 hours, since it's still the 9th here...

[ edited by Lady Brick on 2007-03-10 02:17 ]

Lady Brick | March 10, 05:13 CET

What a great little interview, makes me all nostalgic about that first season.

Dalton | March 10, 05:33 CET

Sure, it's great we're all observing this great day in TV history. Too bad the CW, FX or even Fox Video are paying tribute to her. After all, we'd never have an unbreakable cheerleader without Buffy (and if they did come up with a new Slayer, Hayden Panettiere would fit perfectly in that role).
But I'll set aside some time to see the first Buffy episode right after I see "300" on Imax.

[ edited by impalergeneral on 2007-03-10 13:58 ]

impalergeneral | March 10, 05:33 CET

I feel like I knew about Buffy since 1993, but that might have been because of the movie. 10 years ago I had just moved into my current appartment - which I am right now preparing to move out of - and my TV was one of those old kinds with the dial which didn't get the WB. I always meant to check out the show, and never did until after it switched to UPN. I wish I'd found Buffy earlier, it would have been fun to belong to the fandom in its development. Hell, I wish I had Buffy back in high school. I really needed that kind of positive feminist influence in my life then. And obsessing about the characters and plotlines with my teenage friends would have been a hoot.

electricspacegirl | March 10, 06:49 CET

Sigh. Nostalgic now. Maybe I'd better start my 7 celebratory episodes tonight.

jcs | March 10, 06:52 CET

Wow, 10 years ago... since it's actually still the 9th where I am, I plan to spend Buffy day and the first day of March Break on a plane, to California. It would be great to go Buffy sight-seeing on that day, but I think I'm saving it for later in the week.

EDIT: I just read the article from before it aired, and it mentioned something along the lines of Goosebumps audience, which, hey, 10 years ago was me. I feel special somehow.

[ edited by Brisco on 2007-03-10 04:10 ]

Brisco | March 10, 07:08 CET

I saw the Buffy movie when it came out, and liked it more than most movies. Years later, I didn't have a TV but I was very intrigued by what I read in the press about BtVS, so when I got one again, I knew just what I wanted to watch. Ten years!

dreamlogic | March 10, 07:49 CET

Not a huge Buffy movie fan.. but I would LOVE to have seen Paul Reubens in an episode somewhere. I laughed out loud just now thinking about him dying in the credits. Haha.

That was an amazing 10-year-old interview. I saw a few Buffy episodes from seasons one and two (I was 14 or so!) but I didn't realize what I was missing until season 3. Then I was taping every episode. Lovely.

Awkward Saw | March 10, 09:03 CET

Woohoo! Midnight here! Time for 24 hour marathon!

hitnrun017 | March 10, 09:04 CET

Cool articles, and thrilling to read of the promise and coolness yet to come in the group interview.

I watched the pilot when it aired on the WB because I was in the age & gender group it was being marketed to, and given my sarcastic bent on practically everything, I wanted to watch it and mock it. Like I did to Dawson's Creek -- watched the pilot and rolled my eyes to kingdom come. But BtVS had a fairly decent first outing, and I kept watching, off and on, even though I outwardly made fun of the cheesiness, because there was something special there. It wasn't until the last half of the second season that I really saw that promise fulfilled, and then some.

I've watched a hellava lot of TV. Am also kind of a cinema geek. And books are my passion; English Lit. major and whatnot. But Buffy rules my heart.

dottikin | March 10, 09:13 CET

I had two pieces of luck that winter: a) I had just watched the movie and thought it was kind of cute and b) having just subscribed to EW, I knew it was going to be smart too. How could I resist?

Since then I have only ever missed one episode of any Whedon show. Still missing it, too -- I have never seen the one where Willow gets all murderous (trying not to be spoilery here ;-D). It'll be a while yet before I see it; I'm only up to season 4 on my re-watching marathon and it's taken me 6 months to get this far. I keep taking breaks for Firefly marathons...

cabri | March 10, 09:56 CET

Following up, sort of, on the link I posted in a comment above on the Buffy/Whedon legacy in TV, what else did Buffy inspire?

The names of series of columns about "the angst and social isolation of teenage geeks within high school subcultures" (as Wikipedia puts it) by Jon Katz, which began in the aftermath of the Columbine shootings with one entitled, "Voices from the Hellmouth".

ETA: Hey, look. I guess I couldn't let the opportunity to write something of my own pass after all.

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2007-03-10 09:36 ]

The One True b!X | March 10, 11:21 CET

Great links. I'm amazed at how emotional I'm feling. Really, there could be tears. Re. the Buffy legacy, you could write an entire book on that subject. Wait, someone already has. Depending on how you define "legacy", more than one. The obvious part is that the Buffyverse writers, directors & actors are everywhere. But what really interests me is the more subtle stuff.
The way what would become the trademark writing and pacing of the show, as well as the unexpected, eccentric mix of tragedy and humor, has influenced so much of TV, since it began to seep into the pop culture subconscious. The "Legacy" article touched on it, i.e. the "season arc" structure. And I loved that they cited Battlestar Galactia, that should please Joss no end, considering how he's said he loves that show "like other people love Buffy". :)
Buffy lives, the influences are everywhere. I submit that one of the reasons that TV is a far more interesting medium than it was ten years ago is related to, amongst other things, this show that so completely captured our hearts and our imaginations. Thank you, Joss and company.

Shey | March 10, 13:30 CET

10 years ago I was ... well, not watching Buffy that's fer sure ;). Not sure when the Beeb first broadcast the pilot on terrestrial TV (I wanna say December '97 ?) but that's when I started and pretty much never looked back. Even "Teacher's Pet" couldn't hide the true quality that lurked beneath.

Did Joss save the world ? Course not but I think it's pretty fair to say he changed it, at least a little.

(and i'm amazed to see 'Daria's also ten + years old ! Wow, I know tempus fugit, sometimes you just forget how fugity it really is. Also, also Happy Birthday ChosenOne5376 ;)

Saje | March 10, 15:41 CET

I was at our monthly Buffy/Angel fans meetup last night and there was someone who had just seen the first season and someone else who has only seen the first 3 seasons thus far. For some people, this is still new.
Nice to be able to celebrate this anniversary. Thanks Simon for the links.

Lioness | March 10, 18:58 CET

I haven't read the stuff yet since I just got up but want to make sure I give a big Hip Hip Hooray and Happy Anniversary to the show! I think Joss did change the world. From what I've read here about all the scholarly and behind-the-scenes books written, relationships formed as a result of fandom, people posting here, people going on a Browncoat cruise next December that is an outgrowth of being fans of Joss' universes, Hells yes he did! And I'm still kicking myself that I didn't save the very first TV Guide that's now a collector's item, that featured the first article about the show.

Tonya J | March 10, 20:14 CET

Great links, Simon. I love the joking about on the pre-season interview: Thanks for planting that seed. Thank you so much. Real job security on our show. - from Charisma who was in AtS S5 and Nick who was in every episode.

I miss sitting down with the children on a Thursday evening for a new episode and staying up, sometimes ludicrously late, for the uncensored repeat. I miss new episodes, dammit. Comics just aren't the same. *sigh*

Gill | March 10, 20:29 CET

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a crtic's copy of BtvS and watched WttH before it aired on TV. I was hooked from the very first and impatiently waited for the next new epi.

I've only been in one fandom, this one. While I currently enjoy other TV shows, like Lost, nothing can replace Buffy for me.

I still feel like there is something terribly important I have to do at 7:00 on Tuesdays.

Reddygirl | March 10, 21:28 CET

Happy Birthday Buffy - and thanks to Joss & the cast & crew. I really can't imagine my life without it, only that it would be a very dull place.

The Do That Girl | March 10, 21:31 CET

Happy Birthday Buffy, I can't put in words what the show has meant to me over the years.

To celebrate I'm gonna be watching every episode of Buffy and Angel on it's 10th anniversary, starting with WTTH and The Harvest tonight. So I have 8 years of Buffy and Angel to look forward to once again!.

Cider | March 10, 23:17 CET

I wonder if Joss is doing anything special today to commemorate 10 years of Buffy in his (well more than 10 in his) life. Surely he took a day off today of all days!

Tonya J | March 11, 02:06 CET

Happy Birthday to Buffy and a big congrats to Joss. I bet we are still here talking about this in another ten years. Here's hoping we will have more "live" action to discuss by then.
Don't wait too long Joss...please.

cheryl | March 11, 08:32 CET

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