There is something seriously wrong with the world when someone who makes a living writing about television can come to the conclusion that Buffy was 'Ghastly'. Seriously, their boss should be notified, IMHO.

Beren77 | May 20, 12:49 CET

I don't really care if the writer himself disliked the show, but I'm not a fan who he imples that it's just a foregone conclusion and that everyone hated Buffy. Umm... what?

Knuckleball | May 20, 12:54 CET

Groan

Let Down | May 20, 13:00 CET

I'm glad we have someone policing the boundaries of 'proper sci fi'. We don't want someone brining in silly things like western aspects

Let Down | May 20, 13:01 CET

Wow.. Ghastly.. That's kinda harsh there buddy! At least say Gaudy so it would sound kind of chic.

dorkie99 | May 20, 13:05 CET

Keep in mind that I get the impression that the various Guardian TV reviewers like to poke fun at each other. I wouldn't be surprised if the "ghastly" comment was a veiled poke at Lucy Mangan, who has a regular column in The Guardian and manages to sneak some sort of reference to Buffy into just about every single thing she writes. Also see her various jibes about The Wire.

dzr | May 20, 13:23 CET

I can certainly understand why Buffy might not appeal to everyone (the first season was very juvenile, and I almost stopped watching at that point). But the arrogance of the comment is what threw me. There are always those who want to think that they are the arbiter of what is and is not good TV (or books, or anything). That Buffy was so popular, was on seven season, spun off five seasons of Angel... Yes. Anyone who dismisses it as "ghastly" is either trying to be elitist or is just an idiot. Considering the comments about Firefly, I'd say both.

ern | May 20, 13:26 CET

I dunno ern, I think it's fair for a critic to call something 'ghastly' if that's what s/he thinks. I'd call, say, 'Charmed' ghastly. It's not the arrogance that bothers me, it's the wrongness :)

Let Down | May 20, 13:28 CET

I'll say it once. Play the ball, not the man. If anyone wants to bash the reviewer, they will find that their comments are not welcome here.

Simon | May 20, 13:30 CET

Well this is a bag of mixed feelings. I so agree with BSG as number one and although I'd bump X-Files down a notch and give the #2 spot to Firefly, I can't imagine anyone characterizing Buffy as "ghastly".

Shey | May 20, 13:35 CET

They could have meant "ghostly".

Simon | May 20, 13:37 CET

Simon: *chuckle*

I can't help feeling some of us are being just a little bit oversensitive here. As I said above, given the mischievous nature of a lot of The Guardian's TV writers I wouldn't necessarily take the comment at face value. But even if she is being deadly serious, who cares? Are we really so incapable of tolerating someone loathing something we love and saying so? Besides, she is a TV critic, it's her job to be an "arbiter of what is and what is not good TV". Plus, the writer loves Firefly and the same newspaper has one of Buffy's greatest champions (Lucy Mangan) writing for it.

[Edited to correct the gender of the author.]

[ edited by dzr on 2009-05-20 13:48 ]

dzr | May 20, 13:43 CET

"The man" who compiled the list is Georgina Turner. From the contents of her blog, she mostly covers sports. Perhaps she considers Buffy too girly.

Or maybe she just wanted to annoy somebody as a gesture of independence. Since she added Doctor Who even though she doesn't care for the show that much. Guess she doesn't like death threats....

not_Bridget | May 20, 13:44 CET

I rewatched Quantum Leap recently. I loved it as a child, but discovered it was quite terrible on rewatching (with the exception of a few very good episodes). Everyone should be forced to rewatch it so it stops showing on Best of lists. I haven't rewatched TNG in a long time. Hopefully it will stand the test of time better than Quantum Leap. Maybe I should start at the fourth season?

Also, Farscape. Can't it get a little list love occasionally?

theclynn | May 20, 14:50 CET

dzr, you may be right. Or it may be that the reviewer didn't actually watch Buffy. She may have seen a few episodes that she didn't like and written it off instead of sticking with it. Or perhaps she's just trying to attract readers.

I'm shaking my head over the idea that "y'all" is somehow banned from science fiction, as if the English language (or any other) would lose all regional differences and become completely homogenized the minute we achieve interplanetary travel.

Ah well, at least she spelled it correctly. So few people do. :)

ActualSize | May 20, 15:03 CET

GHASTLY? Fire her.

Liam Mars | May 20, 15:37 CET

She may have seen a few episodes that she didn't like and written it off instead of sticking with it.

Or y'know maybe she watched enough of it to conclude the show was ghastly. I really don't think we can say that you have to watch the entire run of a show before you're allowed to say you think it's awful.

Course for me any best-of sci-fi TV list that doesn't give a place to Blake's 7 is fatally flawed.

helcat | May 20, 16:35 CET

"Ghastly."

It's all a matter of taste. I know someone whose watched vast swathes of the thing because his girlfriend/wife is a fan and generally thought it was only ok or not my kind of thing. You either like something or not.

I love Buffy and I love everything Joss does, it's all magic, but can understand why someone might be put off by the aesthetic, the language, the types of stories, the genre, and to an extent the reverence with which its received.

I've never got along with Goodfellas (much prefer Casino) and would call that "ghastly" in places but I know that that many people consider it their favourite film.

Please, let's not start namecalling just because you disagree with someone else's tastes. The reason we're even talking about this is because she likes Firefly. Let's offer some love shall we?

feelinglistless | May 20, 20:31 CET

I'll offer some love for Goodfellows, along with a "Scorsese is a god of film".
(Already offered my Firefly love.) ;)

Shey | May 21, 12:00 CET