My interest in vampire fiction and subsequent exploration of the genre of paranormal romance was initially aroused by the now-classic TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is eighteen years old today. Created by Joss Whedon and combining wit and inventive wordplay, strong characterisation, not a little social critique, and moments of authentically Gothic horror, it’s probably the TV programme most written about by academics–and with good reason. Buffy was possibly the first TV series to seriously carry out long story arcs that traverse the constraints of the episode (and even season). (I’ll probably be corrected here by people more expert in TV Stuides!) It was also, through the characters of Angel and Spike, a major influence on the transition form monster to sympathetic vampire to the vampire lover of paranormal romance.
There are many things to love about Buffy; these appraisals give an overview:
18 reasons Buffy The Vampire Slayer was the best show on TV
At 18, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Is Still Revolutionary
I miss the Scoobies. Surely someone’s done a “what they would be like now” bit?