This week marks Buffy the ...
Question: This week marks
Buffy the Vampire Slayer's 10-year anniversary. (The show debuted on the WB on March 10, 1997). Looking back at those 10 years, it's difficult to ignore the show's remarkable influence on other shows, on all genres and on the industry itself. Just to name a few:
Alias, Smallville, Lost, Heroes, Veronica Mars, Battlestar Galactica, and even shows like
Gilmore Girls, Scrubs and
Grey's Anatomy. (The creators of those three shows have declared in recent interviews their undeniable love for
Buffy.) Moreover,
Buffy created a genre of its own: "the multigenre," a mix of a few genres in one show — fantasy, horror, comedy and drama, for instance. Looking at some of the shows on TV right now, it's easy to see shows that embraced
Buffy's special multigenre:
The O.C., Lost, Grey's Anatomy and
Veronica Mars. Another interesting aspect of this influence is the writer.
Joss Whedon surrounded himself with a fabulous group of talented writers who were almost kidnapped to other productions as soon as Buffy said her goodbye. They can be found all over the industry, from
Battlestar Galactica,
Smallville, Alias and
Lost to
24, Gilmore Girls and even on
Dexter. My question is: Can you think of any other show (scripted show, that is) that has had as much influence as
Buffy had during the course of these 10 years? Because I certainly can't. Sure,
Lost had its influence for a short period.
The O.C. was thought to be innovative (but just to a certain extent).
24 pretty much created the "serialized" genre, but this genre took a huge hit recently. But none of them, to me, had the effect that
Buffy had. So, can you think of any other show, Matt?
Answer: Wow. Thanks for making me feel old.
Buffy is 10 years old? How time flies. (This question came in on the same day I got in the mail the second season DVD of
Twin Peaks, which also took me back. Way back.) Anyway, without taking on your specific genre generalizations (or we'd be here forever), I agree that
Buffy the Vampire Slayer had an impact on the culture that far outweighed its meager ratings. My love for
Buffy is pretty well known and hasn't faded in the years since it went into repeat/syndication/DVD heaven. The way it fused genres was both remarkable and a clear influence on many shows that followed. And whether you liked it or not, Meredith's sweeps-month journey into limbo on
Grey's Anatomy showed the touch of
Marti Noxon, who has been upped to executive producer of that megahit.
Buffy spawned good writers, who've migrated onto other good shows. That's a plus for the industry, but hardly unprecedented. To address your basic question, I can think of one show that has had at least as profound an impact on the industry and culture at large:
The Sopranos. Without it, you don't get the risk-taking of FX, you probably don't get the renaissance of Showtime, and you probably wouldn't have seen the networks get as adventurous with the drama format as they have been in recent years. But I see no reason to make absolute statements about the legacy of one groundbreaking TV show over another. Let's just all do a Scooby Gang group hug and declare, "Happy birthday, Buffy!"
