Two decades after Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired its final episode, a surprise reboot of the era-defining show has been announced – but does the beloved series stand the test of time?
Last week, the streaming platform Hulu said it would be taking over the show for a reboot, with lead actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, 47, revealing she would be reprising her role – despite having previously vowed to avoid taking part in any future spinoffs.
The cult series, set in the fictional Californian town of Sunnydale in the late 90s to early noughties, followed teenager Buffy, played by Gellar, who attended school by day and hunted evil spirits by night.
It reached millions of viewers around the world and attracted a loyal following of fans in its six-year run from 1997-2003 – but despite achieving cult status, many aspects of the show have failed to stand the test of time in a post-Me Too era, while some of the cast and crew have fallen from grace.
Arrests, allegations of abusive behaviour on set and distressing plotlines have plagued Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s legacy – as it now bids to appeal to a younger, modern audience.
Among the figures whose reputations have been sullied are the show’s creator Joss Whedon and Nicholas Brendon, who plays Buffy’s loveable, puppy-dog best friend Xander.
The content of the show, too, has been heavily scrutinised by modern-day viewers, as characters are accused of displaying ‘toxic’ masculinity and plotlines leave people in distress.
Although Gellar is slated to star in the reboot, Whedon, who was cancelled after a cast member accused him of being ‘casually cruel’ amid other allegations, is not expected to be involved with the new intonation of Buffy.
Last week, the streaming platform Hulu, said it would be taking over the show for a reboot, with lead actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, 47, (pictured) revealing she would be returning to her role, despite having vowed firmly to avoid taking part in any future spinoffs
Two decades after Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired its final episode, a surprise reboot of the era-defining show has been announced (pictured onset in 1997)
Instead Chloe Zhao – best known for her Oscar-winning film Nomadland – will direct the production, while Dolly Parton has been named among the executive producers via her production company Sandollar, which was responsible for the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel television series.
Posting on Instagram to confirm she was involved in talks for the reboot, Gellar told fans: ‘we will only make this show if we know we can do it right.’
Indeed, the production team faces a legacy from the original cult series that is at times uncomfortable. Here, FEMAIL looks back on the many controversies that have surrounded Buffy the Vampire Slayer as it’s set for a reboot in the post-Me Too era…
Sexism and diversity rows
When it hit screens in the late 90s, Buffy was groundbreaking in many ways; it featured a female heroine who was skilled in martial arts to defeat ‘bad guys’, and Willow and Tara’s relationship was widely considered the first recurring female couple to appear on a TV series.
However, as years have passed since the series aired, it has received more and more criticism over a lack of diversity in other areas; while also being slammed for promoting toxic masculinity in male characters – some of whom were presented as heartthrobs.
Best friend and side-kick Xander, played by Nicholas Brendon, posed as the typical ‘nice guy’ but could scarcely walk the streets without ogling or pestering passing women.
In one scene in the pilot episode, Buffy drops her books, to which Xander responds by saying ‘Can I have you? Oh I mean, can I help you?’, a demeanor he maintains throughout the show. Such behaviour has been criticised as anti-feminist by modern viewers of the show.
The overall depiction of female characters on the show has sparked furious debate among fans, with some branding the portrayals as sexist, while others say they are empowering.
Series six of the show (which was perhaps the most controversial among the fanbase) depicted two prominent female characters indulging in ‘evil’ behaviour after suffering tragedy as they went on vengeful rampages.
Such spiralling female characters led some to brand the writing as misogynistic; a criticism that the show’s creators addressed years later.
While some fans rejoiced at the news, many have been left questioning how the show’s infamously ‘toxic’ plotlines and behind-the-scenes controversies will translate to a modern audience
The Hulu reboot – which will surprisingly include lead protagonist, Gellar – will not feature Whedon, who’s reputation took a career-shattering beating after a slew of allegations accused him of breeding a ‘toxic’ work environment, calling colleagues ‘fat’ and sleeping with cast members (pictured in 2005)
Other cast members have also struggled to keep a clean reputation following the conclusion of the show. Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris on the show, was arrested in 2021 for alleged prescription fraud (pictured after his latest arrest in 2021)
Both lead show-runner Marti Noxon and Whedon came under fire from fans over the portrayal of the characters; prompting Whedon to respond to such criticisms on a fan forum.
Taking to the Bronze Posting Board on the Buffy website before the age of social media, Whedon admitted ‘mistakes’ in making the series, but insisted he did not ‘neglect’ female characters.
Whedon was further criticised by fans for a lack of diversity among the characters, with only a handful of people of colour ever appearing on the show (many of whom feature for only a brief time).
Besides short appearances from Bianca Lawson, who played Kendra Young, Buffy’s shortlived fellow Slayer who was killed off in the second season after just three episodes; and Ara Celi, who played the Inca Mummy Girl in one episode of season two – women of colour were essentially non-existent.
Season seven brought a little more diversity to the cast when Potential Slayers, or slayers-in-training, were introduced into the cast – but it was right at the end of the show’s time on TV.
‘Disturbing’ plot line
Throughout its seven series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer tackled dark and demonic themes. But one particularly shocking scene left many viewers horrified when it aired.
‘Seeing Red’, an episode in series six of the show, depicts a lovesick Spike vying for Buffy’s affections as he begs for her forgiveness after sleeping with her friend Anya.
However, after tracking her down to a bathroom, Spike’s pining turns to violence as he attempts to rape his love interest when she pushes him away.
The 60 second-long scene, in which Buffy, screaming and crying, attempts to wrestle off a particularly aggressive Spike who wants to ‘make her feel it’, makes for deeply uncomfortable viewing and has been branded ‘toxic’ by fans on Reddit forums.
For its contemporary audience, the scene was shocking. However as time has passed, it has become ever steeped in controversy for its portrayal of toxic masculinity and romanticising an abusive dynamic.
And it’s not just viewers who were left reeling by the scene. James Marsters, who plays Spike, himself described filming the scene as a ‘personal hell’ and revealed it led him to seek therapy.
Elsewhere, the lasting impact ‘toxic’ environment and risque script writing has been felt by countless cast members (controversial rape scene between Buffy and Spike)
Criticism since the finale of the show has been rife. Many critics has lamented it’s gender politics and displays of toxic masculinity
Elsewhere in season six, feminist complained about the portrayal of female characters, who appeared to flit between acting heroines and victims of trauma who needed to learn a lesson
In the season six episode, Seeing Red, James’s character famously attempted to rape Buffy, in a scene that was supposed to express his deep longing for the vampire slayer
Speaking on Miachael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, he said: ‘It’s a problematic scene for a lot of people who like the show. And it’s the darkest professional day of my life.’
He revealed the idea had spawned from a writers’ meeting in which people around the table were asked to draw on their own ‘dark secrets’ as inspiration for plots.
He said it had been a female writer’s idea to add the scene to the script, after she recalled an incident where she’d returned to an ex’s house after being dumped – in the hopes of sleeping with him to ‘fix’ their breakup.
‘She kind of forced herself and he had to physically remove her from the premises, and that was one of the most painful memories of that time of her life,’ James continued.
While he wasn’t comfortable with the plot, Marsters insisted he was contractually obliged to go ahead with filming.
In a 2023 interview, the programme’s heroine Sarah Michelle Gellar, revealed she had re-watched the series that launched her career with her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr. and their children, Charlotte and Rocky – but they skipped ‘Seeing Red’.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, she said: ‘I have trouble with [season] six. It wasn’t appropriate for them at the time, and I just don’t want to re-watch it.’
In September last year, James Marsters, who played Spike, said one episode ‘sent me to therapy’ and called it his ‘personal hell’ (pictured)
Writing for the BBC, journalist Hannah Flint described the highly criticised plot of Seeing Red as a subtle predicator of the allegations which later emerged about Whedon.
She wrote: ‘In hindsight, the treatment of women in season six seemed to foreshadow the allegations subsequently made against him by female cast members about his behaviour during the making of the show.’
Allegations against Joss Whedon
Writing for the BBC, Hannah Flint described the highly crticised plot of Seeing Red as a clear plot as a subtle predicator of the allegations which later emerged about the show’s creator
Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired its final episode back in 2003; but it wasn’t until 18 years later in 2021 that allegations of ‘cruelty’ emerged against Joss Whedon.
The allegations came about when Charisma Carpenter (who played Cordelia in Buffy) claimed on X/Twitter that Whedon ‘abused his power on a number of occasions’ and that his behaviour intensified her ‘performance anxiety’ and worked to ‘disempower me and alienate me from my peers’.
She said his creating a ‘toxic’ and ‘hostile’ work environment ‘triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer.’
According to the actress, Whedon made ‘ongoing, passive-aggressive threats’ to fire her, and after she became pregnant, called her ‘fat’ to colleagues – later asking in a private meeting whether she was ‘going to keep it’.
The claim triggered an outpouring of similar allegations from other cast members, with Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s sister Dawn, telling of an onset ‘rule’ by which Whedon was not allowed to be alone in a room with her.
Amber Benson, who played Tara Maclay, added to Carpenter’s claim, saying there was a ‘toxic environment’. She added: ‘There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later.’
She told Digital Spy that during filming for the finale of season five, Whedon had pulled her aside to tell her: ‘Hey! Guess what? It’s so exciting! We’re going to kill your character!’
Backing her castmates, Gellar also issued a statement via Instagram. She wrote: ‘While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon.’
Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris on the show, was arrested in 2021 for alleged prescription fraud. It was just one of a number of occasions when the actor found himself amidst anguish, having checked himself into rehab in 2004 for alcohol problems, just a year after the show ended (pictured right)
Rumours also resurfaced that Whedon had had romantic affairs with cast members, which were said to have contributed to his divorce in 2012.
Buffy wasn’t the only set on which Whedon was accused of inappropriate behaviour.
The same year, Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot made fresh claims against the director, saying he had turned on her when she questioned new lines of dialogue he had given her superhero character.
A witness said that after one clash, Whedon told her to ‘shut up and say the lines’, and warned her that he had the power to ‘make her look incredibly stupid’.
At the time, Gadot told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement: ‘I had my issues with [Whedon] and Warner Bros handled it in a timely manner.’
After being hit with multiple allegations of ‘toxic’ behaviour and work environments, Whedon remained silent until January 2021, when he addressed Israeli actress Gadot’s claims.
In an interview with New York Magazine, the director said her accusations were a ‘misunderstanding’ as ‘English is not her first language’.
Addressing the allegations made against him by Buffy cast members, Whedon acknowledged that he had not been as ‘civilised’ back then.
‘I was young,’ he said. ‘I yelled, and sometimes you had to yell. This was a very young cast, and it was easy for everything to turn into a cocktail party.’
He told the publication he would never intentionally humiliate anyone. ‘If I am upsetting somebody, it will be a problem for me. I know I would get angry, but I was never physical with people.’
While some fans rejoiced at the news, many have been left questioning how the show’s infamously ‘toxic’ plotlines and behind-the-scenes controversies will translate to a modern audience
Pictured: from left, Alyson Hannigan, Seth Green (crouching), Anthony Stewart Head (glasses), Charisma Carpenter (red sweater), Nicholas Brendon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Boreanaz, James Marsters (blond), Juliet Landau
He vehemently denied Carpenter’s claim that he had called her ‘fat’ while she was pregnant.
He insisted that he had no idea what Trachtenberg was referring to in regards the ‘rule’ about the two not being allowed in the same room together.
In the same interview, he said he felt ‘f*****g terrible’ about other claims made about affairs with female cast members. The director insisted he felt he ‘had’ to sleep with them and felt ‘powerless’ to resist.
As early as 2017, four years before cast members spoke out about Whedon, the director’s ex-wife, Kai Cole, accused him of pretending to be a ‘feminist’ to disguise his deception
The director has not worked professionally in the industry since 2021, and many from Buffy’s extensive fanbase have claimed the allegations have sullied the glittering reputation of the hit show.
Nicholas Brendon’s multiple arrests
Pictured: Nicholas Brendon, Anthony Stewart Head, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Charisma Carpenter, Alyson Hannigan Buffy The Vampire Slayer – 1997
Buffy’s best friend Xander Harris was a bumbling, adorable, floppy-haired young man trying to find his way in the world.
But since the show ended in 2003, Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander, has faced several woes in his life off screen.
A year after the show ended, in 2004, he checked himself into rehab for alcohol problems.
‘After realising that I had a disease that was taking control of my life, I decided that the best way for me to regain my health was to enter a treatment facility,’ he said at the time.
Just six years later, he returned to rehab after being tasered by police and charged with vandalism, resisting arrest and battery against a police officer. Afterwards, he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to probation and community service.
In October 2014, he was arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts: malicious injury to property and restraining or obstructing officers, in Boise, Idaho.
Police arrived at a hotel after reports of disturbance with Brendon ‘showed signs of intoxication and repeatedly refused officers commands to stay seated while officers tried to speak to witnesses.’
When he was placed in custody, he reportedly tried to walk away. In a similar incident in February 2015, he was placed under arrest for allegedly drunkenly trashing a hotel room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, following the break down of his marriage.
Two more arrests followed that year, one for allegedly flipping a hotel bedsmashing a porcelain figure, pulling the phone out of the wall and clogging the toilet, and another for public intoxication.
Despite another stint in rehab, Brendon was again arrested later that year after grabbing his girlfriend by the throat, taking her car keys and smashing her cell phone in an attempt to stop her from leaving him.
He was then treated for 90-days in a treatment facility for depression, and told Dr. Phil during an interview that he’d had ‘failed attempts at suicide’.
And yet the spiral continued, with the actor being arrested in 2017 after allegedly attacking his girlfriend in a California hotel room.
In May 2019, he was charged with domestic violence for the incident and was sentenced to three years probation.
After several tumultuous years, Brendon appears to be living a more settled life in LA now, posting updates to fans on his Instagram account.
