The WBBeloved sister, devoted friend. Buffy Anne Summers saved the world a lot—and she made a hell of an impact on pop culture along the way.
It was March 10, 1997, when Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered as a mid-season replacement on The WB. Joss Whedon's first depiction of the chosen one—a 1992 movie starring Kristy Swanson—received a lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike, but this second attempt was hotter than the Hellmouth. With Sarah Michelle Gellar as the slayer, Buffy became one of the most badass, beloved TV characters of all time.
With the 20th anniversary of Buffy's premiere tomorrow, the show's legacy is alive and well, and we're happy to report that the Buffyverse didn't implode along with Sunnydale when the series finale aired in 2003. In 2007 Whedon collaborated with Dark Horse Comics to produce Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, which picked up right where the television series left off, to the delight of thirsty fans everywhere.
James Marsters, who played Buffy's other forever-tortured vampire love, Spike, credits much of our longstanding Buffy obsession to the show's writers. "I think Joss is obviously an incredibly good writer, and he found nine of the best writers to help him on the show," he tells E! News. "When I first came on the show, he and Marti Noxon, who is also an incredibly good writer…they were killing themselves trying to do 23, 24 episodes a year of writing which is just impossible."
By the time season three came around, Whedon and Noxon "had dark circles under their eyes," Marsters recalls laughingly. Buffy didn't have the luxury of big budget, so Whedon sought new talent, reading hundreds of submission scripts. "He found nine writers who nobody else knew about, and he hired them," says Marsters. "It wasn't because anyone told him they were good—it was because they were unknown writers who could write. So [Whedon] got great writers who he didn't have to pay very well, and I think he's a genius."
Buffy's talented writers really have turned out to be some of the show's biggest breakout stars.
Whedon, of course, went on to create a Whedonverse of TV shows—including the Buffy spin-off Angel, and also wrote and directed The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, becoming a bit of a hero himself among the comics set. Noxon's credits include unREAL, Grey's Anatomy and Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, while fellow writer David Fury worked on shows including Alias, Lost and 24. Jane Espenson went on to do multiple installments of Battlestar Galactica and Once Upon a Time, while Steven S. DeKnight has gone on to write for Spartacus, Daredevil and the upcoming installment of Pacific Rim.
Click through IMDB and you'll see that we're only scratching the surface here—our point being that if there's a show or movie you love, there's a decent chance one of its writers once worked on Buffy.
The series wouldn't have been what it was, of course, were it not for its behind-the-scenes talent—but the fates were also smiling when it came to the show's cast. Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris, the Scooby Gang's resident wisecracker with a heart of gold, says that he hears often from fans who relate to Buffy and her close-knit besties.
"It's kind of genius the way that it was done—how kind of whatever situation someone's going through…the show seems to kind of touch every single human emotion, both good and bad," Brendon tells E! News. "I hear fans say this, whether they just got married or they're dealing with the death of a parent or suicide or anything like that, [Buffy] is just one of those shows that people can really got lost in…"
Like Marsters, Brendon says "the way it was written" is a big part of why Buffy still has its cult following all these years later. "The fans really believe that the characters are their friends," he says.
He's particularly proud to have been part of a show that led the way for so many other female-driven television series. "I think it definitely stoked a huge fire…to make stronger characters," says Brendon. "That was one of the reasons why Joss wrote it, because he was sick of seeing the damsel [in distress]—he wanted the damsel to be kicking ass."
Brendon can see Buffy's influence in "everything from, like, Jessica Jones to Alias to even Charmed," he says. "I think probably Joss inspired a lot of writers, and probably opened up a lot of network and studio eyes, too, that this could happen and be successful."
Both Brendon and Marsters speak highly of their experiences with the show and remain active participants in the Buffyverse today. They've written comics—from Xander and Spike's POV, respectively—and continue to make occasional appearances at fan conventions and get-togethers.
And to answer the question we've all been wondering about, it's a yes! If there's ever a Buffy reunion, reboot, reawakening, resurrection…you name it, Xander and Spike are in. There are, however, some mortal practicalities that need to be addressed to make this a reality for Marsters, "because I'm aging, and Spike is not," he quips.
The actor previously told Whedon if he was ever going to reprise his role as the Billy Idol-inspiring vampire who will forever be somewhere in his late 20s, it had to happen within a seven-year window. That deadline has passed, but Marsters has changed his mind about playing Spike again onscreen.
"Now, you know, I quit sugar recently, and I don't smoke, I don't drink. I work out, I drink wheat grass juice," says the actor, laughingly adding, "and I'm kind of surprised by how well I'm holding up!"
He goes on to talk about how "there are computer programs now that will do little fixes—a lot of Hollywood stars in movies have it in their contract that there's a certain amount of digital makeup that is applied and is very common and you don't notice it," he says. "There are tricks that are available, that were not available when I told Joss this."
"…But I am 54 years old," Marsters continues, "and I'm doing my part—I'm looking pretty good—but one of the coolest things about playing a vampire is you're playing a character that's immortal. That's a lot of the draw, and so I wouldn't want to do anything that undercut that….but I'm open, [and] like I said, there's a lot of tools now that we didn't have back then, and they're not that expensive anymore."
Brendon acknowledges that a Buffy spinoff would be "tougher, probably, for the vampires," but says he "think[s] it would work just fine" for the humans, Xander included. "I mean, Jesus, look at Fuller House," Brendon notes excitedly. "It works just fine, and I've always said that, you know, Full House is just like Buffy. I've always said that."
When asked if he'd really want to play good-guy everyman Xander again, the 45-year-old actor's response resembles what you'd expect from his character: "Oh, hell yeah," he answers instantly and most enthusiastically. "Oh, my gosh—yes."
So...where do we go from here?