Buffy the Vampire Slayer | |
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Genre | |
Created by | Joss Whedon |
Showrunners |
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Starring | |
Theme music composer | Nerf Herder |
Composers |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 7 |
No. of episodes | 144 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 42–51 minutes[11] |
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network | The WB |
Release | March 10, 1997 May 22, 2001 | –
Network | UPN |
Release | October 2, 2001 May 20, 2003 | –
Related | |
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the 1992 film, also written by Whedon, although they are separate and unrelated productions.[12] Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner of the series under his production tag Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on March 10, 1997, on The WB and concluded on May 20, 2003, on UPN.
The series follows Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar), the latest in a succession of young women known as "Vampire Slayers". Slayers are chosen by fate to battle against vampires, demons and other forces of darkness. Buffy wants to live a normal life, but learns to embrace her destiny as the series progresses. Like previous Slayers, she is aided by a Watcher, who guides, teaches and trains her. Unlike her predecessors, Buffy surrounds herself with loyal friends who become known as the "Scoobies". The show primarily takes place in the fictional setting of Sunnydale, a small Southern California city located on a "Hellmouth"; a portal "between this reality and the next", and a convergence point of mystical energies.[13] Because of this, supernatural creatures and beings with magical powers, both good and evil, are drawn to Sunnydale or rise from below ground to menace the town and the world.
The series received critical and popular acclaim, and is often listed among the greatest television series of all time. Original airings often reached four to six million viewers.[14][15] Although lower than successful shows on the "big four" networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox),[16] these ratings were a success for the relatively new and smaller WB Television Network.[17] Despite being mostly ignored in above-the-line categories by the Emmys, the series was nominated for the American Film Institute Award for Drama Series of the Year, Gellar was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her performance in the show and the series was nominated five times for Television Critics Association Awards, winning in 2003 for the Television Critics Association Heritage Award.
The success of Buffy has led to hundreds of tie-in products, including novels, comics and video games. The series has received attention in fandom (including fan films), parody, and academia, and has influenced the direction of other television series.[1][18] Buffy was part of a wave of television series from the late 1990s and early 2000s that featured strong female characters, alongside Charmed, Xena: Warrior Princess, La Femme Nikita, Dark Angel, and Alias.[19] The series, as well as its spin-off series, Angel, and extensions thereof, have been collectively termed the "Buffyverse".
[T]he four major broadcast networks are unique among the media in their ability to reach a wide audience
Mr. Levin was a key player in establishing The WB's distinct brand and youth appeal through programming such as Dawson's Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 7th Heaven, Charmed, Felicity, Smallville, Gilmore Girls, Everwood and One Tree Hill
One of the best, most influential, genre-defining television series in decades