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Shantay You Slay: What Happened To The Spin-Offs Of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'?

Before, during, and even after the impressive six year run, Buffy The Vampire Slayer was supposed to have several spin-offs, but only Angel ever made it to air.

By Tom ChapmanPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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['Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Credit: Warner Bros]

At its peak, #BuffytheVampireSlayer was the ultimate '90s show; it had teenage angst, bloody battles, and scenes that had you hiding behind the couch. By its seventh (and) final season #SarahMichelleGellar had grown tired of the role and the final episode, "Chosen," aired on May 20 2003. Rated as Entertainment Weekly's No. 9 of 20 Best TV Series Finales Ever, "Chosen" served as a fitting swansong to the show while still leaving the door open.

Before, during, and even after the impressive six year run, the show was supposed to have several spin-offs, but only Angel ever made it to air. Angel was never quite as good as Buffy, but outlived it by one day shy of a whole year. In 2007, Joss Whedon decided to continue the story of Buffy where it left off with his comic book adaptation and unofficial eighth season, "The Long Way Home." Chances are growing ever slimmer that Buffy will ever return to our screens, but in the meantime, let's look at the spin-offs that weren't meant to be.

['Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Credit: Warner Bros]

1. 'Buffy: The Animated Series'

[Credit: Warner Bros]

Well, if it worked for witches and Sabrina: The Animated Series, why wouldn't it work for Sunnydale? Buffy: The Animated Series was the first incarnation of the main show branching out and ideas for it came as early as the live-action show's first season. #JossWhedon and Jeph Loeb were executive producers on the show and it was set in continuity after Episode 7 of Season 1. Loeb told Fanboy Planet:

"We've always seen it as Episode 7.5. Buffy has met Angel. He's this brooding dark romantic character. She doesn't know yet about Angelus or any of that stuff. It's quite a lot of fun being able to tell stories that you know what will happen in the years to come!"

Buffy: The Animated Series was due to air on Fox Kids in February 2002, but when the channel ceased production, no one else was willing to buy it. The series rose from the dead again in 2004, with the cast members like Anthony Stewart Head continuing as Rupert Giles, as well as a four-minute presentation and artwork. Whedon and Loeb had tried to create a dark, Batman: The Animated Series cartoon, but ultimately it was too adult for children's television and not mainstream enough for prime-time slots. It wasn't until 2005 that Whedon confirmed the project had been officially "staked," however, if you want to watch, you can see the promo above. The idea was actually revisited in comic form. Season 8's "After These Messages... We'll Be Right Back!" saw Buffy trapped in animated form and meeting past forms of herself and her friends.

2. 'Faith The Vampire Slayer'

['Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Credit: Warner Bros]

Where there's one, there's more. The convoluted "slayer rule" and Buffy's death (which time?!?) meant that there were several introductions of replacement slayers during the show's seven seasons. One of the series's most popular characters was Eliza Dushku's spunky Faith, serving as one of Buffy's replacements. As the series progressed and Buffy mellowed with those around her, Faith served as an angry reminder of what Buffy could've been if she had stuck to her old ways.

In 2003, with both Angel and Buffy doing well, it was rumored that Faith would get her own show. American Horror Story exec producer Tim Minear even had an idea for the show: Faith meets Kung Fu, roaming the Earth on a motorcycle, trying to find her place in the world. Minear loved the idea of Faith never stopping and constantly on the go, but Joss Whedon's inability to play a large part in the series finally canned the idea. Dushku told SFX:

"After I finished the show, I’d withdrawn from school and followed up with a couple of films like Bring It On, but I’d had such an awesome experience working with Joss I was ready to go down that road again. So I met with Joss and Tim Minear and spoke about the potential for a Faith spin-off. But Buffy had just gone on seven years and Joss was really straightforward: he couldn’t play the kind of day-to-day role he had on Buffy – he had his family."

While the main show was extremely dark at times, it always had a lighter side. A Faith-centric show would undoubtedly have consisted of Dushku lurking in dark alleys and seedy bars, making Buffy look like a pleasant walk in the graveyard. Perhaps it was for the best, as without a Faith spin-off, we got the amazing Tru Calling.

3. 'Ripper'

['Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Credit: Warner Bros]

Stuffy Rupert Giles as a rocker with a penchant for the occult? Buffy, you do throw some surprises at us. The premise was set after Buffy, as a lonely Rupert Giles returns to England to go on a journey of self-discovery, revisiting his murky past. Giles himself, Anthony Stewart Head, described it as "Cracker with ghosts." Whedon had written a two-hour pilot, while other Buffy writers had penned later episodes, but it still didn't have a home. During the '90s it was BBC 2 that had become the unofficial home for Buffy, so a Ripper series would be shown on the flagship, BBC 1 channel.

In 2001, BBC 1 had intended on airing Whedon's show as a miniseries, but all parties became involved in other projects. In 2005 it was suggested that, had Ripper ever made it to our screens, it would have been as a direct-to-DVD or TV movie. At Comic-Con in 2007, Whedon still said talks for a 90-minute BBC miniseries were going ahead, with the producer of Doctor Who and Torchwood. 2009 saw Whedon turn his attention to his short-lived series Dollhouse, meaning Ripper again fell on the back-burner. By this point, the character had fallen into legal disputes and Whedon was fighting for the rights to Rupert Giles. He told The A.V. Club:

"The thing about Ripper—the essence of it—is that the BBC came to me at one point like, 'It doesn’t have to be Ripper. It can just be [Anthony Stewart Head], and there’s magic, and he’s Tony, cuz he’s awesome.' And that’s the thing: For some reason, he keeps getting sexier every year. That’s not happening to me! I’m like, 'What are you doing?' And that story was always about a mature guy who’s lived, and about the choices he’s made. So you could make that now, or you could make it 10 years from now. And I’ve tortured Tony more than any other living human with, 'We’re definitely gonna do this!' Because I thought we were. He’s working so much, though, I’d feel too guilty. But that’s the thing with Ripper: It doesn’t go away in my head because he’s still right for it, and he could still bring it."

Whether we will ever get a Ripper series now looks highly unlikely. Like with Faith, the ideas of Ripper were re-written into a 2012 comic book Angel & Faith, which saw the Slayer as Rupert's only heir and her teaming up with Angel to try and resurrect the (now deceased) Watcher. Not only did you manage to kill off the TV show, but you also killed the character — great job guys!

4. 'Slayer School'

['Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Credit: Warner Bros]

As a potential replacement for Buffy, a one-time pitch came for Slayer School. Leading on from the finale, Willow Rosenberg would train the potentials (who became slayers in the last episode) in whatever may come their way. Whedon told TV Guide:

"It doesn't mean the 'Buffy' universe is closed or that there aren't potential spinoffs, like Willow or whatever. But it does mean that 'Buffy,' as we know it, will end."

According to Buffy writer Jane Espenson, Whedon had said that the idea for Slayer School "didn't seem right." No other details were ever available, but we can only imagine a Charles Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters-style show. Can anyone else picture Willow as the witch headmistress, Spike as a professor, and the odd visit from Buffy Summers, the school's most famous graduate?

5. 'Spike'

['Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Credit: Warner Bros]

Finally, the strangest, but probably most satisfying idea for a spin-off was with Buffy's vampiric nemesis/lover Spike. When Angel was cancelled in 2004, #WarnerBros had wanted to finance an Angel film, however, David Boreanaz said he would only play the role again for a theatrical release. Shortly after, James Marsters said that there was interest in him reprising his role for a Spike film.

It may have starred Alyson Hannigan, and interwoven with the Buffy comics that were coming out in 2007. Marsters had given a small window of opportunity, saying that five years after Buffy ended he would hang up his fangs for good, so the clock started ticking. Whedon's involvement in the likes of Serenity and his Astonishing X-Men line meant that that timeframe was soon missed, and as with all these things, it also looks like money got in the way. 20th Century Fox owned the rights to the characters but passed on picking up a solo film. Whedon told Wizarduniverse.com:

"There are certain characters I've been saving because I thought I might make movies about them, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. I think money is standing in the way. What is ever in the way? What ever makes anything happen or not happen?"

Angel actress Amy Acker had also been rumored to star in the Spike solo film, but put all hopes to bed in 2006. At a convention she said that any plans for an Angel, Spike, or even Willow film had been been forgotten. In 2012 James Marsters confirmed that Spike really was dust and he felt too old to play the character again. Coffin closed!

['Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Credit: Warner Bros]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is now a part of pop-culture, it made a star out of Sarah Michelle Gellar and helped lift Whedon to his Hollywood superstardom. Apart from Angel, it looks like no spin-off from the main show was meant to be. If leaving the cast standing on the edge of a Sunnydale-shaped crater isn't enough for you, they live on in Dark Horse's comic books as well as the upcoming novel set after "Chosen." We always hope for a sequel to the musical episode "Once More, with Feeling," however, for the time being, the slayer remains slain!

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About the Creator

Tom Chapman

Tom is a Manchester-based writer with square eyes and the love of a good pun. Raised on a diet of Jurassic Park, this ’90s boy has VHS flowing in his blood. No topic is too big for this freelancer by day, crime-fighting vigilante by night.

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