Buffy Fandom Back in the Day

[Andreana22]

I just started watching Buffy and Angel for the first time this year and regret not watching it sooner. What was it was like being a Buffy fan “back in the day” when the show was airing live? I didn’t know about Buffy back then but was a big X-files fan and was on the discussion boards and read lots of fanfic. Was it like that for the Buffy fandom? Were there conventions or places where fans could chat? Did people cosplay or is that more of a modern thing?

 

[Mrs Gordo]

I just started watching Buffy and Angel for the first time this year and regret not watching it sooner. What was it was like being a Buffy fan “back in the day” when the show was airing live? I didn’t know about Buffy back then but was a big X-files fan and was on the discussion boards and read lots of fanfic. Was it like that for the Buffy fandom? Were there conventions or places where fans could chat? Did people cosplay or is that more of a modern thing?

I was not in the "fandom" as deep as I am now on first watch. So my perspective was from the general audience fandom, like magazines, and news stories etc. I got into Buffy around the s3 mark. I had to binge watch to catch up but I remember those teeny bopper magazines like Tiger Beat lol - the Buffy and Angel relationship was pretty hot and heavy back then. I had heard about that pairing before I even watched the show. But I do remember that BtVS had a cult following and was not as popular as some of the shows out there at the time.

After I watched Angel in college, so maybe sometime in 2005, I checked in on the online fandom. I didn't join but I lurked. There were so many websites dedicated to BtVS and many boards. There were tons of fan fics being written (I didn't read many back then because I started reading some pretty bad ones.) Obviously my personal interest was the Buffy and Angel relationship so I was wondering if there was still a following and there was - a huge following.

I checked back a few years ago after some rewatches and dipping back into the fandom and I realized the fandom had changed alot!

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I do remember that BtVS had a cult following and was not as popular as some of the shows out there at the time.

I don't know why but from my experience a lot of people closet watched it. It was only years after the show ended that I found out a few of my friends watched it. I think people watched it but none talked about it. I think it was because of just the situation of the show in general. The name of it. The demographics. The perception it was a 'girly' show. It being a mid-season replacement so didn't get the hype. The network it was on. All those factors worked against it. And I know the marketing for the first season was horrible. They were promoting it as a new Ally McBeal. And while I loved Ally McBeal, I would NEVER mention to anyone back then that I actually watched it.

But what's really interesting is when you look at the Buffy marketing budget (specifically S2 & 3) and notice it's a direct correlation to how many people watched it. It makes you wonder did they lose viewers in S4 because the marketing dollars decreased. The audience numbers were trending downward at three which might have explained the lack of marketing dollars the subsequent season, or did they think that the show could maintain it's base without promoting. But that might also explain the huge numbers that S6 premiere got - because they marketed the hell out of that - and then it too dropped off.

 

[fauxindigo]

I remember there being a forum kind of like the buffyboards that was called The Bronze. I never posted but I just remember hopping online back in the day (had to have been like 1999 or 2000) and seeing what everyone was talking about. I remember the top of the board having the BtVS logo look like this.


I looked it up...

The Bronze was the message board at the official Buffy website maintained by The WB. It was named after the local teen hang-out featured on the show.

The Bronze was tremendously popular. In addition to fans, many of the people involved in the production of the show posted regularly, including actors, directors, writers, musicians, and show creator Joss Whedon.




Shout-outs and in-jokes for Bronze regulars appear in the background of some scenes of the show.[citation needed]

When Buffy changed networks in 2001 (from The WB to UPN), The Bronze was shut down, to the dismay of its regulars.



People involved with the Buffy fandom should remember the Bronze. It started in 1998 (I think) on the official WB website. It was a really simple, linear message board and resembled a guestbook more than the message boards we think of today. It was all flat and new messages appeared above the old ones. There were no forums, no threads. VIPs that included Joss Whedon, Ty King, David Fury, Seth Green, and Amber Benson would stop by to chat with us. I will admit that we had our rough times, but they were generally taken care of and the nature of the board was such that if you just ignored the person causing the problem, their posts would cycle out and they would get bored with it and move on. ("Don't feed the Bezoars!")

The Bronze was relocated after the show moved to UPN, but the Bronze Beta is still active after all these years and there are still VIPs that stop by to say hi. I really believe that the ability to self-regulate and keep the scary, creepy type of fannishness to a minimum let the VIPs feel comfortable enough to come and interact with us. We'd even had posting board parties that were meant more for the Bronzers to meet up than anything else, but eventually the VIPs decided to show up as well to meet the people they'd been talking with. [1]

 

[Mrs Gordo]

But that might also explain the huge numbers that S6 premiere got - because they marketed the hell out of that - and then it too dropped off.

I remember UPN making a big stink about s6 and promoted the crap out of it. UPN was also a relatively new network right? So Buffy was sorda setting the tone for what UPN was going to be. I think that is why s6 got a huge following initially. I remember I even tuned in live for the first episode. (Also you know Buffy was being resurrected so a big deal). I stopped watching season 6 after a few episodes and went back and watched it later and wonder if there were people like me who turned in at first and then were not super into the new feel?
 
So I went to google UPN and I ran into this article:

Sold! Buffy Moves to UPN

What's interesting is it says if WB had cancelled Angel UPN would have picked it up for two years. Hmmm how could this have changed the run of Angel. More cross overs?

 

[Skanky Vamp]

What's interesting is it says if WB had cancelled Angel UPN would have picked it up for two years.

They had the option to do so, they declined. Just as they had the option to pick-up Firefly and declined that as well. Maybe if Whedon would not have gone scorched earth with the ending of Angel UPN might have picked it up.

 

[RachM]

The Bronze was a great posting Board, writers used to post there and occasionally the actors too. IMDB also used to be wildly popular, man, did I get into some heated debates on the IMDB Boards, the users on there were pretty nutty and there was zero moderation, so the insults used to fly, especially (no surprise) between the Bangels and the Spuffies.

I think the biggest thing I remember from the early days was the shock and confusion when Dawn appeared and we were all like what? Buffy doesn't have a sister!!! I remember sitting in class with my friends and we were reading a fan magazine and loudly talking about Dawn and wondering what was going on, and we got in trouble for not paying attention and the teacher confiscated our magazine.

The fandom has always been huge, it's always been very involved and I've always loved it (although it hasn't always loved me :/). But, I'll never leave, because I'll always love both BtVS and AtS.