Expanding on season one?

[Chasing Cordy]

I don't know if this has been brought up before, but has there ever been a discussion as to how season one could have been expanded upon since it had a lesser amount of episodes compared to the later seasons (ten less!!!)
More Buffy/Master stuff...
More Angel background story...
A bit of info about watchers and their duties...

 

[Emo]

That's an interesting thought, we might've learned more about the characters themselves early on, and had a bigger story arc across the season for the whole buffy versus the master thing. I'm not sure what they would've done with Angel, maybe keep up the flirting and mysteriousness with buffy until the later part of the season- when we found out he was a v-a-m-p-i-r-e?

 

[Ethereal Warrior]

Yeah, I could see some stronger character development and backstory in the first season if it had been longer. Developing the Master would have been something I would have liked to see because, as he was, I didn't find him that interesting of a baddy. Too...I don't know, simply evil? The other villains had more depth to them, more personality (the Mayor, for example). They weren't all about killing the Slayer (though it was top on their list). So further development of the Master would have been good.

Angel backstory would have been interesting, maybe an episode that really dwells on who he was before he became a vampire, perhaps.

 

[The Arcane]

I actually think that, in hindsight, it was a good thing that season 1 was only 12 episodes long. I've considered before about how things would have been different if Buffy had been picked up at the start of the season rather than as a mid-season replacement and i don't think it would have been much better with those extra ten episodes.

The Master, whilst entertaining, was in no way as big a threat as the later Big Bads turned out to be. Ultimately he was just this ancient vamp stuck down a mystical hole sending various other vamps out to be staked by Buffy, one after another. It worked for the short season one we got but had that been stretched over a full 22 episodes it might have become a little tedious.

Also, the main point of the first season was setting the status quo and introducing the people and locations of Sunnydale. Something that they managed to do very well with the time they had. The later seasons were about expanding on the basic character traits we saw initially so it's not as if we missed out on anything just because season 1 was quite short.

No, i really do believe that the shorter season 1 actually worked to the advantage of the series. It introduced the basic concepts and characters, told an interesting (but not too drawn out) story arc and left us hungry for season 2.

 

[Angelic Slayer]

That would have been cool to see more in season one, epecially about the Master and Buffy and such. Although I think it was partially a good idea at the time to not do so, given how new and risky it was to take on the show (for the networks) at all, it wouldn't have been a great idea to give the fans TOO MUCH, since the writers wanted something to talk about in season 2😉. So I think they did a good job giving us the info over the series (both BTVS and ATS) gradually, however it would have been nice to see something more for the plotlines specific to that season (ie: the Master)

 

[Lyri]

although i agree with The Watcher, that it was a good thing S1 had only 12 eps, i think it might have been interesting to have developed Cordelia's character a little more this season...she was a main character (appeared in the opening credits) but she wasn't in every ep.
i also would have liked Darla to have appeared for a little longer...the character that appeared in Angel was almost nothing like the Darla that appeared in this season...maybe if she had stuck around for a while longer, she might have developed into the character we fell in love with in Angel.

 

[The Arcane]

although i agree with The Watcher, that it was a good thing S1 had only 12 eps, i think it might have been interesting to have developed Cordelia's character a little more this season...she was a main character (appeared in the opening credits) but she wasn't in every ep.
i also would have liked Darla to have appeared for a little longer...the character that appeared in Angel was almost nothing like the Darla that appeared in this season...maybe if she had stuck around for a while longer, she might have developed into the character we fell in love with in Angel.

Very much agreed on the Cordelia thing. I think that one of the reasons that they had trouble finding a place for Cordy in season one was because she was a very two dimensional character at that point, certainly until Out of Mind, Out of Sight/Invisible Girl anyway, when we saw her hidden depths for the first time. Then, once she had earned her Scoobie creds in Prophecy Girl the writers were free to start to enhance her character beyond the vain, nasty Cordy that we saw in the majority of season one.

As for Darla, the problem there was that she was never intended as being anything more than a minor, expandable vamp for season one. There were no plans to bring her back at that point and so adding to her character would probably have seemed futile for the writers back then.

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

I think Season one WAS expanded....in season 2.
Had the show ran for 22 episodes, then it would have been more in the lineof the stand alones.
The Master would have not made the entire season(how long can you draw our a bad guy that can't leave its lair....12 episodes-and even that was too long).
I like season one, and i think that its perfect as is, no need to rememdy that. Season one is the Character development, the one that lets us know who we have and there place in the show.
Season 2, thats when we are forced to question these already formed characters, and their relationships.
Had season 1 continued, it would have had to delve into all these questions, thus taking away from the feel of season 2....and knock on effect as such.

As for more Darla, well IF she had been expanded on in season one, you can bet the farm that she would have been a Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vampire, NOT an Angel Vampire.
One is evil but lets be honest, sugary sweet, and one is more adult, mature...scary.
The show did the best thing possible when it killed her so early...

I mean, look at the difference in Buffy Dru and Angel Dru.....

 

[Cohen]

There were only six episodes that featured the master in season 1, tho he was mentioned in a few others. Plus, most shows start out with stand alones, and then get to the story arcs (ie Charmed, Angel, Smallville). And, I think it would be nice to have seen more stand alones in the earlier seasons. Tho the arcs were great, I love stand alones. That way, you dont have to have seen earlier episodes to kno what is going on. It would be a good way to get somebody into the series.

 

[Cordelia Chase*]

If they did expand on this season it would have been even greater!!!! MAster and Buff. MORE! Angel and Buff, MORE!!!

 

[watcher1006]

What was the story of the 12 episodes? I read on the tv.com site that the show had a late premiere because of production problems. So for example the sign in the auditorium for "Witch" is for the '96 cheerleading tryouts, although the episode aired in the spring of '97. I don't know if the series was originally intended as a mid-season replacement or not.

Maybe some stuff could have used more time. "Prophecy Girl" is a great finale but I wonder if it might have worked better as a two-parter. Given the buildup of the battle between Buffy and the Master, it seemed that in the end she just beats him a little too easily. But then I remember how the first half of that episode was absolutely wonderful and how the episode as a whole will always be one of my favourites. It's probably not good to imagine too many changes to the actual episodes that we love.

I also wonder if Joss later regretted disposing of Darla so early in the series. She would have many appearances in flashbacks and of course her story was really told on the spinoff, but I think she could readily have had a bigger role in the (vampire) flesh in Buffy. But I liked the "Angel" episode very much, so I just don't know.

 

[The Arcane]

What was the story of the 12 episodes? I read on the tv.com site that the show had a late premiere because of production problems. So for example the sign in the auditorium for "Witch" is for the '96 cheerleading tryouts, although the episode aired in the spring of '97. I don't know if the series was originally intended as a mid-season replacement or not.

All i can tell you is that Joss has consistently said that Buffy was brought into the WB as a mid-season replacement after another show was axed. Regardless of any other factors BtVS did replace another series mid-season, hence the definition.

As for the date issue, even though the season only lasted for twelve episodes, rather than the usual twenty two, it was still supposed to have covered the same time frame as other years, so technically Buffy did first go to Sunnydale in 1996, despite the episode only airing in 1997.

 

[Wicked]

I actually think that, in hindsight, it was a good thing that season 1 was only 12 episodes long. I've considered before about how things would have been different if Buffy had been picked up at the start of the season rather than as a mid-season replacement and i don't think it would have been much better with those extra ten episodes.

The Master, whilst entertaining, was in no way as big a threat as the later Big Bads turned out to be. Ultimately he was just this ancient vamp stuck down a mystical hole sending various other vamps out to be staked by Buffy, one after another. It worked for the short season one we got but had that been stretched over a full 22 episodes it might have become a little tedious.

Also, the main point of the first season was setting the status quo and introducing the people and locations of Sunnydale. Something that they managed to do very well with the time they had. The later seasons were about expanding on the basic character traits we saw initially so it's not as if we missed out on anything just because season 1 was quite short.

No, i really do believe that the shorter season 1 actually worked to the advantage of the series. It introduced the basic concepts and characters, told an interesting (but not too drawn out) story arc and left us hungry for season 2.

i give up. im leaving the boards. just gonna let you take it from here 😛