How do you feel about the Buffy Reboot?

[Echo126]

How do you all feel about this Buffy reboot? I feel like I'm cautiously excited about it. I mean, at least they're not remaking it (that would be disastrous). But I'm kind of digging the idea that it'll take place 20 years in the future. And I'm not gonna lie, if they somehow get Eliza Dushku to come in for an episode or two to reprise her role, I'm going to be squealing like a little girl lol.

But what do you all think about it? Check out the link above or perform your own research on it and get back with me. I welcome all thoughts and opinions.

-Echo

 

[Spanky]

I mean, at least they're not remaking it (that would be disastrous). But I'm kind of digging the idea that it'll take place 20 years in the future. And I'm not gonna lie, if they somehow get Eliza Dushku to come in for an episode or two to reprise h

I would rather they remake it. I think it would stand a better chance of it being good. I don't really care to hear the original characters or events name-dropped. I don't care for prop placements to appease fans.

 

[thrasherpix]

I'm curious about it...and also how my nostalgia will affect my reaction. In many cases, people's nostalgia has contributed to their dislike of remakes, but I have little experience with this myself. This reboot will be such an experience. I believe my introspection will allow me to realize how much nostalgia is affecting my reaction.

I'm cautious because of all the lazy writing that is trying to be edgy of the last few years, and then blaming the well deserved criticism on things like misogyny or whatever (but it is human nature to try to get the most for the least effort and blame someone else for any shortcomings). This could turn out to be another example of that, or it could be one of the rare exceptions. That they have Owusu-Breen as a writer makes me feel better because I think she's the right person to write what they're going for here...more so than Joss (though his contributions are welcome, I do think he should just help rather than control it).

I do hope that it's a full reboot, as in not counting the army of Slayers (so there's "only one, maybe two"). If they go for remaking Buffy as Black then I personally hope they make her like Dionne from Clueless rather than inner-city...though from there they can diverge greatly, especially through character growth as she has experiences different from previous Buffies. (Inner-city would be fine for me, just not for Buffy, and in that case I'd hope for a new character...like this one from Chosen .)

 

[spikenbuffy]

I am afraid and scared that it will suck like many shows/Games/Mangas/Animes that I loved since I was ten (Sailor Moon)(Dragon Ball)(FFVII) that is now planned to have reboots, sequels (DBS), remakes ..... And now that also will happen with my favorite show BTVS, sigh

 

[Echo126]

I agree with what you guys are saying about being scared about it. I'm pretty worried about it as well. Some shows are so perfect they don't need to be re-created. But I do find some solace in the fact that Joss will have a say and role in it. So I'm curious to see how that will turn out. But I will be treading lightly around it lol

 

[Echo126]

I would rather they remake it. I think it would stand a better chance of it being good. I don't really care to hear the original characters or events name-dropped. I don't care for prop placements to appease fans.

I can understand that. I guess we will have to wait and find out how they will approach the show.

 

[white avenger]

I'll give it a chance for the first few issues, but if it doesn't impress me all that much, I don't think that I'll be wasting my money on it. It's obviously not going to be canon with the previous series, and I'm not all that into comic books in general anymore. I've said before, a return to "Buffy's High School High Jinks" doesn't thrill me all that much.

 

[white avenger]

Spanky This is about the TV show, not the comic book.

Sorry. I just got a notice from TFAW that my subscription had been updated, and I got confused. Same goes for the new TV show, however. "Buffy's High School Hi Jinks" doesn't really excite me, in whatever medium it's presented. We've been through Buffy's childhood already. I prefer the grown up version.

 

[Willow Tara]

I am very excited about the reboot! I think either it's gonna be great and we have more cool stuff added to the 'verse. If that's the case, awesome! Or it sucks, but that won't ruin the old show. If it sucks, we don't have to watch it, we can pretend it doesn't exist and still enjoy the original as we do now.

I am a 100% sure that it won't even come close to the awesomeness that was the original, but I'll give it a shot and maybe it will be good too, in it's own way. I would love to see the original cast involved, cameos or something. On or Off-Screen doesn't really matter for me. And if the cast isn't involved, that's fine with me too, as long as Joss is involved.

I have two requirements for the reboot, that I'll give it a shot.
1. Joss must be involved - Which he is so, "check" on that one
2. They don't re-do the story of Buffy with different actors - Which they hopefully won't do. Either they continue the story of Buffy Summers with Sarah Michelle Gellar (because she is Buffy Imo, there's only one Willow and that is Alyson Hannigan for me. Only one Xander, Giles, Tara, Spike, Dawn, Anya etc. No one can replace any of them ever for me.), which is a dream of mine that I'm 99% sure will never come true. Or they do a new story, with new actors, set in the Buffyverse.

I have read (and heard in a YT Video) that some people have the idea, that the black slayer could be Nikki Wood. I have to say I love this idea
This was a coment und a video:
"Why make it a reboot? The Buffy lore is so expansive that they could easily make a Buffyverse with a Black female lead that fits the in with the original show. Imagine if it followed the story of Nikki Wood, the motger of Principle Robin Wood from the original show? 70's setting, young black girl in New York, then she becomes a young black single mum a couple of seasons in, all while trying to be a slayer etc! You could even bring Spike back, and probably even have Marsters reprise the role as the vamp make up could easily hide the fact that the actor has aged. Sure we know that it will end with the lead death, but the journey could be amazing."
And I loooove this idea!!! I even read that James Marsters said he would be interested to be involved in the reboot if Joss is involved . I think this could be really amazing
And if they don't do the Nikki Wood story, but another slayer, I'll still give it a shot as long it's not another actress as Buffy.

 

[Nix]

And I'm not gonna lie, if they somehow get Eliza Dushku to come in for an episode or two to reprise her role, I'm going to be squealing like a little girl lol.

LOL Me too if that happened!

I'll watch it. See what happens... holding judgment till I've seen it.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

I am apprehensive about a reboot. If it is the characters we know, Buffy will always be Sarah Michelle Gellar or Kristy Swanson but someone else could do it. It would be interesting to see how they would update the television series cast if they are planning on doing the story of Buffy again. But I have some stipulations:

1. Joss can produce it but must not be involved in any other way. All ships sink in the Whedonverse and I would prefer to see relationships that are not all doomed from the outset.

2. Someone should write the show bible before the writing starts. We have seen plot holes, character inconsistencies, retcons and the detritus of shows that have no overall program vision. Maybe I am sensitive to this because I have been a project manager before, but is it asking too much to have a reboot of a show we already know operate without gaffes and inconsistencies?

3. Don't tell the story you already told. Start with a new slayer, new stories, new friends and most importantly, new situations. I don't want to see episodes from the original show or the original movie. Inner city Buffy. Buffy as a military brat who never lives in the same place for more than a few years. Buffy with both parents present. And do the same for the friends - someone other than hapless Xander as the male, nerd transforming to Wicca Willow, fatherly Giles, been there, done that, bought the T-shirt move on!

 

[Echo126]

I am very excited about the reboot! I think either it's gonna be great and we have more cool stuff added to the 'verse. If that's the case, awesome! Or it sucks, but that won't ruin the old show. If it sucks, we don't have to watch it, we can pretend it doesn't exist and still enjoy the original as we do now.

I am a 100% sure that it won't even come close to the awesomeness that was the original, but I'll give it a shot and maybe it will be good too, in it's own way. I would love to see the original cast involved, cameos or something. On or Off-Screen doesn't really matter for me. And if the cast isn't involved, that's fine with me too, as long as Joss is involved.

I have two requirements for the reboot, that I'll give it a shot.
1. Joss must be involved - Which he is so, "check" on that one
2. They don't re-do the story of Buffy with different actors - Which they hopefully won't do. Either they continue the story of Buffy Summers with Sarah Michelle Gellar (because she is Buffy Imo, there's only one Willow and that is Alyson Hannigan for me. Only one Xander, Giles, Tara, Spike, Dawn, Anya etc. No one can replace any of them ever for me.), which is a dream of mine that I'm 99% sure will never come true. Or they do a new story, with new actors, set in the Buffyverse.

I have read (and heard in a YT Video) that some people have the idea, that the black slayer could be Nikki Wood. I have to say I love this idea
This was a coment und a video:
"Why make it a reboot? The Buffy lore is so expansive that they could easily make a Buffyverse with a Black female lead that fits the in with the original show. Imagine if it followed the story of Nikki Wood, the motger of Principle Robin Wood from the original show? 70's setting, young black girl in New York, then she becomes a young black single mum a couple of seasons in, all while trying to be a slayer etc! You could even bring Spike back, and probably even have Marsters reprise the role as the vamp make up could easily hide the fact that the actor has aged. Sure we know that it will end with the lead death, but the journey could be amazing."
And I loooove this idea!!! I even read that James Marsters said he would be interested to be involved in the reboot if Joss is involved . I think this could be really amazing
And if they don't do the Nikki Wood story, but another slayer, I'll still give it a shot as long it's not another actress as Buffy.

I like the idea that if we dont like it, we simply pretend it doesnt exist. That cracked me up lol

 

[Echo126]

I am apprehensive about a reboot. If it is the characters we know, Buffy will always be Sarah Michelle Gellar or Kristy Swanson but someone else could do it. It would be interesting to see how they would update the television series cast if they are planning on doing the story of Buffy again. But I have some stipulations:

1. Joss can produce it but must not be involved in any other way. All ships sink in the Whedonverse and I would prefer to see relationships that are not all doomed from the outset.

2. Someone should write the show bible before the writing starts. We have seen plot holes, character inconsistencies, retcons and the detritus of shows that have no overall program vision. Maybe I am sensitive to this because I have been a project manager before, but is it asking too much to have a reboot of a show we already know operate without gaffes and inconsistencies?

3. Don't tell the story you already told. Start with a new slayer, new stories, new friends and most importantly, new situations. I don't want to see episodes from the original show or the original movie. Inner city Buffy. Buffy as a military brat who never lives in the same place for more than a few years. Buffy with both parents present. And do the same for the friends - someone other than hapless Xander as the male, nerd transforming to Wicca Willow, fatherly Giles, been there, done that, bought the T-shirt move on!

It seems like that's what they're going to do. The writer of the reboot said she doesnt want to retell the story because there is only one Buffy. I thought that was cool of her to say. And from what I see, it'll take place 20 years after season 7. And hey, worst case scenario: the show suck and we just pretend it doesn't exist, like Willow Tara mentioned in a previous post lol.

 

[Mr Trick]

I'm in-different to it. The the show runner has some credibility. There's no reason why the format and the concept of the Slayer character can't work again (as long as its updated). But it feels a little like it could be a box ticking thing and done just because its a property with name value. Plus it is always going to be held up to the original show.

The reason I'm in favour of characters from the original show appearing is because its a good way of getting around the problem of them doing a re-boot but still nodding to the original show. Having SMG appear in the first episode and pass the touch to the new Slayer is not going to do damage to that character. It would only be too distracting if you have her pop up every other week in a cameo.

 

[Kratos]

I think it’s still too early to say, but I’m in-different to the reboot too. I guess it could be good. In any event, shows I liked such as TMNT and Spider-Man have had many reboots and it doesn’t bother me. A reboot doesn’t tarnish the original imo.

 

[RagnarockerB]

Revivals rarely go well. I'm rooting for the show, although I'm apprehensive. I would have preferred a straight-up reboot, but if Spiderman has taught me anything, it's that legacy characters can sometimes be better than their original counterparts. I'm a huge fan of Miles Morales and his run, and I hope Buffy gets her Miles Morales or her Wally West or her Wonder Girl. Perhaps Spider Gwen is a better metaphor. I really like Spider Gwen. She's pretty awesome.

So.... Cautiously optimistic.

As for who should be involved, I'm a little more cautious now about backseat showrunning, so I say may the job go to whoever can do it best. I don't really know what I'd like out of the Buffy reboot, perhaps a feminist take that isn't so <insert handful of underdeveloped masculine traits that gets conflated with strength>. But I'd also like a little more ham, camp it up for me baby. At the end of the day, it's a show about a cheerleader kicking vampire ass, perhaps it's better if it's not 100% self-important 100% of the time.

Also like... You know... Can we have some people of color?? AND LET THE MISTAKES OF KENDRA NEVER BE FORGOTTEN OR REPEATED.

So... That's my wishlist?

 

[slayer730]

At first I was hesitant about it because it felt like it was going to be lazy cash in on nostalgia and diversity. Now I’m more interested with the details coming out that it actually might be a sequel pulling from the old mythology of the Buffyverse.

I notice a lot of people in here listing what they’d like to see in the show so I guess I can add my two cents and I’ll start with the big thing…

Representation
The push for representation of marginalized groups is much bigger than when the original show came out and I’m sure that’s one of the driving reasons there is a specific push for an African American actress as lead for this project. With that in mind, there are a lot of underrepresented demographics (race, gender, sexuality, body types and disability) that the show could tap into that are usually are represented on a surface level where they function as more of a checked off box on a diversity list rather than a character that has importance to the plot or they just aren't represented at all.

For as much that BTVS can be praised for, this is probably an area (race) it could have definitely been better at. It’s important that the team behind the show understands that if they do decide to have character from a marginalized group that they are both CAST properly and WRITTEN with a nuance that has an understanding of the stereotypes that usually surround them in order to avoid them, especially if they have negative implications of how they are perceived in the real world. Some might be critical of this and call it an “SJW agenda” or “PC Culture”, but I don’t think it’s too much to be inclusive and respectful to the demographic that is being represented on screen.

Cannon and Continuity
Since the format of the story is in television format, I think the sequel show should just consider the television shows as cannon and ignore the comic books. I haven’t had the opportunity to catch up all of the comics, but from what I did read it felt like it was taking advantage of the fact there was no budget to hold them back from telling stories. In addition to that, the events seemed so wild that trying to pick up from where the comics left off in television format seems like a large and difficult task.

I also agree with the idea that @Ethan Reigns that one of the first things that should be done before writing is a show bible that takes into account Buffy/Angel and their current show. The writers should write with foresight and structure in mind in a way that rewards the viewers for paying attention. For example they could plant things in a current season they’re writing that doesn't seem important in that moment but could play a bigger part later in the season, or possibly in the next season.

New characters that don’t mimic the old show
This might seems self explanatory, but even if this is focusing on a new slayer I don’t think they should try and recreate the same archetypes/dynamic of the original Scooby gang. That doesn't mean the new slayer protagonist can’t have a few characteristics that are similar to Buffy, but it’s important that she is written as differently as possible from her and that her inner circle of friends aren't replicas of the original Scooby characters or their dynamic.

New Setting
Building on to the idea of “new”, I think a new setting is also in order. I don’t want Sunnydale rebuilt somehow 20 years later and I also don’t think that setting the story in high school again would work very well because the original show had it set there twice. A new town where the protagonist is in college (not sure which year) might be more ideal and a possible opportunity to one up the original show considering many people feel that the college setting didn't get the most mileage the first time around.

Cameos are fine but use them wisely
This one might be difficult because you don’t want too many cameos, but you don’t want too little either, so it would essentially be about balancing who would return. If they continue the same watcher-slayer dynamic, I think a smart thing to do would be to have Wood return in a watcher capacity for the protagonist. I also think Faith is a good candidate for someone who could be a part of the recurring cast as well. I wouldn't mind characters from Angel making a return as well for small cameos for cool continuity moments even if they weren't major plot lines.
In terms of big name returns, the two elephants in the room would obviously be Willow & Buffy. Willow because of how powerful of a magical entity she is and Buffy because of obvious reasons. I’d be open to both of them returning, but this would have to be much further down the line so it isn't distracting to the new protagonist and she can be established as her own character before they appear in the story. This obviously under the assumption that the show has longevity like the original did.

Another Musical
While a lot of what I've said up until this point has been about how this show should separate itself from the original, there’s one thing I wouldn't mind it repeating and thats a musical episode where Sweet returns. The only thing I'd want if it did happen is that the advertisements hid the fact it was a musical but hyped it up as someone we knew from the original series would be returning.


This turned out longer than i thought, but thats my list.

 

[Echo126]

@slayer730 I really like your post. And I definitely agree with not mimicking characters or characteristics of the old show. Let's get some innovative ideas going on here

 

[kalike123]

I, too, think it will be very political and will suck, but I'll watch at least one show.

The problem with political things is that you're either preaching to the choir or making people roll their eyes. Either way, it's boring, kind of annoying and pulls the viewer out of the story.

I don't want a new Buffy, but would be interested in a new Slayer. They can even do it without killing Buffy off because in the last Buffy they made a gazillion slayers.

 

[Btvs fan]

I'd rather see a Sequel or a Prequel than a reboot.
Tbh I'm tired of the whole high school setting/obsession anyway (for all shows), so I probably wont watch it anyway