How to convince someone to like BtVS

[Cast No Shadow]

I know we've had several threads on this topic recently, but I really, really want BtVS to be something my boyfriend and I enjoy together!

He's never watched it, and said he never will. I've asked him why, he's told me that it sounds stupid and that it's not lighthearted enough.

I've told him that it's a fabulous mix between the heavy/lighthearted, and far from being stupid it's amazing!

He's doing a degree in Film and Media Production, and is therefore 10x more critical of television than your average Joe.

What do you suggest I get him to watch?

I know Restless is popular, but I honestly just think he'd think it was pretentious, the same with Hush (although we smart people know differently!)

I just don't know what to suggest 🙁

 

[WWGD]

Idk, pretty much any episode will give off a certain vibe that is exclusive to the Buffyverse. You can't really force someone into liking it though, even if it is one of the greatest shows ever created 😛

 

[Icarium]

Tell him he should get off his high horse. 😀

Seriously - Bewitched, Bother and Bewildered or Doppelgangland. Very funny episodes but not too campy.

Or you can promise to watch something of his choosing together if he would only try Buffy. Let me guess - he probably loves The Wire? 🙂

 

[Cast No Shadow]

Tell him he should get off his high horse. 😀

Seriously - Bewitched, Bother and Bewildered or Doppelgangland. Very funny episodes but not too campy.

Or you can promise to watch something of his choosing together if he would only try Buffy. Let me guess - he probably loves The Wire? 🙂

Lol 100% agree, he's a total TV snob! I can't see him liking Doppelgangland, because he'd be like "Whoa, kinky lesbian twins...on primetime?" And not really see it in any context.

I don't know about The Wire, is it a US thing? We've never seen it anyway.

Aw don't want it to be a lost cause, I love sharing awesome things!

 

[Gum Gnome33]

I did it successfully, so take my advice! 🙂

Start watching the show around him. Watching something with a really epic storyline that can draw in someone who knows nothing about the characters, making them really want to know how they got there and what happens next.
Grad Day around when Faith shoots Angel works like a charm. He'll glance at the screen, and have a lot of questions. Do the same thing with other seasons. Something epic and complex and cliffhanger-y. Say often, "Well, it's complicated...you'd really have to see season 2 to understand it." For example, show him a Spuffy scene from season 6. He might have questions about why Buffy is with another vampire. Talk about how he used to be her mortal enemy and reference the time he first came to town in season 2 and wanted to kill her.

I find that the best way to get people to settle in for an entire series is to get them interested in a storyline that takes place over several seasons. They want to see it develop for themselves.

 

[caritas08]

Don't start with season 1. That's not a good way to draw someone in to the Buffyverse although it worked with me when it aired. I agree with Gum Gnome33's suggestion of watching something with an epic storyline possibly the second half of Season 3 or Season 5. Both those seasons strike me as being relatively light hearted (with the exception of Joyce's death) and gripping. I always thought Vampire Diaries looked really awful and cheesy but then I got into it solely because my friends begged me for months to try it and then sat down and watched 3 episodes in a row with them and was hooked. My friends also love anime though and I will never be able to get into that or Grey's Anatomy so you may be out of luck.


I've oddly got a lot of people in to Firefly but have not had luck with Buffy probably because I live in Texas and Firefly definitely has a western non supernatural feel.

 

[dexeded]

If he's in Film and Media Production, then wouldn't he like those 'special' episodes like "Hush" or "The Body"?

If he's a big character guy, I suggest "Conversations With Dead People". If he's looking for humour, then "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered". You should start at "School Hard" for a all-the-way-through watching of BtVS rather than season 1. And if you don't mind foraying into AtS, "Time Bomb" is awesome for everyone.

 

[NY State of Mind]

To me I don't think you can make someone like/love the show...it has to come natural...i know if someone at first would of kept telling me to like it I would only hate it more 😛

 

[Zeppo]

I think What's My Line (both parts, or just 1) is a good choice. It deals with vamp lore, slayer lore, great personality moments from all the cast, Scooby teamwork, cool fights and it gives questions that intrigue rather than spoil (Buffy's drowning death, Dru/Spike/Angel past, Oz becoming prominate, and the ending of part 2). It is a nice blend of humor and horror and drama and most importantly character. Honestly, anything past season 3 is just showing too much to a first time viewer, IMO.

 

[Ripper666]

Well there are several reason why Buffy is so great:
1) It's funny
2)It's exciting
3)It's full of feelings and emotion
4) there are big character developments
5)There is great action and fight scenes

And because your friend is doing a degree in Film and Media Production, you can try to convince him that there are so many epic camera settings and the hole show is scale factor for following shows. Ask him what he would change in this or that scene something like:"mhm this perspective isn't really good chosen, what do you think?"
I fight this fight against to other friends, one fights for Lost and the other one for Supernatural. Both are pretty good but Buffy is the best. Unfortunately is's more than 8 years old and the special effects and costumes can't hold with newer shows! That'smy biggest problem my friends say it's to old!

 

[Washburne]

Not to be like that, but not even giving it a chance when you ask him for it? Way to trust your taste. 🙁

Sounds stupid? If that's his criteria he must be missing out on a lot of great shows. What do he watch? Have you watched anything with him just because he wanted you to?

I suggest you go looking for books that talks about the show in a serious tone. Written by "smart" (not that I want to call them that as such) people.

And not really see it in any context.

That's the biggest problem I have when people want 1 or maybe 5 episodes to get others to like the show. If you just dive into an episode here and there it seems difficult to get as attached as I'd like to. Starting directly with season 1 can be difficult too since it's not the best season. I just try and convince people that trust my taste. And I ever, never say "You're going to love it. I promise."

I don't know about The Wire, is it a US thing? We've never seen it anyway.

Not sure about "thing" but it's an american show yes.

 

[Living Dead Boy]

I don't know about The Wire, is it a US thing? We've never seen it anyway.

Yes, The Wire is a US thing. The Wir'e's fans are IMO more dead-set and hardwired than us, I think. They will never, I mean absolute never, let anyone forget that it is the "GREATEST PIECE OF LITERATURE EVER INVENTED SINCE MANKIND". I kid you not, and you thought Joss fans were loyal. And if anyone ever says otherwise, a STORM of troopers will rally up to support them. I mean I know we have some annoying fans but for crying out loud. 🙂

Honestly, I think The Wire's boring. 😱

 

[WhedonsHorse]

Get him to agree to watch one episode and CHOOSE A JOSS EPISODE! If he's studying film, then Joss is the best for helping shows techniques and shots, he's also a fantastic writer. Show him Hush, or Once More with Feeling, or a classic from S1,2 or 3. I think if he agrees to watch one episode then he'll get hooked.

 

[Icarium]

Yes, The Wire is a US thing. The Wir'e's fans are IMO more dead-set and hardwired than us, I think. They will never, I mean absolute never, let anyone forget that it is the "GREATEST PIECE OF LITERATURE EVER INVENTED SINCE MANKIND".

Don't you mean TV, not literature? 🙂

Honestly, I think The Wire's boring.

Blasphemy!

 

[BuffyElevated]

To me I don't think you can make someone like/love the show...it has to come natural...i know if someone at first would of kept telling me to like it I would only hate it more 😛

I definitely agree with Lu... I don't see the point in trying to convince someone that they have to like something when they're dead set against it. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes; I'll never understand people who refuse to understand that it's alright for someone to dislike something you love and vice versa.
If someone doesn't share your passion for something, that is alright. Of course you can try to explain why you love the show, but you shouldn't act like there's something wrong with this dude if he doesn't want to watch. If it's not his thing, then whatever. It's not the end of the world if he doesn't want to watch. 😉 However, if he asks for some examples of episodes to watch to see for himself, then by all means direct him to episodes like "Conversations with Dead People" that are deep and interesting, but also show off the show's humor and darkness as well.

 

[Living Dead Boy]

Don't you mean TV, not literature? 🙂

Ever heard of TV literature? It's like TV, and literature, but it's put together. Like, TV literature. 🙂

Blasphemy!

Seriously, I never understood all the love for The Wire. Okay, I'll admit, some of the episodes were pretty good, and it's a fairly realistic look at life in the city (I'm near Baltimore, so I know), but in all honesty if I wanted real life I could just step outside my house. It just never hooked me, and I don't know why. Also, that kinda ties in to the thread topic. You truly can't convince people to like something. People can like something that's universally hated, just like people can hate something that's universally loved. The Wire is on the top of EVERYONE'S list when they mention the greatest show of all time, but I'm like.....yeah....uh-huh.....and? Like it's just something you can't explain, you know? You either like something or you don't.

 

[SlayerFest]

He'd find Restless and Hush pretentious? I kind of want to punch your boyfriend in the face....only kidding. And you say he's a film major? Well he's making us look mad. It's not lighthearted enough? Oh jeez. I will NEVER understand how some people can have that mindset. I love movies, well, the art of film in general and he must if that's what he's getting a degree in, so how can he turn something down for being ...not lighthearted enough??

Okay, I'm sorry. Anyway, I showed my best friend Restless and The Body. She isn't a huge fan now or anything, but she now has a new found appreciation for the show. We're both film majors, and I showed her those two because I knew that she'd appreciate the way they were shot/the editing and some of the dialogue.