Season 7: Who's the Best Writer on Buffy.

Who's the Best Writer on Buffy who isn't Joss Whedon.

  • Steven S Deknight

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Jane Espenson

    Votes: 7 28.0%

  • David Fury

    Votes: 3 12.0%

  • Drew Goddard

    Votes: 5 20.0%

  • Rebecca Rand Kirshner

    Votes: 3 12.0%

  • Marti Noxon

    Votes: 4 16.0%

  • Douglas Petrie

    Votes: 2 8.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 1 4.0%
  • Total voters
    25
nerd4hire

nerd4hire

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I know not everyone follows the writers of Buffy, but I'm curious to know what those of you who do think.

I made this a Season 7 poll, because in my opinion the best writers in Buffy (with the possible exception of Steven S Deknight) are writing in Season 7. Also, my personal favourite writer Drew Goddard ( Selfless, Conversations With Dead People, Never Leave Me) began writing in Season 7. Also there's Jane Espenson who before Season 7 would be remembered for stuff like Superstar, and Doublemeat Palace, and wouldn't have made it on this list. In Season 7 however, she's found a new level with Same Time Same Place, CWDP, and First Date.

I excluded Joss Whedon, because he's a given. I concede him as the winner of any poll he's in.

I was tempted to add one-timer Diego Guttierez for the mind blowing "Normal Again", but one time's not enough.

I excluded Drew Z Greenberg, because in my opinion he doesn't belong on this list. If you happen to be a Drew Z Greenberg fan, all I can say is "Sorry about that. Go watch some cartoons".
 
Do you have a list of what episodes the contestants have written?

Rebecca Rand Kirshner is very new, isn't she? One timer? I don't know, I just know their names!
 
I voted for Jane, because although she did Double Meat, she also did Earshot, Band Candy, and my favorite ep this season, Same Time Same Place.

I agree, a complete list of all the writers' episodes would be useful.
 
Originally posted by nerd4hire
I excluded Joss Whedon, because he's a given. I concede him as the winner of any poll he's in.
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Lol, I was going to say, "Are we talking besides Joss here?"


I excluded Drew Z Greenberg, because in my opinion he doesn't belong on this list. If you happen to be a Drew Z Greenberg fan, all I can say is "Sorry about that. Go watch some cartoons".
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Lol.


I usually only look up the writer of an episode if I really liked it. I really want to vote Jane because she wrote my favorite episode, Earshot. However, I think that's the only episode she wrote that I really love. So, I think I'll go for Marti Noxon (What's My Line Part 2, Surprise, Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered, I Only Have Eyes For You, Dead Man's Party, Beauty and the Beasts, The Wish, The Prom, Wild at Heart, New Moon Rising, Buffy Vs. Dracula, Bring on the Night) basically she wrote some of the greatest episodes of Season 3 & Season 2 which are my two favorite seasons. And she wrote the two Season 4 Oz episodes, which helped her a little🙄.
 
Very Well Cat and 9th, here's a list of writing credits.
The list is more or less Chronological.

For more info on crew credits check here;

http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/CrewGuide/showid-10/

For episode summaries check here;

http://www.buffyworld.com/



MARTY NOXON;

Season 2 -
What's My Line Part 1 (co-w)
What's My Line Part 2
Bad Eggs
Surprise
Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered
I Only Have Eyes For You

Season 3 -
Dead Man's Party
Beauty and the Beasts
The Wish
Consequences
The Prom

Season 4 -
Living Conditions
Wild at Heart
Goodbye Iowa
New Moon Rising

Season 5 -
Buffy Vs. Dracula
Into the Woods
Forever

Season 6 -
Bargaining (Part 1)
Wrecked
Villians

Season7 -
Bring On the Night

JANE ESPENSON;

Season 3 -
Band Candy
Earshot

Season 4 -
In the Harsh Light of Day
Pangs
Doomed (co-w)
A New Man
Superstar

Season 5 -
The Replacement
Listening to Fear
Triangle
Checkpoint
I Was Made to Love You
Intervention
Afterlife

Season 6 -
Flooded (co-w)
Life Serial
Doublemeat Palace

Season 7 -
Same Time, Same Place
Conversations With Dead People (co-w)
First Date

(She's also slated for this week's upcoming episode "Storyteller"

DAVID FURY;

Season 2 -
Go Fish (co-w)

Season 3 -
Helpless
Choices

Season 4 -
Fear Itself
Doomed (co-w)
The I In Team
Primeval

Season 5 -
The Real Me
Shadow
Crush

Season 6 -
Bargaining (Part 2)
Gone
Grave

Season 7 -
Sleeper
Showtime

DOUGLAS PETRIE

Season 3 -
Revelation
Bad Girls
Enemies

Season 4 -
This Year's Girl
The Yoko Factor

Season 5 -
No Place Like Home
Fool For Love

Season 6 -
Flooded (co-w)
As You Were
Two to Go

Season 7 -
Beneath You
Get It Done

REBECCA KIRSHNER

Season 5 -
Out of My Mind
Tough Love

Season 6 -
Tabula Rasa
Hell's Bell's

Season 7 -
Help
Potential

STEVEN DEKNIGHT

Season 5 -
Blood Ties
Spiral
The Weight of the World

Season 6 -
All the Way
Dead Things
Seeing Red

DREW GODDARD

Season 7 -
Selfless
Conversations With Dead People (co-w)
Never Leave Me

(He has a double-header coming up in March, after the 3 week break)

JOSS WHEDON

Season 1 -
Welcome to the Hellmouth
The Harvest
Nightmares
Out Of Sight
Prophecy Girl

Season 2 -

When She Was Bad
Lie To Me
Ted
Innocence
Becoming - Part 1 and 2

Season 3 -
Anne
Amends
Dopplegangland
Graduation Day - Part 1 and 2

Season 4 -
The Freshman
Hush
Who Are You
Restless

Season5 -
Family
The Body
The Gift

Season 6 -
Once More With Feeling

Season 7 -
Lessons
 
Originally posted by nerd4hire
Douglas Petrie

This Year's Girl
The Yoko Factor
No Place Like Home
Fool For Love
As You Were
Two to Go
Beneath You
Get It Done

Steven Deknight;

Blood Ties
Spiral
The Weight of the World
Flooded
All the Way
Dead Things
Seeing Red

Drew Goddard;

Selfless
Conversations With Dead People (co-w)
Never Leave Me
Click to expand...

I'd have to go for one of those three - Petrie probably edges just ahead though. (But no one beats Joss)
 
Ill have to go with David Fury but just because Primeval is one of the best episodes I've ever seen in television history 😀
 
I just thought of a cute way to rate the writers.

What you do is you do a quick scan of a writers list of credits then pick out the titles you immediately recognize and remember their plot. Count how many apply.

Now eliminate the ones you remember because you found them foolish or bad for some other reason. For example with Marty Noxon I immediately recognize Buffy vs. Dracula, but I only remember it because I thought it was ludicrous. I subtract that one and a couple others I won't mention.

For myself I must also eliminate Season 7, because I'm a Season 7 fanatic. I remember them all, and loved them all with the exception of "Him".

Anyways... if you do this and put the number of episodes you recognize over the total number of episodes your left with a number I call the Recognizability Factor.

For example: I scan Douglas Petrie's list of credits. I find I immediately recognize 5 episodes not including Season 7 -- This Year's Girl, The Yoko Factor, Fool for Love, Flooded, and Two to Go.

Petrie has 13 total episodes with 2 in Season 7, so I give him an RF of 5 episodes recognized over 11 episodes not including Season 7 and a total of 13 episodes so it looks like this 5/11 - 13

Here's my personal list of RFs.

Marty Noxon 3/21 -22

Jane Espenson 3/17 - 20

David Fury 3/14 - 16

Douglas Petrie 5/11 - 13

Rebecca Kirshner 1/ 4 - 6

Steven Deknight 2/7

Drew Goddard 3/3 all from Season 7

Joss Whedon 15/24 - 25

This confirms something I already knew. My favourite writers are in this order.

1. Drew Goddard
2. Joss Whedon
3. Douglas Petrie
4. Steven S Deknight
5. David Fury
6. Rebecca Rand Kirshner
7. Jane Espenson
8. Marty Noxon
 
Petrie has 13 total episodes with 2 in Season 7, so I give him an RF of 5 episodes recognized over 11 episodes not including Season 7 and a total of 13 episodes so it looks like this 5/11 - 13
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Oook, I'm confused.

you have Recognizable shows over written shows m


Do you calculete their rank by dividing the two numbers, and the extra number ( - 13) is what it would be if one wanted to include season 7?
 
Do you calculate their rank by dividing the two numbers, and the extra number ( - 13) is what it would be if one wanted to include season 7?
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Yes that's correct.

You do realize, I'm kind of just goofing around though, right?

On the other hand it worked out to be pretty accurate for me, although I'd have to bump up Jane Espenson a couple of slots for the great stuff she's done in Season 7
 
On the other hand it worked out to be pretty accurate for me, although I'd have to bump up Jane Espenson a couple of slots for the great stuff she's done in Season 7
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YAY!! Now I don't feel like such a outcast. 😛 I will say that I started noticing her after STSP, so, yeah....it might be fair to say that some of her previous episodes were mediocre (altthough I still think Band Candy and Earshot were great.)

And, isn't all we do is goof around here? I was just trying to figure out your system.
 
I think Jane Espenson is the best writer she makes the show funny, and i didnt know she wrote for Ellen. But then again i would have to say Joss aswell even though you didnt mention him. But then again, i really like Marti Noxon, i dont know, Douglas Petrie scares me when ive seen him interviewed
 
I'm very impressed with Kirshner. Her body of work is very short, but she has more great episodes per attempt than even Joss.
 
I don't see what was so good about "Normal Again". I guess it had a fairly interesting premise that made you think. The writing was in no means spectacular and much above the writing in the average episode.

DeKnight has written some absolutely brilliant Angel episodes this season and the fact that he has written so many (and will be writing more) episodes in such a short period of time shows that they know how good he is. Espenson is mainly good at humour episodes and she knows this. I kind of think of her as on-par with Petrie because they both came on at the same time. Goddard has also done some great stuff this season. For working for so little on a series, he has mastered the characters well. CVWDP's format was great. Good thing he is co-writing episode 17 with Fury and writing 18. Good to see how he handles Faith.

Al lthe writers are good obviously but I think I may have t oside with Goddard or DeKnight (although I would pick DeKnight for Angel, not Buffy inparticular). You've got to love how Goddard makes all kinds of great references back to past episodes that only a handful of peopel will understand. It's stuff like that that makes you glad you stuck with the series for seven years.
 
My favorite writers are a tie between Rebecca Rand Kirshener and Jane Espenson, after Joss Whedon of course.

I love Tabula Rasa, Hell's Bells, and my all time favorite Buffy episode Help and they were all by Kirshner, but I also love almost all Jane Espenson's episodes. I also like Goddard, but think he's kind of overrated *dodges assorted foods*. I really like Never Leave Me and CWDP, but Espenson wrote that too.

I basically like all of the writers on Buffy though. Also a side-not, Deigo G. has been Joss's personal assistant since, like Season 1.
 
OK, I need to ask!
What is wrong with Superstar??????? I love that episode!!!!!!
I agree with Doublemeat, i don't hate it but i dont love it either, it is mediocre for buffy.... but Superstar?????

Double Post (next time use the edit button!):

my favs are David Fury and Tim Minear, but Tim doesn't write much Buffy, he's more an Angel guy
 
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