Second Negative

The Buffy Retrospective

A few weeks before Christmas, we attended a special screening of two classic Buffy episodes at the Alamo Drafthouse in downtown Austin. The Alamo is a locally owned movie theater that serves a full menu, right to your seat. You can even enjoy a frosty pint of Shiner Bock while viewing the film of your choice.

The Buffy event was held several times over a number of weeks, and managed to sell out every show in advance. The host joked that it felt good to be among “my people”. And really, it takes a special show to bring out huge (paying) crowds, especially considering the low rated, cult status Buffy enjoyed. You won’t see a line down the block to catch a few old repeats of E.R., and I doubt many people would pay $6 a person to watch CSI on the big screen.

The problem may have been that the show was called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While not quite on par with Homeboys in Outer Space, it’s not exactly a title that appeals across demographic lines. It didn’t help that a cheesy movie of the same name was released in the early 90’s, never mind that it only represented Joss Whedon’s vision as filtered through your average Hollywood studio executive. Think Project Greenlight, but worse. It’s also possible that others tuned in, and were turned off by the fantasy element that brought vampires, demons and other evils into their living rooms. I suppose it was too much to expect the average television viewer to recognize that the show was a metaphor for the horrors of adolescence and young adulthood.

Buffy was championed by major critics in TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly, and was often named one of the best shows on television, but it never received recognition in any major award categories. It is difficult to believe that any voter who screened Buffy failed to realize that episodic television was rarely creepier than Hush, more creative than Once More, With Feeling, or more emotionally realistic than The Body.

There are shows that are built on fast paced medical procedures, criminal investigations, and courtroom theatrics, but Buffy found its strength in clever dialogue and vivid characterization. The show was never afraid to parody its own conventions as it leveled melodrama with sarcasm. Whedon set out to create a world that was not entirely unlike our own, but that existed in a realm where there were greater evils than man. Buffy was a blend of many genres, and its success was largely based on a gifted cast that wasn’t afraid to reach ambitiously on a weekly basis.

The challenge of television is to produce quality programming that is both unique and entertaining, while also generating high ratings and advertising dollars. Unlike the film world, where box office and art have found a way to co-exist and even complement each other, television often struggles to find that balance. The margin of error is much smaller, and the commitment required is much greater. When shows that blur the genre line are successful (Lost), it creates more opportunities for people with real vision to create programs that are unique and meaningful (read: not Fear Factor). It also creates opportunities to cast great talent in challenging and interesting roles.

Buffy will be remembered because it was one of the few shows in network history that created a unique world, and had the courage to set its own boundaries and live by its own rules. A few of us were even watching.