March 10th of this year will mark the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Joss Whedon’s beloved classic TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BTVS). That may come as a shock seeing as BTVS seems to have a sense of timelessness that makes it easy to forget how old it really is – especially since Buffy fandom (and, by extension, Whedon-fandom) is still so prominent in pop culture. Today, if you are looking for a quick Buffy fix you can hit up Netflix to revisit some of your favourite episodes; check out a number of Buffy podcasts; pick up a number of Buffy (or Angel or Spike) comic books; or just dive into some dense Buffy philosophy via the many theoretical and academic writings on the topic.
However, if you’re not a Buffy super-fan but vaguely recall seeing some episodes and noticing Sarah Michelle Gellar on all of the magazine covers of the 1990s, you might be thinking – what’s all the fuss? The fuss is that BTVS had a major hand in changing the nature of TV storytelling and in bridging the gap between academia and pop culture. The series is entirely about subverting viewer expectations and is as smart as it is fun. If you don’t quite get it, it probably means it’s time to re-watch it. Here are 15 reasons why, as an adult, you will not regret giving it another go – once more with feeling.
Image via: Twisted Twins Productions
Beyond the Threshold 