Editorials
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Ended 13 Years Ago Today
In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.
On May 20, 2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer went off the air for good. Joss Whedon’s groundbreaking series about a Los Angeles teenager who was chosen to save the world (a lot) by fighting the forces of evil (it wasn’t just vampires y’all) until her death. Buffy the Vampire Slayer holds a special place in many people’s hearts, and for good reason. It was filled to the brim with relatable, quirky and lovable characters that happened to live on top of a Hellmouth.
To say that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was critically lauded would be an extreme understatement. Since it premiered in 1997, it has ranked among many top publications’ “Best Of” lists,* including (but not limited to):
- 41st on TV Guide’s list of 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time
- 2nd on Empire‘s “50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time”
- 27th on The Hollywood Reporter‘s “Hollywood’s 100 Favorite TV Shows”
- 3rd in 2004 and 2007 on TV Guide‘s “Top Cult Shows Ever”
- Listed in Time magazine’s “100 Best TV Shows of All-Time”
- List of “The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time” and ranked it #38 on its list of the “60 Best Series of All Time”.
- 3rd Best School Show of All Time by AOL TV.
*From Wikipedia.
It is interesting to talk to a younger generation about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even today, 13 years after its end, it is still misunderstood as “that silly show about a girl who fights vampires” by people who have never seen it. Or they start to watch the first season and think it’s lame (Just make it to season 2 you guys! “Surprise” was the turning point episode for me). If only everyone could have had the same experience so many other did while watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was a truly special experience.
To describe my passion for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how emotionally tied to it I am would take a novel’s worth of words, but I just wanted to use this space to bring attention to one of the greatest television shows of all time. Joss Whedon really made me feel like these characters were actually my friends, and watching reruns after the series ended was an important part of my teenage years (it’s very queer-friendly, in case you didn’t already know). It’s also a big part of the reason I would sell my soul to Satan himself to get to meet Sarah Michelle Gellar (or Emma Caulfield, or Alyson Hannigan, or Eliza Dushku, et al). But I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer at a time in my life when I was bullied and picked on frequently, so the series acted as my safe haven. My umbrella, if you will. I feel like a lot of fans of the series were in a similar situation as me, and in that the show has brought many of us together.
As was usually the case with shows of Buffy’s kind, I was not allowed to watch it while I was growing up. My parents didn’t let me start watching it until I was in 8th grade, which is when the final season aired. I was just 14 when the series went off the air, and by that time I had rapidly caught up during the previous year by watching the reruns FX would air at 5am and 6am every morning (they would re-air those same episodes at 3pm and 4pm that afternoon, so it made it easy to catch up in case I missed one). By the time the finale aired I was mostly caught up, and what a satisfying finale “Chosen” was.
I could go on and on about how I’ve seen “Once More, With Feeling” at least 20 times and how I play the soundtrack on my iPhone at least once a month. I could describe the seven episodes that have made me cry (“Passion,” “The Body,” “The Gift,” “Hell’s Bells,” “Grave,” “Selfless” and “Chosen”). I could explain my reasoning behind ordering the seasons from best to worst like this: 3, 5, 2, 6, 4, 7, 1 (it’s not that I hate the first season, it just hasn’t aged nearly as well as the others). I could even write a character study on why Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins Harris is the absolute best character in the show.
I won’t do any of that though, because I want to hear all of your thoughts and stories on this fantastic series. If you’ve never watched it, go to Netflix right now and start a binge-watch. Just make it past that first season (as I mentioned above, it’s always difficult to get people into Buffy specifically because that first season, sans the finale, has not aged very well). If you’ve already seen the entire series three times or more, take an hour today to go back and re-watch “Chosen,” the series finale of this truly special show.
What are your fondest memories of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? What were some of your favorite episodes? Who were your favorite characters? Do you still watch episodes on Netflix (or your DVD box sets) today? Let us know in the comments below or shoot me a Tweet, as I’m always game for discussing some Buffy. In the meantime, please enjoy these 50 amazing Anya moments.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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