Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 5 Ways The Show Changed (& 5 Ways It Stayed The Same) – Screen Rant

Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains one of the best shows the '90s produced. Spanning 145 episodes over 7 seasons, every episode is packed with terrific action and great jokes. However, the shows long life-span could have easily made the series become stale and repetitive, after all, there's only so many ways you can kill a vampire. This is the fate of many shows that overstay their welcome.

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Because of this, some things had to change for the good of the show, while other aspects remained constant and never went away. With this in mind here are 5 ways the show changed and 5 ways it stayed the same.

Looking back to season 1, it's easy to see that the show is dramatically different. One of the most striking differences is how large the group had gotten by season 7.

Initially, it was the small band of Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles, fast forward to the climatic season and Buffy had a lot more allies she could rely on. Including the sizable amount of potential Slayers ready to join Buffy in fighting The First Evil.

Onethingthat remained constant throughout the series was Joss Whedon's fantastic and unique writing. As the shows creator he knew the characters better than anyone, and thankful is credited with writing the most episodes.

From season 1 all the way through to season 7, Whedon penned some of the greatest episodes in the series including "Hush" and "Once More With Feeling". His uniquely balanced approach to humor and drama gave the show a consistent tone that remains one of its most defining features.

Season 5 changed the status quo in a big way, with the introduction of Buffy's younger sister Dawn. Although that sounds simple enough, in reality, the truth was far more complex.

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This is because Dawn was a mythical object simply know as "The Key". This key was transformed into a teenage girl and put under Buffy protection to prevent the end of the world. This revelation changed Buffy's life forever, and the addition of a younger sister to watch out for only served to raise the already high stakes.

Despite the demonic forces trying their best to bring about the end of the world on a weekly basis, the show still kept its sense of humor. It was never afraid to crack a joke or toss in a couple of more light-hearted episodes to keep things balanced.

That's not to say the show didn't have stakes or dramatic weight, because it did, but it also knew that it was a show about fantastical ideas, and its tongue-in-cheek attitude reflected this.

As the series progressed the threats escalated, becoming a bigger challenge every season, as is so often the case with sequels and continuing series. Season 1 featured the ancient Vampire The Master trying to open a Hellmouth in Sunnydale, by season5 Buffy was fighting against a literal God from a hell dimension.

In addition to this, the showfeatured more horror-inspired creatures and was never afraid to explore the darkness of reallife. These concepts resulted in some of the darkest episodes in the series.

Every season featured a villain trying to bring about the end of the world, or something equally nefarious to that effect. This was the spine of the series and pushed the drama forward, but the show was never afraid to mix things up and offer a unique episode unlike anything seen before.

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These unique episodes tossed away the formula of the show that the audience had become accustomed to, and instead presented a whole new idea. Whether it was focussing on a secondary character or switching genres the show kept things fresh with these unique episodes.

Although the title of the show may be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the teen Slayer fought far more than just Vamps and went up against a host of supernatural creatures and concepts. Deepening the mythology was inevitable as the series went on. By the final season, Buffy was going up against The First Evil, one of the most powerful and abstract concepts presented in the series.

On top of all that the lore surrounding Vampire became more complex, Hell dimensions too were explored. All in all the series became about far more than simply slaying Vampires.

One of the biggest lessons Buffy learn during season 1 was that she could rely on her friends to help her in her fight. This led to Xander bringing her back to life via CPR.

Her friends became one of her most useful assets, not only in the fight against evil but also provided her with emotional support during times of hardship. And although people came in and out of her life, Xander, Willow, and Giles remains constant and were always there for her.

Buffy started her Vampire slaying career when she was only 16, but by the time the show wrapped up she was 22 and her life was considerably different. She graduated from High School, went to college, dropped out, and was now trying to balance a job.

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The show too changed as Buffy did and became less about High School drama and transitioned into serious adult problems. Buffy was struggling more so than ever to juggle her Vampire slaying duties on top of her other responsibilities, making her life more challenging than ever.

Despite her large support group of friends joining her in the fight against evil, Buffy was still the chosen one. Because of this, she was forced to bear all the responsibilities that came with it. Even after dying twice she still wasn't allowed off the hook and was resurrected to continue the fight.

However, Buffy proved time and again to be one of the greatest Slayer there ever was, and that she was more than capable of living up to her responsibilities.

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Daniel is a writer based in the UK. He studied at the University of Sunderland and is a big fan of movies and tv.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 5 Ways The Show Changed (& 5 Ways It Stayed The Same) - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero