Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Combining vampire hunting with teen drama, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a quintessential example of turn-of-the-twentieth-century genre television.

The show follows reluctant hero Buffy Summers as she fulfills her mystical calling as a vampire slayer and demon hunter. Along the way, she gathers a group of memorable friends referred to as the “Scooby Gang,” including best friends Willow and Xander, who appear in nearly every episode. Buffy uses the popular “monster of the week” storytelling style as a framework to tell deeper metaphorical stories about the struggles of daily teen life. The series debuted in 1997 and ran for seven seasons.

In 2007, creator Joss Whedon continued Buffy’s story where the television show left off in a series of comic books for Dark Horse Comics. Known as the “Buffyverse” by fans, Buffy’s expanded fictional universe includes the successful television spin-off Angel (1999-2004), as well as numerous tie-in books, comics, and games.