There, I said it. I miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yes, I have seasons 1 and 2 on DVD (and plan to eventually get them all). Yes, I know they’re probably available on Netflix or something.
That’s not the point.
At the time, in the limited little chunk of real estate in that Venn diagram that detailed my life, of where time constraints met free time, Buffy was like an oasis of sanity in an ocean of farking nuttiness.
Buffy. Kicked. Ass.
Yes, I know Joss Whedon has caught heat before regarding some of his actions. I get it. I didn’t know all that at the time.
Buffy was snarky and funny and kick-ass, and in all honesty there’s not much since then that’s really caught and held me the way that series did. As a writer, I devoured each episode like a starving woman at an all-you-can-eat buffet. In a way I haven’t seen in a while. (Although I will admit I am woefully behind in catching up on the new generation of Doctor Who.)
Broadchurch caught me in its clutches. So did Hannibal, and Longmire.. And The Blacklist. Yes, there was Firefly. But we got screwed over on that one, didn’t we? Investing our hearts in it to have it canceled right out from under us. Look what happened with The Glades.
Fuckers.
Dexter, oh, how you ripped my heart out when you jumped the shark and devolved from really great writing into something that seriously resembled, “How the fuck can we screw up Dexter’s life now?” And with gaping plot holes.
I find it difficult to give myself to a fictional TV show. (As opposed to a “reality” show like MythBusters or Dirty Jobs.) There really are few shows that “hook” me in a visceral way that allows me to allot the precious free time I have to them. Very few. I am a very tough demographic nut for producers to crack. I really am. I’m dipping my toes into Crossbones, mostly because I LOVE John Malcovich. I’d watch a show about that man doing his dishes if they put it on the air, I love him so farking hard.
Even The Walking Dead vexes me. Yes, I started the series late and had to binge-watch seasons one and two and part of three to get current. But they’re not following the storyline of the graphic novels. I get why they aren’t. But.
But.
The little OCD part of my brain rebels at that. Taking license here and there, sure. But storylines and events that either don’t happen, or happen differently, are reeeeaallly starting to piss me off in a multitude of ways.
So…
I miss Buffy.
I have the entire series of Frasier on DVD and have started watching my way through it. Another of my favorites. I love it because sometimes, I NEED brain candy. I need a mental palette reset. I need to laugh, and Frasier and his family is a guaranteed laugh every stinking time.
But…Buffy. Hannibal might turn out to be my next Buffy, depending on what they do with it. So far, I’ve been stunned on many levels by the writing and visual style. And, for some reason, the way they’re running the stories in different ways than the books hasn’t triggered my OCD-ishness. I don’t know why, but it’s yet another reason why I love the show.
Sound off about your favorites. Vent about cancelations. Rail against the TV writers ruining your favorite book-to-TV franchise.
Go ahead. I’m listening.
Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls, all Brian Fuller shows which never got further than a season or two. The running joke in my house is if I *really* love a show it will be cancelled.
I miss Buffy and I feel like Joss Whedon would have had more success with his shows if he was putting them out now where cable channels are creating amazing, quality original programming.
I just watched the end of Drop Dead Diva on the dvr. I am kind of glad it ended because they jumped the shark the last few episodes. I usually watch sports or start watching a show when its in reruns like the Big Bang Theory. It seemed as if every show I liked got canceled after the first season so I stopped watching. I love Longmire but I worry that its not going to be renewed. At least then I can read the books!
I loved Buffy, too, and I tried to wedge Angel into it’s place, but it never really filled the hole. I love Giant Historical Redo Series, too….I loved me some Tudors and I am TOTALLY caught up in The Borgias, which, apparently is not coming back….The Bastards! I loved Copper, too, which was cancelled with a giant cliffhanger….now I am sad….more coffee…..
I loved Buffy and Angel. The first Buffy show I saw was the 3rd or 4th from the end so I loved her with Spike more than Angel.
I loved La Femme Nikita. I couldn’t believe it when USA cancelled it. The nerd in me loved Eureka and then it got cancelled.