There are very few TV shows more 90s than “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular Slayer. Even though there were a few different Slayers that were awakened during her tenure, Buffy Summers is considered the Slayer, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon. Despite various attempts to reboot the series over the years, “Buffy” has one big problem: finding its audience.
Why The ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Reboot Was Seemingly Cancelled
At this point in time, it’s unclear why the reboot, which would have starred “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” alum Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the new Slayer, was scrapped. Although financial concerns most certainly played a role, Sarah Michelle Gellar seemed to point the finger at one person during a strongly worded interview with PEOPLE magazine.
“We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him,” she said.
“That’s very hard when you’re taking a property that is as beloved as Buffy, not just to the world, but to me and Chloé,” she added. “So that tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn’t watch it.”
So Who Was The ‘Buffy’ Reboot Really For?
Although Deadline sources seem to point to that executive being Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich, who oversees Hulu original series, it does raise the question of who the show was supposed to be for. Was Armstrong supposed to be a new Slayer for a new legion of teenage fans? Or was Gellar supposed to be nostalgia bait for an older audience?
“I loved the duality that we had with this new, younger slayer who was where Buffy was when the show started, and then we would pick up with where Buffy was now,” Gellar told the publication about the plot, hinting that it would have had something for everyone, which means that there was a substantial risk of alienating some viewers who might not have been satisfied with that kind of passive approach.
The reboot appears to have been caught between positioning Armstrong as the face of a new group of fans while still leaning on Gellar as a tether to the past. This risks satisfying neither audience, leaving the series stuck in a limbo that might end up letting everyone down. Either the reboot is a nostalgia-grab powered by Gellar’s iconic status or a bold reimagining aimed at a newer audience, but it can’t be both.
Concerns About The Reboot Being Too ‘Small’
Sources told Deadline that there were various concerns about the production, including that the scope of the project might have been too “small” to achieve what they hoped to accomplish. However, those goals remain unclear, as audiences haven’t been given a concrete reason as to why the production was suddenly shut down.
There were also, apparently, some concerns about Armstrong’s age. She was only 15 when she was cast. Compare that to Gellar, who was 18 when “Buffy” first started production. However, Armstrong is hardly a new actor and has already amassed extensive experience in film and television, so it is unlikely that her age played a major role in the show’s cancellation.
While some insiders said that the pilot was “not perfect” and “not great,” a new rewrite addressing the feedback was apparently “more adult” and featured a lot more of the OG Slayer. Unfortunately, it seems that it was not enough to convince the one executive that Gellar singled out.
There Are Plans To Make Another ‘Buffy’ Down The Line
Deadline reported that there is hope that another show will emerge in the “Buffy” universe somewhere in “the next couple of years,” but for Armstrong, it looks like her chance at a career-defining role has come and gone.
Many fans have taken to social media in order to voice their frustration. A large part of fan ire stems from the original “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” itself. The show’s pilot episode and first season weren’t particularly well-received, but the show improved over time as it found its footing. Cancelling the reboot after only one episode may have robbed it of the same opportunity.
‘Buffy’ Fans Are Expressing Their Frustration
Many fans have taken to social media in order to express their frustration over the reboot’s cancellation. One fan compared it to Netflix’s “Cobra Kai,” writing, “I think Hulu dropped the ball here. Reboots/Remakes draw a lot of attention to streaming services. Look at what Cobra Kai did. It became one of the biggest shows on Netflix. It brought in old fans and new fans. Wasn’t a perfect show, but fans of Karate Kid and new fans loved it.”
“This is an absolutely bonkers call to alienate an Oscar winner AND the one name the show absolutely can’t go on without as a first move under a restructuring Disney empire. It’s not too late to fire Erwich for incredibly bad judgment,” another fan wrote, adding, “This deserved a shot even if it needed more work.”
A third user pointed out how hard it was to get Sarah Michelle Gellar on board with even this version of a reboot, and noted that she was unlikely to come back in the future. “Well, whatever they do with the IP now, they’ll never get Gellar involved again,” they wrote. “That’s one seriously burnt bridge.”
Overall, any reboot is unlikely to happen for two main reasons. For one, it’s unlikely that Gellar is going to get her hopes up with another “Buffy” project, only to watch it get axed again. Secondly, it appears that execs still haven’t decided who exactly the reboot is supposed to be for. Either it’s nostalgia bait or a bold reimagining, but it can’t be both. And, until they decide what audience they want to appeal to, it looks like “Buffy” is going to stay stuck in purgatory.