Summary
While a spinoff series sometimes airs years after the original series ended,Buffy the Vampire Slayerfans got lucky.Buffyaired for seven seasons from 1997 to 2003, and the spinoffAngelaired from 1999 to 2004. In the decades since, viewers have happily rewatched both shows, and now,a potential HuluBuffy the Vampire Slayerrebootis in the works.
There are manydebates about which characters could come back, fromGiles Rupert (Anthony Head)toFaith Lelane (Eliza Dushku). This leads to a big and important question: how will theBuffy the Vampire Slayerreboot deal with theAngelspinoff?
Why The Buffy The Vampire Slayer Reboot Should Take Place After The Events Of Angel
IfAngelwas a dull and uninspiring spinoff, then it would make sense for theBuffy the Vampire Slayerreboot to ignore it entirely. Fans would want to forget it happened and focus on the original series. However,Angelis a fun, fast-paced, and worthy spinoff, soit seems logical that theBuffyreboot would followAngel.
SinceHulu’sBuffyshow will likely feature new charactersandBuffy won’t be the main character, it would be smart for the series to include the events ofAngel. This will ensure that the series feels familiar enough to fans who have stuck around since this compelling and supernatural world was first introduced in the late 1990s.
Many fans are wonderinghow theBuffy the Vampire Slayerreboot can handle the cliffhangerat the end ofAngel.As season 5, episode 22, “Not Fade Away,” wraps up, Angel (David Boreanaz) is about to go into battle and says, “Let’s get to work.” But, sadly, viewers never get to see what happens. So, if the reboot takes place several decades after theAngelseries finale,is Angel alive or dead?This question should definitely be answered in the pilot episode.
Why The Buffy The Vampire Slayer Reboot Could Ignore Angel
There is one main reason why theBuffy the Vampire Slayerreboot might want to ignore the events ofAngel: because ofpotential cameo appearances by past actors. For instance,if Charisma Carpenter comes back, then the new series will have to ignore the fact that Cordelia Chase dies inAngelseason 5, episode 12, “You’re Welcome.”
There’s also the question of Spike’s (James Marsden) possible return. WhileSpike dies at the end ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer, the character comes back inAngel,and fans see him again in season 5, episode 1, “Fool For Love.” However, if the new show wants to explore Buffy’s grief over losing Spike, then the show would of course have to say that Spike’s death was permanent.
Ultimately, theBuffy the Vampire Slayerreboot has to decide what to do aboutAngelone way or the other, or it’s going to get too messy. As long as the show does a great job with new and old characters alike, either decision will be fine. The most important thing is thatthe reboot has strong storytelling, like the original series.Redditor @Makk-ara shared their thoughts about pastBuffy the Vampire Slayercharacters coming back to the reboot:
“have them be a natural part of the world and recognize all that they did. I don’t want the new cast to be dependent on the old characters or have them ‘fix the mistakes of the previous generation’ or anything like that. Just a new story in the same world.”