Into every generation, a cult favorite TV series is born.
In March 1997, Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered, making its debut on The WB as a midseason replacement for the shortlived soap Savannah.
No one expected the sci-fi-meets-coming-of-age show about a 16-year-old blonde, played by All My Children alum Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is balancing honing her vampire slayer skills and getting her homework done on time. After all, the 1992 movie of the same name didn’t exactly instill faith in the project, with creator Joss Whedon even walking off the set when the film took on a different, more comedic tone than he imagined.
Slowly but surely, the show developed a rabid following of fans, who were drawn to the star-crossed romances, the quippy dialogue, the engaging mythology and the all-too-relatable idea that high school can feel like a literal hellmouth. Buffy and her friends Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) made being uncool seem cool and you wanted to be part of their Scooby gang. Add in a love triangle for the ages and no amount of garlic or crosses could keep fans away.
BtVS ended its seven-season run in 2003, but its legacy has endured, with Buffy Summers still serving as one of TV’s most definitive feminist icons, a superhero with a stake, if you will—though its legacy has somewhat been tarnished in recent years due to allegations of misconduct and verbal abuse being levied against Whedon by star Charisma Carpenter.