It was a show that never should have worked, with a ludicrous premise and a name that almost no one could take seriously. And it was based on a failed motion picture. Despite that, Buffy accomplished a lot in seven years. While it was never a ratings juggernaut, the cult hit had such a dedicated fan following that when it was up for renewal, a bidding war between networks erupted, and the show jumped from the WB to the then-fledgling network UPN for $2.3 million per episode, more than twice what the WB had paid for Buffy. At the time of its airing, Buffy was hugely influential in the world of television, and that hasn't changed even to this day. It was so influential that a Slate poll from 2012 found it to be the television show most studied by Academics, and there have been entire courses built around it, not to mention countless essays, and even several published works about the series and its influence. Not to mention plenty of shows following in its footsteps. With all that in mind, it's worthwhile to examine cases where Buffy the Vampire Slayer wasn't just a great show - but where it changed, well, everything for the television landscape.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
