20 TV Acting Performances That Are Totally Flawless

Buffy Summers is arguably pop culture's greatest heroine. For seven seasons, she fought the forces of darkness, saved the world (a lot) from impending doom, and always acted both morally and selflessly. She even died twice in her efforts to fulfil her destiny.

Along the way, Buffy fell in love, killed those she cared about, gave her life for her sister, and lost her mother to a painfully human condition. Guiding her through her hardships and trauma was Sarah Michelle Gellar, who had the difficult task of being at once an immeasurably cool badass and a fun, normal teenager.

In the role, Gellar was consistently funny and measured, balancing the different aspects of Buffy's life with striking maturity and complexity.

Even when Buffy the Vampire Slayer lost its way slightly, the one constant that remained was the ensemble work of its cast, and Sarah Michelle Gellar was probably the best of them all.