Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Worst Episode From Every Season

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is routinely considered to be one of the best TV shows ever made. It has a massive cult following, is the subject of numerous academic studies, and continues to gain new fans with every passing year.

With its spotless ensemble cast, iconic characters, relatable themes of high school strife, the pitfalls of romance, friendship and family, it's easy to see why Buffy has gained such a great reputation. But as TV has shown audiences time and time again, no show is without its flaws.

Despite having a remarkably solid run during it seven season lifespan, Buffy aired quite a few episodes that are far from commendable, from odd allegories about drugs to poor assessments of domestic abuse, and just plain awful monster of the week episodes that are so laughable it's a wonder they were produced at all.

With that in mind - and a warning about major spoilers - here are the worst episodes from every season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Here goes nothing...

Watching season one, it's clear that Buffy as a show was still finding its voice. You can tell in the way it leans into its stereotypical high school archetypes and classic vampire mythology. It's far from bad, of course, but it's also far from what the show would soon become.

Episodes like Welcome to the Hellmouth, Witch and Prophecy Girl have all become Buffy classics since their debut, making the season a worthwhile experience, but the same cannot be said of The Pack, which follows Xander and a gaggle of bullies as they're possessed (checks notes) by a hyena spirit.

The possession makes Xander moody and cruel, and the results, whilst clearly going for something darkly amusing, are beyond cringe-worthy. Between the acting, edgy tone and dull message that bullies are bad, The Pack watches almost like a parody of Buffy's strangest episodes, and is actually tough to get through without groaning.