Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the first and most successful urban fantasy television shows, running for seven seasons and remaining a cultural landmark for its era. The series was based on the 1992 film, written by Joss Whedon, who returned and worked as the showrunner for the television show as well. Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as Buffy Summers, the Chosen One, a teenager who was destined to protect the world from monsters, demons, and vampires, and who found herself surrounded by allies, including the Scooby Gang and good vampires like Angel and Spike. The show also dealt with important issues, not the least of which were LGBTQ+ storylines and the idea of female empowerment in the face of a patriarchal society.
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There were seven seasons, starting with Buffy making her mark in Sunnydale, to the end when a legion of Slayers were awakened, and the show moved into the future. With a new Buffy sequel series coming, here is a look at the best seasons of the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, ranked.
7) Season 7
The final Buffy the Vampire Slayer season was a chance to wrap up the storylines and show that the future would look very different for all the Slayers. This season saw several huge moments, such as the end of the Watchers Council, the activation of more than one Slayer at a time, and the final battle against the First Evil (Nathan Fillion) with Sunnydale and the Hellmouth at stake.
However, the problem with the final season was that too much was going on, but at the same time, nothing was really going on. There were too many Potentials, Buffy was no longer special, and the finale committed some cardinal sins, including killing Anya off without anyone caring. The perfect conclusion could have been in the fifth season, and things here just seemed to be a little too much.
6) Season 4
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 4 was always going to feel like a letdown following the incredible third season and the Graduation Day event. However, it took a little too long for things to get moving here, with Buffy going to college, and the changes hurt, taking away what really made the show’s first three seasons special. The season also had one of the worst villains in Adam and a terrible love interest in Riley.
However, there were some great moments, especially the introduction of Tara and Willow coming out. While college life hurt the show in more ways than one, there was one thing that kept this season as one worth watching. “Hush” remains one of the best episodes of episodic television ever made, regardless of genre.
5) Season 6
The sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is polarizing, and it has several things that fans couldn’t agree on. The biggest problem here was the long-running plot about Spike and Buffy, with fans wondering if they would end up together, even though that was never going to work. It also had the problem of Willow bringing Buffy back from the dead, not realizing she was in Heaven. This should have been the running theme throughout the season, but then things shifted to her relationship with Spike.
That said, there were some great things in this season, the best of which was Willow breaking bad. When the Trio murdered Tara, it caused Willow to snap, and the moment she went bad until Buffy and Xander were able to save her was captivating television. Seeing Willow’s pain made this an emotional season, and proves that even bad Buffy seasons have redeeming moments. Plus, this was also the season with “One More Time With Feeling.”
4) Season 1
The first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer made this show a must-watch new series when it premiered. This was a rare case where everyone was already settled into their roles from the start, and it took off running. Everyone from Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boroneaz to Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon was brilliantly drawn, and the actors made this a show that fans fell in love with.
However, it falls below the best seasons because the episodes were uneven. There were some great moments in the first season, with the introduction of Angel to the great fight scenes with vampires and demons. However, there were also some stinkers in there, including “I Robot… You, Jane” and “Teacher’s Pet.” However, as a series finding its feet, it was solid.
3) Season 5
The worst thing that happened in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5 was the introduction of Dawn, a character who had never existed before this season, but was treated like she had always been there. The worst parts of the season saw Buffy and Dawn squabbling constantly, which dragged things down. However, this also had one of the best episodes in history in “The Body” when Joyce died, and Buffy had to face her grief.
The fact that Buffy Summers died at the end of the season was perfect, and the series could have ended there with the idea that she was in Heaven. In fact, when Willow resurrected her in Season 6, Buffy revealed she was in Heaven. The big bad, Glory, was also great, and this was a season that had plenty of high moments and should have been the end of Buffy’s story.
2) Season 2
For fans of Angel, there might not be a better season than Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2. This was the season where Buffy and Angel’s relationship hit its highest note, but it is also the season where he broke bad again. Seeing David Boroneaz play both the vampire with a soul and the vampire who had a bloodlust and preferred to torment his enemies showed how great an actor he is.
There were some great moments in the season, from the tragedy of Giles losing the love of his life when Angel killed Jenny Calendar to Buffy being forced to kill Angel in the end to stop the apocalypse. This is also the season that introduced fans of the series to Spike and Drusilla, which made every episode they appeared in more entertaining. Having Angel as one of the big bads was a perfect choice for a fantastic season of television.
1) Season 3
The best Buffy the Vampire Slayer season in history was the third, and it isn’t even close. This was the year that everything was clicking on every part of the series. Faith showed up as the new Slayer, although Buffy didn’t technically die, and her debut on the series was a shot in the arm. Angel was back from the dead, which put a strain on his relationship with Buffy, and this would be his final season before departing for his spinoff.
The big bad here was the Mayor, and the Graduation Day episodes were among the best in the show’s history. Everything in this series seemed to lead to the end of high school, and the way the stories were set up allowed that all to culminate at the perfect moment when they were set to graduate and move on in the world. Also, this season had the Elseworlds episode where Willow and Xander went full vamp, which was brilliant.
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Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme
