Reboots seem to be all the rage these days and Fox TV boss Gary Newman thinks that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is ripe for a reboot. You might be one of those that gives a collective groan or a shout of adulation for this announcement but the overall decision belongs to Joss Whedon, the series’ creator. Unless he gives the go-ahead it won’t even be considered. Whether he will agree to this or not is something that no one knows as of yet, but it can at least be assumed that the idea might be kicked around the studio for a while until someone finally gets through to Joss. Whether he says yay or nay is all dependent on whether he wants to take the chance with a reboot.
There are those that think reboots are great, that they’re wonderful, and in some cases better than the original. Then there are those that believe that there’s no tampering with the original no matter how great something can be. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a mediocre to campy movie that achieved cult status in the same way that many such films do well after it was released from theaters. How this happened is still anyone’s guess but when it became a hit TV show ratings went through the roof and the people responded favorably as they wanted more and more of Buffy as the years went on. But there’s a big problem with reboots. They’re not the same thing.
They might be the same show, based on the same characters and with most of the same settings and plot lines, but they’re not the same thing. Some of the alums from the original show might make an appearance and there might be some very recognizable stories, but it won’t be the same. Reboots are by definition something that has to happen in order to start something up again because the original program will no longer work in the same manner. This means that a facsimile of the original has to be created and utilized to take the place of the original program in TV terms. Nothing will be the same since the people won’t be the same. That means the acting won’t be the same and as a result neither will the quality. One can only depend on the fan base to be so forgiving before they either turn on the show and pronounce it as ruined, or simply turn away from it for good.
There are likely a lot of loyal fans that would give a reboot the benefit of the doubt, but those loyal fans would still be greatly disappointed it seems when they found out that a reboot is not going to be the same as the show they came to love. Keep in mind that the actors have all moved on at this point and have grown older since the original show, so bringing them back would be kind of futile since they might not even be interested. It might be possible to create a show based on Buffy, but otherwise let the show rest.
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