Disney's 7-Part Fantasy Series Is Perfect For Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fans

3 hours ago 10

Xander as James Bond, Buffy as Little Red Riding Hood, Willow as Joan of Arc, and Oz as God for Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4 Halloween episode

Published Jun 5, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.

All Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans should watch Disney's fantasy series that aired for seven seasons. 23 years after the Buffy series finale, the Sarah Michelle Gellar-led show remains iconic and in a class of its own, with few others able to compare what it was able to achieve.

Buffy does have a spinoff series, Angel, which ran for five seasons and follows David Boreanaz's vampire, along with Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter), Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Alexis Denisof), as they work to solve supernatural cases in Los Angeles. Angel has many strengths, and it ties in well with the Buffyverse, but its tone and themes are quite different from the show that preceded it.

A sequel series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, was in the works for a while at Hulu. Gellar returned to reprise the titular role and produce, while the Academy Award-winning Chloé Zhao directed the pilot episode and Ryan Kiera Armstrong played the new Slayer and protagonist. This had the potential to recapture the spirit of the original series, and the pilot episode was filmed, but Hulu canceled the project before it could move forward any further.

Sunnydale · Watcher’s Council Examination Buffy the Vampire Slayer Trivia “Into every generation, a Slayer is born.”

🗡The
SlayerChosen One

🧛VampiresCreatures of Night

🔥HellmouthPortal Below

👥ScoobiesScooby Gang

✨MagicDark Arts

ENTER THE HELLMOUTH →

She was chosen to fight the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. Which actress plays Buffy Summers across all seven seasons of the series?

ASarah Michelle Gellar BAlyson Hannigan CCharisma Carpenter DEliza Dushku

✓ Correct! Sarah Michelle Gellar brought Buffy Summers to life from 1997 to 2003, creating one of the most iconic female action heroes in television history. Her blend of vulnerability, humor, and fierce determination defined the character and the show.

✗ Staked! The answer is Sarah Michelle Gellar. Alyson Hannigan plays Willow, Charisma Carpenter plays Cordelia, and Eliza Dushku plays the rogue Slayer Faith. Only SMG is the one and only Buffy Summers.

Buffy and her friends live in a fictional California town built directly on top of a mystical convergence of dark energy called the Hellmouth. What is the name of this town?

AMystic Falls BSunnydale CSanta Carla DBeacon Hills

✓ Correct! Sunnydale, California sits atop the Hellmouth, a portal to demon dimensions that attracts supernatural activity like a magnet. The town’s ironic name — sunny and pleasant on the surface, literally hellish underneath — perfectly captures the show’s tone.

✗ Staked! The answer is Sunnydale. Mystic Falls is from The Vampire Diaries, Santa Carla is from The Lost Boys, and Beacon Hills is from Teen Wolf. Only Sunnydale sits on the Hellmouth.

Every Slayer is assigned a Watcher — a mentor from an ancient British organization who guides and trains her. Who is Buffy’s beloved Watcher throughout most of the series?

AWesley Wyndam-Pryce BQuentin Travers CRupert Giles DMerrick

✓ Correct! Rupert Giles, played by Anthony Stewart Head, serves as Buffy’s Watcher and surrogate father figure. The school librarian by day, Giles is a repository of occult knowledge with a rebellious past — his younger self was known as ‘Ripper.’ His bond with Buffy is one of the show’s emotional pillars.

✗ Staked! The answer is Rupert Giles. Wesley is the by-the-book replacement Watcher who later joins Angel’s team, Quentin Travers heads the Watchers’ Council, and Merrick was Buffy’s first Watcher (from the original film). Giles is the one who truly shaped Buffy.

Buffy’s first great love is a vampire cursed with a soul, who was given his conscience back by Romani as punishment for his terrible crimes. Who is this brooding vampire?

ASpike BAngel COz DRiley Finn

✓ Correct! Angel, played by David Boreanaz, is the vampire Angelus cursed with a soul by the Romani people after he murdered a girl from their clan. His tormented romance with Buffy is the emotional core of the early seasons, and he eventually got his own spinoff series, Angel.

✗ Staked! The answer is Angel (Angelus). Spike is a different vampire who gains a soul later by choice, Oz is a werewolf (Willow’s boyfriend), and Riley Finn is a human soldier from the Initiative. Angel is Buffy’s first star-crossed supernatural love.

In the critically acclaimed Season 4 episode ‘Hush,’ the Gentlemen steal something from every person in Sunnydale. What do they take?

ATheir dreams BTheir hearts CTheir memories DTheir voices

✓ Correct! The Gentlemen steal everyone’s voices, rendering the entire town unable to speak or scream. The episode is famous for having almost no dialogue, forcing the cast to communicate through physical acting. It earned Buffy its only Emmy nomination for writing.

✗ Staked! The answer is their voices. The Gentlemen need silence so no one can scream when they come to cut out hearts. The episode’s near-total lack of dialogue made it one of the most innovative hours in TV history and earned the show its only Emmy writing nomination.

Buffy’s best friend Willow Rosenberg begins the series as a shy computer nerd but eventually becomes one of the most powerful beings in the Buffyverse. What is the source of her immense power?

AWitchcraft and magic BDemonic possession CSlayer abilities DAncient technology

✓ Correct! Willow, played by Alyson Hannigan, develops into an incredibly powerful witch over the course of the series. Her magic arc goes from floating pencils to nearly destroying the world as ‘Dark Willow’ in Season 6 — one of the show’s most dramatic character transformations.

✗ Staked! The answer is witchcraft and magic. Willow’s journey from timid hacker to world-ending witch is one of Buffy’s most compelling arcs. Her addiction to dark magic in Season 6 and eventual mastery of her powers in Season 7 show the full spectrum of her character.

Which bleach-blonde vampire starts as a villain who has killed two Slayers, but over the course of the series falls in love with Buffy and ultimately sacrifices himself to save the world?

AAngelus BDrusilla CSpike DDarla

✓ Correct! Spike, played by James Marsters, goes from one of Buffy’s deadliest enemies to one of her most devoted allies. After seeking out a soul of his own free will — unlike Angel, who was cursed with one — Spike sacrifices himself in the series finale to close the Hellmouth and save the world.

✗ Staked! The answer is Spike. Angelus is Angel’s evil alter ego, Drusilla is Spike’s sire and former love, and Darla is Angel’s sire. Only Spike made the journey from Big Bad to self-sacrificing hero, choosing to earn his soul rather than having it forced upon him.

The Season 6 episode ‘Once More, with Feeling’ is a full musical where the cast sings and dances. What supernatural force causes the townspeople to burst into song and reveal their deepest secrets?

AA cursed amulet from a hell dimension BWillow’s memory spell gone wrong CThe Hellmouth’s psychic energy DA demon named Sweet

✓ Correct! Sweet, a dapper singing demon summoned accidentally by Xander, forces everyone in Sunnydale to express their hidden feelings through song — with the deadly side effect that some people literally dance themselves to death. The episode is widely considered one of the greatest TV musical episodes ever made.

✗ Staked! The answer is a demon named Sweet. Xander accidentally summoned Sweet with an amulet, unleashing musical chaos across Sunnydale. The songs revealed painful truths — Buffy’s depression, Giles’s plan to leave, Tara’s suspicion about Willow’s magic — making it both entertaining and emotionally devastating.

REVEAL MY SCORE →

Sunnydale · Patrol Complete Your Slayer Record

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Chosen One — or just another Sunnydale civilian?

↻ SLAY AGAIN

Nothing can compare to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but for fans looking for a show with parallels and a similar tone, Once Upon a Time is an excellent choice. The series aired on the Disney-owned ABC network for seven seasons from 2011-2018 and has a surprising number of similarities to Buffy.

Both shows embrace their campy tones and revolve around a spunky, blond-haired hero who moves into a special town and fights the forces of evil. Buffy Summers (Gellar) is the Slayer who moves to Sunnydale, California, which is crawling with vampires and other supernatural enemies from the Hellmouth, and she has the power and destiny to protect others from these dangers.

In Once Upon a Time, Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) is the Savior, who moves to Storybrooke, Maine and is destined to break the Dark Curse. The town features classic fairy tale and Disney characters, and she contends with villains like the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla), Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle), the Queen of Hearts (Barbara Hershey), the Snow Queen (Elizabeth Mitchell), and Hades (Greg Germann).

During their respective time in Sunnydale and Storybrooke, Buffy and Emma fall in love with a "bad boy." In Buffy's case, it is Angel, and later on the vampire Spike (James Marsters), and in Emma's case, it is Killian Jones/Hook (Colin O'Donoghue). Angel and Hook are both former villains who are on the path to redemption, and Spike eventually goes on this journey as well.

These redemptive arcs are not smooth sailing, though, as both Angel and Hook are pulled back into the darkness and temporarily become full-on villains. In order to save the world, Buffy and Emma must make the ultimate sacrifices, and they even do it in a strikingly similar fashion. Thanks to the shows' supernatural and magical worlds, this is not the end of Angel or Hook's stories, which ties into the deeply hopeful themes of both series.

Buffy and Once Upon a Time also have multiple actors in common, including Emma Caulfield as Anya and the Blind Witch and Eion Bailey as Kyle DuFours and August Booth/Pinocchio. These two actors, along with the rest of both casts, remain committed to selling the story despite the low-budget CGI. There is a certain charm to this, as it adds to the overall campiness, and the characters, plots, and themes are more than enough to make up for it.

Buffy & Once Upon A Time Both Have What Modern TV Is Missing

Neal, Regina, Henry, and Emma gathered together in Once Upon A Time

Even though Buffy aired from 1997-2003 and Once Upon a Time from 2011-2018, both shows contain many of the best things that are missing from modern television. They each ran for seven seasons, and except for Buffy season 1, they all had around 22 episodes per season. This is a far cry from modern streaming shows, which often only have between eight and ten episodes a season, and even most network series don't get 22-episode seasons any longer.

Buffy has a total of 144 episodes, while Once Upon A Time has 155. Compared to more recent shows, they also had relatively consistent release schedules and returned on an annual basis. Between having far fewer seasons, shorter episode counts, inconsistent release schedules, and years-long hiatuses, few shows are able to last as long as Buffy or Once Upon a Time did.

Their consistency and longevity ensured that momentum stayed strong and helped make fans deeply invested in the characters as they watched them gradually develop over the course of many years. Along the way, there are episodes that some consider to be "filler," but this is also something that modern television is missing, as they give the characters and the stories room to breathe and to go in fun, unexpected, and even rewarding directions.

All these elements also helped the endings of Once Upon a Time and Buffy the Vampire Slayer be satisfying. Their conclusions feel earned, which is something that cannot be said for many recent shows due to having finales that feel rushed or not having one at all because of being prematurely canceled.