Where to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)

Trivia & production notes

• Joss Whedon's original concept for Buffy came from an earlier unproduced idea called 'Rhonda the Immortal Waitress' about an insignificant woman who turns out to be extraordinary.
• Whedon developed the TV series with the central metaphor of 'high school as a horror movie' to explore personal anxieties of adolescence and young adulthood.
• The 1992 Buffy film's director Fran Rubel Kuzui saw it as a comedy about vampire pop culture, while Whedon intended it as a scary film about an empowered woman.
• Whedon wrote and partly funded a 25-minute non-broadcast pilot that was shown to networks before the series was sold to the WB Network.
• A talent agent discovered David Boreanaz walking his dog on the sidewalk and immediately contacted the casting director, saying he had found Angel.
• Sarah Michelle Gellar originally auditioned for the role of Cordelia, but after Joss Whedon watched her audition, he asked her to come back and try out for the lead role of Buffy instead.
• Natasha Lyonne declined the opportunity to audition further for Buffy because she did not want to commit to a series at age 16.
• Nicholas Brendon had minimal acting experience before landing the role of Xander Harris, having worked jobs including plumber's assistant, veterinary janitor, and script delivery.
• Anthony Stewart Head was best known in the United States for a series of twelve Taster's Choice coffee commercials before playing Rupert Giles on Buffy.
• Buffy episode scripts were developed by first discussing the emotional issues facing the main character, then strategically placing act breaks at key moments designed to keep viewers engaged through commercial breaks.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Buffy the Vampire Slayer, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.