Burnett is kind of a right wing crank/grifter these days and has been for a long time.

I have little interest in this revival, but I would not go by those two guys.

Edited yesterday at 05:10 AM1 day by Vee

The pilot script is out there and I'll say that I think they got the language all wrong. Buffy actually didn't use a lot of lingo kids actually used back then since Joss - for all his faults - knew it would age the show badly. I think whoever wrote the dialog needs to go, or they need to get someone who understands to balance it better so it doesn't become quite so buzzwordy and "aren't the kids just speakin' crazy these days, amirite???"

Craig Erwich is the executive who shut it down. More information about various topics is available via Deadline Hollywood:

Yeah, I've seen the script too but haven't read it yet. We'll see.

Well, now knowing it's likely not the script used for the final 90-minute pilot, I am sure other changes were made. But based on the script, I think it was a solid pilot that harkened back to the first season.

I've read the complaint before about Buffy not showing up 'til the last page of the pilot script.

TBH, I don't have a problem with the OG Chosen One being an occasional or recurring presence in the revival/reboot/revamp. I think Buffy's story was "done" at the end of the original series. The revival, therefore, needed (or needs) to be centered around a new, young woman who assumes her mantle. That's the whole point behind the mythology, I think: to pass that baton from one generation to the next.

I'm not sure what script you read, but the one I read was very "eeeh maybe it'll work better on tape". Which isn't the best thing I could say.

51 minutes ago, Khan said:

I've read the complaint before about Buffy not showing up 'til the last page of the pilot script.

TBH, I don't have a problem with the OG Chosen One being an occasional or recurring presence in the revival/reboot/revamp. I think Buffy's story was "done" at the end of the original series. The revival, therefore, needed (or needs) to be centered around a new, young woman who assumes her mantle. That's the whole point behind the mythology, I think: to pass that baton from one generation to the next.

The early draft I have has her on the last page, yes. According to the new Deadline piece they then did a rewrite at Hulu's request where she was in it much more.

I agree any revival would have to be primarily about the new generation (which this one evidently was), but I dunno if any would succeed long-term in the current streamer bust age. I was not particularly on tenterhooks for a Buffy revival of any kind, I think it had its time. But I do think it's a pity if some male exec dismissed it out of hand due to the climate of our times. The premise on its face is still a strong one for young girls in the audience.

1 hour ago, Vee said:

I agree any revival would have to be primarily about the new generation (which this one evidently was), but I dunno if any would succeed long-term in the current streamer bust age. I was not particularly on tenterhooks for a Buffy revival of any kind, I think it had its time. But I do think it's a pity if some male exec dismissed it out of hand due to the climate of our times. The premise on its face is still a strong one for young girls in the audience.

ICAM!

I will say that I'm glad not to see Joss Whedon involved in this project in any significant way. Not just because of the scandals that continue to surround him IRL, but also because I came to see him a long time ago as a one-trick pony whose trick aged quickly.

Oh, and even better than that? Marti Noxon doesn't appear to be involved in this either. Boy, did she really screw the old pooch when she became show runner.

Edited 17 hours ago17 hr by Khan

I will stick up for Noxon, who had a lot to say about her role in the recent years since the Whedon scandal. I also liked S6 a lot more than SMG did. I think she got the bulk of criticisms that weren't all her fault.

I do think very few people have the touch for BTVS as Whedon and his team did. But Joss just can't be involved again.

11 hours ago, Vee said:

I will stick up for Noxon, who had a lot to say about her role in the recent years since the Whedon scandal.

What did she say? (You could DM me if it's too sensitive).

And I had no idea that SMG didn't like S6.

12 hours ago, Vee said:

I will stick up for Noxon, who had a lot to say about her role in the recent years since the Whedon scandal. I also liked S6 a lot more than SMG did. I think she got the bulk of criticisms that weren't all her fault.

I do think very few people have the touch for BTVS as Whedon and his team did. But Joss just can't be involved again.

I always get why the sixth season gets the flak it gets because of how dark and real it was. But I do think that's what made it as brilliant as it was. But yes, Joss will likely never be involved again, especially if they want Sarah Michelle Gellar involved.

37 minutes ago, Khan said:

What did she say? (You could DM me if it's too sensitive).

Taken from her interview with Vulture:

I’m curious to hear more about the pushback you got to season six of Buffy, where people were really upset about how dark the show got, and why you think there’s more of an appetite for stories about powerful and messed-up women now.

With season six, there was this announcement that I was running the show and Joss was going to take a back seat, but in reality, anybody who knows Joss knows that his idea of taking a back seat is not every single thing, you know?

But I did have way more input over that season and some real muscular influence on the direction of that season in part because I was really vocal about wanting Buffy to make some bad mistakes. My argument was that, when we become young women, especially if we’re troubled or haunted by something, that can lead us to make some bad choices, especially in the area of romance. And people really took me to task online. I finally just disengaged and didn’t participate in that conversation at all.

40 minutes ago, Khan said:

And I had no idea that SMG didn't like S6.

She has gone on record stating it is not her favourite because she found it too dark and that it betrayed the core of who Buffy was as a character and often cites that she cannot rewatch the season and did not enjoy the production aspect of it. Which is why season seven righted the "wrongs" of the sixth season.

From her interview with Vogue:

In a way, I get why S6 had to "go dark." After all, Buffy HAD died (and gone to Heaven) and she WAS buried - not for a few days, or a few weeks, but for MONTHS. Not even the Chosen One could shake that off and carry on as if nothing had changed.

Even if I were to concede that the end of S5 necessitated a darker tone for S6, however, I still think S6 became almost oppressive and nihilistic, which is just not enjoyable to watch every week. For me, there has to be some balance.

And I'm not even gonna TOUCH anything related to Spike, lol.

2 hours ago, Liberty City said:

Which is why season seven righted the "wrongs" of the sixth season.

Except, the major issue with S7, at least for me, was that, as far as Big Bads went, the First was nebulous, for lack of a better word, to the point of being anticlimactic.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Khan

1 minute ago, Khan said:

Even if I were to concede that the end of S5 necessitated a darker tone for S6, however, I still think S6 became almost oppressive and nihilistic, which is just not enjoyable to watch every week.

It depends on what one likes. I loved the darker, more realistic tone the season had. I understand it not being for everyone, though. But I would also wager moving from the WB to UPN helped in that shift as well. Buffy's clawing her way out of her grave also harkens back to the first season, when she revealed her nightmare of being buried alive, which ultimately came true this season. I also believe characters beyond Buffy had a lot of development (i.e., Tara and her finding her voice).

4 minutes ago, Khan said:

Except, the major issue with S7, at least for me, was that, as far as Big Bads went, the First was nebulous, for lack of a better word, to the point of being anticlimactic.

I believe that choosing the First as the final big bad was a wise decision. Again, it took them back to the fourth season, when Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Xander all invoked the primordial spirit, which then showed up to them in the form of the First Slayer. Furthermore, tying it into the third season when Angel was confronted by the First (predominantly in the form of Jenny Calendar) was brilliant and a wonderful callback. The seventh season truly embodied the theme of being the Slayer, and that is what I think about when I think of the seventh season. As much as Buffy rebelled against what the Slayer meant to be throughout the series (also hence why Giles was fired -- he became less of a Watcher and more of a father to her), by the seventh, she took it for all it was worth after beginning to learn about it during the fifth season. And they always dropped hints of this with Kendra and Faith and their views of being a Slayer (especially Kendra, who relied upon her Watcher's training during her all-too-brief time on the series).

1 hour ago, Khan said:

Except, the major issue with S7, at least for me, was that, as far as Big Bads went, the First was nebulous, for lack of a better word, to the point of being anticlimactic.

I think the First Evil made perfect sense for the final villain. I had always expected it back, and was not shocked when it revealed itself in S7. But I thought that last year was a real mixed bag at best. I just did not care about Kennedy or most of the new Slayers and thought throwing them all into the mix on top of the core cast cluttered things up too much. Then they added Faith, DB Woodside's principal, Nathan Fillion as a last minute henchman, etc. There were just too many people and not enough space. You could have some of those characters but not all.

I think S6 is often pretty great except for the final very rushed Dark Willow 2-3 parter, and the notorious Spike/Buffy bathroom scene just went too far. It was very well done technically and performance-wise but it didn't need to happen. But I also haven't watched much of that season (or much BTVS at all) in over 15 years. I understand why SMG was not a fan. A lot of the audience weren't fans. But I think Noxon filled the brief she was given. The hate for her was intense during the show's live years and I think she does not get enough credit for doing great work before, during and after that season while Joss was credited as the God of television. Even today you see a divide in that fandom of people decrying any attempt to continue without Joss.

Edited 5 minutes ago5 min by Vee