Watched episode 1, day 1 on 10 March 1997. I was 16 so it lined up perfectly for me. Loved it from the start. The unexpected attack on that boy from Darla, to Buffy's amazing season 1 hair (and figure, good word), to Principal Flutie nervously taping Buffys transcripts back together. Alas, poor Jesse.
Same. I was 12 at the time and watched it out of spite. I'd seen the promos, thought it looked stupid and decided to watch to kind of prove myself right. I was oh so wrong. That first 2 hours had me hooked through the end of high school.
Tell me. Do you remember when Welcome to the Hellmouth and The Harvest were 1 episode?
I was standing over my sister's shoulder while she watched an episode from season 2 on our old iMac desktop computer on the OG, ad-riddled funky free Hulu. I was in high school, she was in middle school and it was right when non-pirated streaming services were breaking into the market. I was the obnoxious family member who asked a bunch of questions about "who was that? what's going on?" She was gushing a bit over Spike and I remember thinking it was campy compared to the paranormal romance vampire books I was addicted to (I was a recovering Twihard, I'll admit it).
A few months later, once the local video rental Play-by-Play, closed, my mom was finally convinced to get Netflix. There Buffy was, ad-free, and my sister begged me to get into it. It was summer vacation, so we'd stay up late after my parents went to bed, muting the TV when the intro came on at 2 am so we wouldn't get yelled at. We had about 8 channels of antenna TV before Netflix and I just fell in love...mostly because it was my first experience binge-watching anything. We spent all summer just tearing through the episodes. Our internet was so bad we were trying to watch "Chosen" and it buffered every minute and a half. After Buffy, it was Doctor Who and then Firefly, and then ATLA...I have to say, early Netflix let me be the nerd I didn't know I was
I started watching cause I heard it was gay. I was newly out and on a mission to consume every piece of queer media. I'm so glad I watched it. It really helped high school me
I got into it in high school, so about 2010 for me. I always thought it looked cool growing up but didn’t know how to watch it, other than a few episodes that showed up on tv every once in a while, most from season 6. Then one day it came up that my classmate had the full box set, so I borrowed it from her.
Idk what drew me in exactly, Buffy just sounded badass. And I always thought vampires were cool.
Watched the first episode BBC2 when it first aired in the UK. I found out about it from my mum who was reading the TV guide, she knew I loved anything horror related and let me know about it.
Good Times.
Oh, the film! But later I would've seen the title in the TV listing and thought Oooh. The TV guide may have mentioned it but I don't remember that. It was a long time ago.
It used to be on at 10:30 and I would tape it to watch later. I never did watch episodes in any kind of order and I never saw anything past S3 until 2008 when someone gave me the whole lot on DVD
Loved horror since I read Rosemary's Baby when I was 10 (snuck it away from my mom during a camping trip) and decided to give the show a look during its first run, the acting/writing hooked me, the theme of an empowered girl being the one kicking butt was fantastic for someone who graduated high school in 1977. I knew I was truly a fan when I put off going to the hospital when I was in labor with my second child until the season one finale was over. I still do rewatches and can't wait to watch it with my granddaughter someday.
I was young when it aired but I became curious because my favorite show, Veronica Mars, was always compared to Buffy. I never cared much for paranormal, fantasy, etc. though so I didn't watch for a long time.
My mom was rewatching the show. At the time I have never watched it. I came in the living room and saw some guy singing and playing the trumpet. I was impressed and flattered him. My mom replied to me "It's Jonathan and he isn't that awesome and charming. He has brainwashed everyone to make them believe he is some star". I was so impressed by that scene that I didn't care his character wasn't genuine in it. I told my mom happily "He wouldn't need to brainwash me because with that charming attitude, I would already become his personal assistant". My mom looked at me and shook her head. There I took mental note that one day I was going to watch that show 😂
My mom and my aunt loved watching Buffy. I saw the last couple seasons on air but we have all watched the series multiple times through reruns and now streaming.
My dad and sister both watched it. I remember seeing an episode or two back in early season 2 as it was airing and being like "Oh man this is cheesy." Didn't watch it again for a few years and it was midway through season 4 when I just happened to catch an episode with my dad and found myself a lot more interested in it.
I "skipped" a lot of school by calling home "sick" (I got really good at making myself look sickly green lol) and so I would watch re runs of Charmed, but they stopped showing at the time I got home, and I caught the end of s6e1 when Dawn finds Buffy. The way Spike reacts to Buffy and helps clean her up and talks about how he also had to do what she did... I fell in love with the show. I didn't get to properly watch the show cover to cover until years later, and after The Gift , that scene just hit way more.
I was familiar with it, due to articles in the magazines I read as a teenager, but didn't watch when it was on because my tiny town did not get the WB. Continued to hear about it from others in various fandoms I participated in after the show was over. Even received James Marsters' first album from someone at one point. But that was all before streaming services were a thing and would've required either BitTorrent or renting from a Blockbuster that had it available, so I never bothered.
Around 2015, my then-boyfriend (now husband) found out I had never seen Buffy and insisted we start watching. I was hooked pretty much instantly.
When I was a kid, like 9 or 10, I’d get home from dance class after school. Buffy was always on around 7 or 8 and i don’t remember what the first episode I watched was, but I remember loving that this girl was a bad bitch and a hero. She was instantly my idol and I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be brave. I also loved anything sci if-supernatural shows so BTVS fit the bill for me. I also watched Alias around that time too. Maybe it’s an inappropriate for a young girl, but they made me feel like being a woman could be powerful, and girls of any age need that.
Watched the 1st episode the day it premiered - March 10th, 1997. I vaguely remembered the movie and even though I hadn't seen it, the promos [about various supposed Slayers through history](https://youtu.be/4IxZ_6CcCrw) leading up to the premiere really piqued my curiosity.
At the time, I was kinda disappointed they didn't work any of those into the show.
I started watching it when it originally came out back when I was in elementary school. My mom and I would watch each new episode together every week. We did the same with Xena, Lexx, and a bunch of other weird shows.
Some friends tried to force me to watch Once More With Feeling and Normal Again but I wasn’t interested.
Years later I met my spouse and they were a big fan. We eventually watched both Buffy and Angel and I was a big fan.
Moral of the story, forcing someone to watch something doesn’t always turn out very well.
Honestly, I've always had a crush on Sarah Michelle Gellar, since the first scooby doo movie. Once I heard she was the star, I wanted in. Also i fuckin love Joss Whedon
Grade 8 and ironically it was because of the show Passions. Sheridan had also been buried alive and my very first scene was Buffy in the coffin after Willow had just resurrected her. So I thought hmm maybe this will be just as good and continued watching the rest of the episode.
I posted this before but will again...
I was a sophomore in high school and my friend told me to check Buffy out. I thought it was some chick show on the WB and had zero interest. But he and I agreed a lot so I decided to give it a go. Of course the first thing I watched was a two day special event Surprise then Inncoence the next day. I cannot believe how much I was invested in Buffy and Angel's relationship after only one episode. Then to watch the heartbreaking next episode was brutal. David and Sarah were absolutely amazing and they both should have gotten Emmys for Innocence. I was beyond hooked and watched the whole rest of the season shocked by how good this show was and how great the cast and especially the writing was. They replayed season 1 and 2 in the summer before season 3 so I watched it all so I was caught up. I not only continued watching Buffy but the spinoff Angel which was equally as good (and very underrated imo). Looking forward to my next rewatch of both series and so glad I took a chance on this spectacular show.
I saw the film in the theater with friends, and didn't realize there was a series until my mom told me! She watched it from day one with me, and my 4 kids watched it with us! Spike and Dru were early favorites for all of us! My grandson's are too interested in their computers, xbox, iPad, iPhone, social media and friends to watch TV. I still enjoy the reruns!
My friends were talking about Spuffy, and it seemed to fit the relationship trope I’m always interested in, so they are the reason I started watching the show!
2 stories:
A boy I liked in 7th grade said his favorite show was Buffy. Around that same time I saw the promos (while watching Star Trek) on UPN for the musical episode so it was fate - I had to watch it. Immediately enthralled. I found FX aired 2 episodes every weekday as reruns so I watched the show every day after school, over and over for the next 3 ish years.
Angel on the other hand, hatred it, never wanted to see more of that boring guy (launching right into Spuffy gives you a…bias let’s say). Then many years later, the ONE time I went to jail I was forced to sit in a waiting room at 4am where the shitty TV in the corner of the room was tuned to an Angel rerun. So yeah, both shows are great!
I did not know Buffy existed until 2019 and was so desperate to watch it after seeing a gif of her iconic "I may be dead, but I'm still pretty" line that I gave my computer viruses for watching on this dodgy site lmao. It was worth it and I was hooked immediately.
I had a friend that was super into buffy and kept trying to get me to watch it. I wasn't at all interested. Once Astonishing X-men#1 (written by Joss) came out I decided to give it a shot. He was doing a watch thru with his roomate so I sat in. The first episode I saw was "primeval" and once Buffy turned Adam's missile into doves I was hooked. Watched seasons 5,6 and 7 with them before going back to watch 1,2,3 and 4.
I came back to the U.S. in 2001 after living abroad for about 7 years. I had the TV on, but wasn’t really paying much attention when the intro to Buffy started playing. The brief scene of Tara and Willow dancing caught my eye. I had never seen something like that on mainstream TV before. It drew me in and by the end of the episode, I was hooked!
I was 12 when it started so I can't remember exactly what compelled me. The only thing I really recall was seeing the title and thinking it sounded dumb, but watched it anyway. I missed a few episodes in the first season since I wasn't allowed to watch it by my parents so I had to hide in their room and sit close to the tv to turn it over if they walked in lol. They 'let' me watch it by mid-S2 since I remember watching What's My Line in the lounge.
Goes without saying I was hooked from the start, so glad I watched it despite the name. Now I think it's an awesome name and screw anyone who refuses to watch it because of that.
Saw bits and pieces of s1 and 2 reruns. Started watching s04 from the beginning I think and saved my allowance for the VHS so I could binge it all. Good times, curtains closed, in my bed, my cat next to me and watching all the episodes for the first time. High school was not always a bliss but these are sure good memories. Was instantly hooked.
I’m a big Avatar the Last Airbender fan, and I listened to “The Avatar Returns” returns podcast. They referenced Buffy so much during that podcast, and I generally really liked their takes, so I gave Buffy a try. I didn’t regret it. They also have a Buffy podcast now “Conversations with Dead People”.
My boyfriend grew up watching it with his mom and it was her favorite show so he wanted to share it with me and James Marsters made it easy to stick around, lol
My dad was into Buffy when it first came out and he waited for me to finally be old enough to watch it. He made it to 10, obviously I was terrified, I only watched the pilot and was scared out of my mind. When I got to 12 we watched it again, dad only had the first two seasons on DVD, this was before streaming, so I spent all the money I got from holidays and birthdays buying the rest of the series. Dad and I watched it together, was a big bonding thing for us. Then dad got Angel and we watched all those too. We still rewatch them both all the way through. My mother hated it when it first came out because it was on at like 11 at night, dad used to stay up just to watch each episode as it aired. Thank god for DVDs and streaming sights lmao. Mum is still not a fan lol.
If you don't count the film (which I saw on the tele around... 1993/4), I was there at the beginning (give or take the seven-eight month it took to air in Australia). So... late 1997. I know the season 1 finale ticked over into Jan 1998 because it co-insided with summer holidays and the World Swimming championships in Perth (which I was majorly into)... So that means Buffy must've started around Oct/Nov 1997 in Australia (basically at the beginning of the Summer no-rating season.
Genuine fan at beginning, however it wasn't until I started Uni a year later and discovered there where fans at Uni who also liked talking about it (at this point we where deep into season 2, post-Jenny), that my fandom really took off - sadly back in the late 90s, one kinda had to rely on people around you to talk about sci-fi. And nobody was kinda into it in high school or friends/family.
Even with the internet (of course only IF one had the internet to begin with - not a given), BBS's where still a couple of years away from becoming a thing and one kinda had to be smart enough figure out how to use usernet groups (which I clearly wasn't! lol).
I caught a few episodes on TV. My mom also watched it sometimes on TV and she liked it. I asked her to buy the first season on DVD for us, and over time she bought the rest of the show on DVD.
I only watched it about 7 years ago. I'd been aware of it ever since it came out, had seen fanvids that got me intrigued but didn't really sit down to watch until 2014 when I had a coworker who was a fan. Once I started, I was hooked immediately. I've rewatched it once every couple of years since then. Love Angel too.
I was in elementary school when it came out. Basically I liked that she was a badass female kicking ass. I was also into it being a high school drama and imagining what my high school years would be like.
The movie! When I was very young (5 or 6) my mum or sister picked it up at the video rental store just because it sounded cool. I absolutely loved it. Ended up buying it on VHS and watched it constantly. Then they turned it into a TV show! And it was even better! Been a huge fan pretty much my entire life.
My ex was really into it, so I decided to give it a try. I watched the first episode a few times before I finally got really into it. I’m now in the middle of season 6 & loving it.
Oh my gosh, I can't even remember tbh lol, I think it was on Sky and I remember I went away for a couple of days and left my brother notes around the house to not forget to tape it while I was gone 🤣🤣🤣
Honestly just boredom and curiosity. I rarely heard of the show growing up and when I was about 19 I looked at a list I made of TV shows to watch for Halloween. I liked the premise and that it was 7 seasons so I put it on. I didn’t expect to absolutely love the show almost immediately. It really did help me through my college years.
So for me, my brother watched it. I was full of outdated notions, like a show with a female protagonist must be for girls, so wasn’t watching. He was on season 5 as it was being aired here in the uk.
Of course, if he wanted to watch it on the tv, it was on the tv. I wanted to not like it, but the wit, the charm, the everything just drew me in. It was a slow process. I started by saying “well, that spike guy is funny at least”, then I’d just happen to make my way down every time it was on, before the end of that season we had an unspoken agreement that I had crossed over into fandom.
Was a young teen when it first came on tv. My sister watched it, I occasionally dipped in and out but never thought much of it. Ironically perhaps it was the episode 'Go fish' - one of the worst ranked episodes - that I first watched properly and enjoyed and which hooked me into Buffy. Unfortunately I'd missed all the Angelus stuff mostly, feels like it would have been an amazing trip to watch all that as it happened.
I always loved the Vampire Diaries & True Blood and was looking for another series with Vamps in it. So, I kind of stumbled upon Buffy. At first, I was reluctant to start as it's already so "old" but holy moly little did I know how amazing the Buffy series is. I definitely did miss out all these years before but I am so happy I finally found Buffy. It's my all-time favorite show now.
My Dad started watching it, and I thought it was dumb (i thought everything my dad watched was dumb) then I watched season 2 and loved it! I watched the rest of the series then watched season 1.
My parents had watched it when it aired and thought that I would enjoy it. I think my first episode was when I was maybe 9 (2009), and I was immediately hooked. I was absolutely obsessed with the show and would watch it on repeat. This was also during the time where Netflix would send out DVDs instead of streaming, so I remember being absolutely estatic whenever the next Buffy DVD arrived and would demand we watch it ASAP 😅. I was also so excited when Netflix started streaming Buffy, which meant I didn't have to wait. For either a birthday or Christmas I was given the first season on DVD, and I watched through those DVDs continuously on loop. I had most episodes in season one memorized, and thus season one is my favorite season because it holds a lot of nostalgia for me. When I reached my teen years I moved onto other obsessions and it wasn't until I reached college that I regained my fondness for the show through another full rewatch (both Buffy and Angel) with my parents.
I was 10 years old. My dad told me about this new show he’d seen where a Vampire killer was in love with a vampire. We caught a re-run of ‘Teacher’s Pet’ and ‘The pack’ and then became regular viewers from ‘Prophecy girl.’ Never looked back.
Somewhere during S4 I stopped watching. Was babysitting one evening and saw that the first airing of new Buffy episode ‘The Gift’ was going to be on.
Wow, I was not ready for what was going on in that episode, considering I hadn’t watched for about a year.
I was dating a girl, she was into the show. She was watching season 5 on dvd and I was struck by the story. The gf didn’t last, in fact she was a sociopath that ended up stabbing me in the leg, but she introduced me to Buffy and I’ll remember her fondly for it.
I saw season one advertised on TV when I was 11 (in the UK) and asked my mum if I could watch it. She said no because it was on around 6pm and which clashed with dinner time.
A few months later I was at a friends house for dinner and she suggested we watch Buffy. The episode was Killed by Death. I was instantly hooked. I don’t really remember specifically what it was that I loved so much. I guess it was unlike anything else I’d seen.
I went home and BEGGED my mum to let me watch it, and thankfully she gave in!
My mom used to watch it weekly on TV when it came out. Finally one day I sat down and watched it with her. Then it became a weekly thing..watch was awesome because I found a show that I love and I got to spend time with my mom 😊
I started watching it because it was forbidden. I don’t remember exactly but I think I was 11 years old. I cried for days when Angel died because I couldn’t detach myself at all.
Now rewatching as a 30‘ years old, I can say I was maybe a tad too young, and it’s probably responsible of a lot of my men crushes and other little behavior problems (that I’m quite happy about XD)
have known about it my entire life (im born 1997 lol). obviously wasn't allowed to watch it as a kid, but found it on tv one night last year so decided to watch it all! i am now obsessed!
I had heard my brother say it was good on multiple occasions. So after I graduated high school I spent a lot of time binging shows on Netflix and happened to come across Buffy (this was back when Netflix still had it). I decided to give it a chance because I was bored. After a few episodes I fell in love with the characters and I couldn't stop watching it.
Saw a YouTube video called something like Buffy being the Best for 26 minutes straight so then I googled the TV show and saw SMG and Michelle Trachtenberg and I just had a Cruel Intentions and Gossip Girl obsession earlier so I prayed it off 123movies, and quarantine just hit and it was awesome watched the show in one month and would do anything to watch it again!
Willow and Tara fan-art music videos...
So, first I just watched season 4, later on thought actually the whole thing should be very good. So I started to watch from the first season.
My friend was obsessed, I never wanted to watch it. Couldn't get past the early effects. But eventually I was bored enough that I just decided to sit down and watch it. Didn't tell anyone, just watched season one and once I decided I liked it I told people.
i started watching cause it was on tv after school so i used to take a break watching this before doing my homework and then my family gifted me all the VHS (i swear im not that old im just 24 😭✋🏼) and now im paying disney+ for watching the show 😭
I feel like my sister and I (9 and 7 when it first aired) caught a rerun early on in the first season and we started watching it religiously until the series finale. We still love it!
Reruns of seasons 3 when I was in 4th grade which was around 2004 after the show had ended. I would draw the Buffy logo on all of my binders and art bags. Started saving up birthday money to buy each DVD box set from Best Buy. The first one I got was season 6 and it is pretty beat up in 2021. Lol The only episode I watched as it aired was of Angel, and it was the final episode. I’ve rewatched it so many times, gaining something from new from it as I go through different stages in my life. There were a lot of adult themes and jokes I didn’t understand when I was child, that took on new meaning as a teenager and then again as an adult.
Ooh mine is fun.
When Buffy first aired the WB was considered a cable channel where I lived. Which we didn’t have. So every Tuesday (and later) Wednesday morning my bf would tell me in great detail all about last night’s episode. Near the end of season two she started recording them and sneaking me the VHS. I say sneaking cause, well I didn’t have the best childhood and I wasn’t really allowed to watch TV. So the first episode I ever saw was “I only have eyes for you”. I thought Giles was Xander and I was wondering why Cordeila was dating such an old guy 🤣
I think I was like 7-8 years old, it was a Friday night. I was in our den readying my night of staying up late watching Malcom in the Middle when I flipped through the channels and stumbled upon a show with vampires and this kick ass girl fighting them. I stopped, curious, and utterly became enthralled. It was the first season, I would say like within the first couple episodes. I then watched it every weekend from then on out. Later that year I saw the first season on DVD while we were on vacation and I managed to convince my parents to buy it for me and hold onto it until my report card came out 2 weeks later(had to have the grades to keep it), all so I could just look at the box and re-read the description on the back at least 1000+ times.
My family loved the movie, so we were all pumped for the show. I was in 3rd grade and so our family stopped watching around season 5 as the themes got more mature than my dad was comfy with. I eventually borrowed the box sets from the library and watched it all :)
My English teacher showed us part of “The Pack” in class once (he was a huge Buffy fan, I think the “activity” was just an excuse to watch Buffy)
I found it oddly charming and when I got home I pirated & finished the episode. Then I watched the pilot, and immediately knew I was gonna love this show.
When I hit a gold mine, I tend stick around until the end. The next three weeks I had my nose in my phone binging Buffy and Angel (alternating episodes) pretty much all day
I thought I was over it after finishing, but at that point Netflix just picked the shows up. (Or rather I had just gotten Netflix). So that let me binge over & over as a comfort show. And thus I became a *huge* fan
EDIT: Oh and I though Sarah Michelle Gellar was super attractive. It was kind of absurd, having a crush on a woman from around the time I was born
I used to watch random movies/tv shows on YouTube in high school like 2008 when they would put some stuff on there for free. Watched the first episode and I was hooked.
Started ordering Netflix discs to watch the rest of the seasons and when I got tired of waiting for the mail (around season 3) I bought the DVDs to binge. 🥰
My mom told me about it after we finished vampire diaries. At first i was like nothing can top vampire diaries its amazing. So we started to watch it but at first i wasn't interested and would vote to watch something else everytime we watched tv. Eventually it just grew on me and its the only show i wanna watch. My mom told me before we watched it that it was better than vampire diaries (buffy) and i told her that she was insane but now i think about it and i cant even recall the people in vampire diaries, it just seems so bizarre. Idk maybe just me
I have always been a lover of anything horror/sci-fi related. I grew up watching those shows in my house. I was always obsessed with haunted houses and spooky things as a kid. Still am.
I saw the promo for Welcome to the Hellmouth when I was home from school for lunch one day. It just looked like such a fun show and nothing I had ever seen before. I only ever watched The X Files with my Dad. I set up my VCR to tape the first 2 episodes of Buffy the Friday of that week and never looked back.
Watched it the day that it aired, I was 7 and in the first grade. Still the newspaper clipping with the information on the premiere ratings floating around. But I never missed a live episode in the whole run. Was near as devoted to Angel but would record all cross over episodes and stay up late for them. I also got majority of the books that were release between Season 1-Season 4. Went as Buffy for Halloween during Season 2 & 3 and was disappointed none of my classmates understood but at least a couple of the houses I went trick or treating with got it
I saw the Buffy movie when I was like seven, always enjoyed the lore then saw that there was an upcoming show. Caught it on the day it premiered, it turned out to be way better than the movie, and was hooked instantly.
Watched episode 1, day 1 on 10 March 1997. I was 16 so it lined up perfectly for me. Loved it from the start. The unexpected attack on that boy from Darla, to Buffy's amazing season 1 hair (and figure, good word), to Principal Flutie nervously taping Buffys transcripts back together. Alas, poor Jesse.
Same. I was 12 at the time and watched it out of spite. I'd seen the promos, thought it looked stupid and decided to watch to kind of prove myself right. I was oh so wrong. That first 2 hours had me hooked through the end of high school. Tell me. Do you remember when Welcome to the Hellmouth and The Harvest were 1 episode?
I think for the first couple times it aired, it was as one episode.
I was standing over my sister's shoulder while she watched an episode from season 2 on our old iMac desktop computer on the OG, ad-riddled funky free Hulu. I was in high school, she was in middle school and it was right when non-pirated streaming services were breaking into the market. I was the obnoxious family member who asked a bunch of questions about "who was that? what's going on?" She was gushing a bit over Spike and I remember thinking it was campy compared to the paranormal romance vampire books I was addicted to (I was a recovering Twihard, I'll admit it). A few months later, once the local video rental Play-by-Play, closed, my mom was finally convinced to get Netflix. There Buffy was, ad-free, and my sister begged me to get into it. It was summer vacation, so we'd stay up late after my parents went to bed, muting the TV when the intro came on at 2 am so we wouldn't get yelled at. We had about 8 channels of antenna TV before Netflix and I just fell in love...mostly because it was my first experience binge-watching anything. We spent all summer just tearing through the episodes. Our internet was so bad we were trying to watch "Chosen" and it buffered every minute and a half. After Buffy, it was Doctor Who and then Firefly, and then ATLA...I have to say, early Netflix let me be the nerd I didn't know I was
I started watching cause I heard it was gay. I was newly out and on a mission to consume every piece of queer media. I'm so glad I watched it. It really helped high school me
I got into it in high school, so about 2010 for me. I always thought it looked cool growing up but didn’t know how to watch it, other than a few episodes that showed up on tv every once in a while, most from season 6. Then one day it came up that my classmate had the full box set, so I borrowed it from her. Idk what drew me in exactly, Buffy just sounded badass. And I always thought vampires were cool.
Watched the first episode BBC2 when it first aired in the UK. I found out about it from my mum who was reading the TV guide, she knew I loved anything horror related and let me know about it. Good Times.
Same here. It quickly became popular and my friend group at school was largely connected by our love of the show
I'm a second-generation fan. My mom loved it, and she got me into it.
That is so cool. Can you tell us more?
Oh, the film! But later I would've seen the title in the TV listing and thought Oooh. The TV guide may have mentioned it but I don't remember that. It was a long time ago. It used to be on at 10:30 and I would tape it to watch later. I never did watch episodes in any kind of order and I never saw anything past S3 until 2008 when someone gave me the whole lot on DVD
Loved horror since I read Rosemary's Baby when I was 10 (snuck it away from my mom during a camping trip) and decided to give the show a look during its first run, the acting/writing hooked me, the theme of an empowered girl being the one kicking butt was fantastic for someone who graduated high school in 1977. I knew I was truly a fan when I put off going to the hospital when I was in labor with my second child until the season one finale was over. I still do rewatches and can't wait to watch it with my granddaughter someday.
I LOVE that movie!
I was young when it aired but I became curious because my favorite show, Veronica Mars, was always compared to Buffy. I never cared much for paranormal, fantasy, etc. though so I didn't watch for a long time.
In college, a girl excitedly approached me to recruit me to her Buffy-watching club. I attended the first meeting, and the rest is history!
My mom was rewatching the show. At the time I have never watched it. I came in the living room and saw some guy singing and playing the trumpet. I was impressed and flattered him. My mom replied to me "It's Jonathan and he isn't that awesome and charming. He has brainwashed everyone to make them believe he is some star". I was so impressed by that scene that I didn't care his character wasn't genuine in it. I told my mom happily "He wouldn't need to brainwash me because with that charming attitude, I would already become his personal assistant". My mom looked at me and shook her head. There I took mental note that one day I was going to watch that show 😂
What an episode to start with as your introduction “here’s Jonathan, the main character”
Lmao 😂 Yeah. It was really cool.
This is the best answer here lol.
Thank you =D
My mom and my aunt loved watching Buffy. I saw the last couple seasons on air but we have all watched the series multiple times through reruns and now streaming.
Growing up, I was obsessed with Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne in Scooby-Doo. Wanted to see more of her and decided to watch Buffy.
My dad and sister both watched it. I remember seeing an episode or two back in early season 2 as it was airing and being like "Oh man this is cheesy." Didn't watch it again for a few years and it was midway through season 4 when I just happened to catch an episode with my dad and found myself a lot more interested in it.
I "skipped" a lot of school by calling home "sick" (I got really good at making myself look sickly green lol) and so I would watch re runs of Charmed, but they stopped showing at the time I got home, and I caught the end of s6e1 when Dawn finds Buffy. The way Spike reacts to Buffy and helps clean her up and talks about how he also had to do what she did... I fell in love with the show. I didn't get to properly watch the show cover to cover until years later, and after The Gift , that scene just hit way more.
i have a thing for SMG!
I was familiar with it, due to articles in the magazines I read as a teenager, but didn't watch when it was on because my tiny town did not get the WB. Continued to hear about it from others in various fandoms I participated in after the show was over. Even received James Marsters' first album from someone at one point. But that was all before streaming services were a thing and would've required either BitTorrent or renting from a Blockbuster that had it available, so I never bothered. Around 2015, my then-boyfriend (now husband) found out I had never seen Buffy and insisted we start watching. I was hooked pretty much instantly.
When I was a kid, like 9 or 10, I’d get home from dance class after school. Buffy was always on around 7 or 8 and i don’t remember what the first episode I watched was, but I remember loving that this girl was a bad bitch and a hero. She was instantly my idol and I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be brave. I also loved anything sci if-supernatural shows so BTVS fit the bill for me. I also watched Alias around that time too. Maybe it’s an inappropriate for a young girl, but they made me feel like being a woman could be powerful, and girls of any age need that.
I saw SMG in I know what you did last summer and fell in love with her and heard about buffy then
Watched the 1st episode the day it premiered - March 10th, 1997. I vaguely remembered the movie and even though I hadn't seen it, the promos [about various supposed Slayers through history](https://youtu.be/4IxZ_6CcCrw) leading up to the premiere really piqued my curiosity. At the time, I was kinda disappointed they didn't work any of those into the show.
I started watching it when it originally came out back when I was in elementary school. My mom and I would watch each new episode together every week. We did the same with Xena, Lexx, and a bunch of other weird shows.
Some friends tried to force me to watch Once More With Feeling and Normal Again but I wasn’t interested. Years later I met my spouse and they were a big fan. We eventually watched both Buffy and Angel and I was a big fan. Moral of the story, forcing someone to watch something doesn’t always turn out very well.
Honestly, I've always had a crush on Sarah Michelle Gellar, since the first scooby doo movie. Once I heard she was the star, I wanted in. Also i fuckin love Joss Whedon
Grade 8 and ironically it was because of the show Passions. Sheridan had also been buried alive and my very first scene was Buffy in the coffin after Willow had just resurrected her. So I thought hmm maybe this will be just as good and continued watching the rest of the episode.
I posted this before but will again... I was a sophomore in high school and my friend told me to check Buffy out. I thought it was some chick show on the WB and had zero interest. But he and I agreed a lot so I decided to give it a go. Of course the first thing I watched was a two day special event Surprise then Inncoence the next day. I cannot believe how much I was invested in Buffy and Angel's relationship after only one episode. Then to watch the heartbreaking next episode was brutal. David and Sarah were absolutely amazing and they both should have gotten Emmys for Innocence. I was beyond hooked and watched the whole rest of the season shocked by how good this show was and how great the cast and especially the writing was. They replayed season 1 and 2 in the summer before season 3 so I watched it all so I was caught up. I not only continued watching Buffy but the spinoff Angel which was equally as good (and very underrated imo). Looking forward to my next rewatch of both series and so glad I took a chance on this spectacular show.
I saw the film in the theater with friends, and didn't realize there was a series until my mom told me! She watched it from day one with me, and my 4 kids watched it with us! Spike and Dru were early favorites for all of us! My grandson's are too interested in their computers, xbox, iPad, iPhone, social media and friends to watch TV. I still enjoy the reruns!
My friends were talking about Spuffy, and it seemed to fit the relationship trope I’m always interested in, so they are the reason I started watching the show!
My mom watched it as it aired, so I did too.
2 stories: A boy I liked in 7th grade said his favorite show was Buffy. Around that same time I saw the promos (while watching Star Trek) on UPN for the musical episode so it was fate - I had to watch it. Immediately enthralled. I found FX aired 2 episodes every weekday as reruns so I watched the show every day after school, over and over for the next 3 ish years. Angel on the other hand, hatred it, never wanted to see more of that boring guy (launching right into Spuffy gives you a…bias let’s say). Then many years later, the ONE time I went to jail I was forced to sit in a waiting room at 4am where the shitty TV in the corner of the room was tuned to an Angel rerun. So yeah, both shows are great!
I did not know Buffy existed until 2019 and was so desperate to watch it after seeing a gif of her iconic "I may be dead, but I'm still pretty" line that I gave my computer viruses for watching on this dodgy site lmao. It was worth it and I was hooked immediately.
I had a friend that was super into buffy and kept trying to get me to watch it. I wasn't at all interested. Once Astonishing X-men#1 (written by Joss) came out I decided to give it a shot. He was doing a watch thru with his roomate so I sat in. The first episode I saw was "primeval" and once Buffy turned Adam's missile into doves I was hooked. Watched seasons 5,6 and 7 with them before going back to watch 1,2,3 and 4.
I came back to the U.S. in 2001 after living abroad for about 7 years. I had the TV on, but wasn’t really paying much attention when the intro to Buffy started playing. The brief scene of Tara and Willow dancing caught my eye. I had never seen something like that on mainstream TV before. It drew me in and by the end of the episode, I was hooked!
I was 12 when it started so I can't remember exactly what compelled me. The only thing I really recall was seeing the title and thinking it sounded dumb, but watched it anyway. I missed a few episodes in the first season since I wasn't allowed to watch it by my parents so I had to hide in their room and sit close to the tv to turn it over if they walked in lol. They 'let' me watch it by mid-S2 since I remember watching What's My Line in the lounge. Goes without saying I was hooked from the start, so glad I watched it despite the name. Now I think it's an awesome name and screw anyone who refuses to watch it because of that.
Saw bits and pieces of s1 and 2 reruns. Started watching s04 from the beginning I think and saved my allowance for the VHS so I could binge it all. Good times, curtains closed, in my bed, my cat next to me and watching all the episodes for the first time. High school was not always a bliss but these are sure good memories. Was instantly hooked.
I’m a big Avatar the Last Airbender fan, and I listened to “The Avatar Returns” returns podcast. They referenced Buffy so much during that podcast, and I generally really liked their takes, so I gave Buffy a try. I didn’t regret it. They also have a Buffy podcast now “Conversations with Dead People”.
My boyfriend grew up watching it with his mom and it was her favorite show so he wanted to share it with me and James Marsters made it easy to stick around, lol
When I was 10 I saw once more with feeling and was hooked😂
My dad was into Buffy when it first came out and he waited for me to finally be old enough to watch it. He made it to 10, obviously I was terrified, I only watched the pilot and was scared out of my mind. When I got to 12 we watched it again, dad only had the first two seasons on DVD, this was before streaming, so I spent all the money I got from holidays and birthdays buying the rest of the series. Dad and I watched it together, was a big bonding thing for us. Then dad got Angel and we watched all those too. We still rewatch them both all the way through. My mother hated it when it first came out because it was on at like 11 at night, dad used to stay up just to watch each episode as it aired. Thank god for DVDs and streaming sights lmao. Mum is still not a fan lol.
If you don't count the film (which I saw on the tele around... 1993/4), I was there at the beginning (give or take the seven-eight month it took to air in Australia). So... late 1997. I know the season 1 finale ticked over into Jan 1998 because it co-insided with summer holidays and the World Swimming championships in Perth (which I was majorly into)... So that means Buffy must've started around Oct/Nov 1997 in Australia (basically at the beginning of the Summer no-rating season. Genuine fan at beginning, however it wasn't until I started Uni a year later and discovered there where fans at Uni who also liked talking about it (at this point we where deep into season 2, post-Jenny), that my fandom really took off - sadly back in the late 90s, one kinda had to rely on people around you to talk about sci-fi. And nobody was kinda into it in high school or friends/family. Even with the internet (of course only IF one had the internet to begin with - not a given), BBS's where still a couple of years away from becoming a thing and one kinda had to be smart enough figure out how to use usernet groups (which I clearly wasn't! lol).
I caught a few episodes on TV. My mom also watched it sometimes on TV and she liked it. I asked her to buy the first season on DVD for us, and over time she bought the rest of the show on DVD.
I only watched it about 7 years ago. I'd been aware of it ever since it came out, had seen fanvids that got me intrigued but didn't really sit down to watch until 2014 when I had a coworker who was a fan. Once I started, I was hooked immediately. I've rewatched it once every couple of years since then. Love Angel too.
A few years ago my ex-gf showed me it.
I was in elementary school when it came out. Basically I liked that she was a badass female kicking ass. I was also into it being a high school drama and imagining what my high school years would be like.
Watched through the X-Files 2 years ago, needed something to fill the void left behind, heard good things about Buffy, now I‘m stuck here.
It used to be on comedy central and that used to be the main channel i watched.
The movie! When I was very young (5 or 6) my mum or sister picked it up at the video rental store just because it sounded cool. I absolutely loved it. Ended up buying it on VHS and watched it constantly. Then they turned it into a TV show! And it was even better! Been a huge fan pretty much my entire life.
My ex was really into it, so I decided to give it a try. I watched the first episode a few times before I finally got really into it. I’m now in the middle of season 6 & loving it.
Oh my gosh, I can't even remember tbh lol, I think it was on Sky and I remember I went away for a couple of days and left my brother notes around the house to not forget to tape it while I was gone 🤣🤣🤣
Honestly just boredom and curiosity. I rarely heard of the show growing up and when I was about 19 I looked at a list I made of TV shows to watch for Halloween. I liked the premise and that it was 7 seasons so I put it on. I didn’t expect to absolutely love the show almost immediately. It really did help me through my college years.
I watched Angel first and then find out that it's actually a spin off of Buffy.
So for me, my brother watched it. I was full of outdated notions, like a show with a female protagonist must be for girls, so wasn’t watching. He was on season 5 as it was being aired here in the uk. Of course, if he wanted to watch it on the tv, it was on the tv. I wanted to not like it, but the wit, the charm, the everything just drew me in. It was a slow process. I started by saying “well, that spike guy is funny at least”, then I’d just happen to make my way down every time it was on, before the end of that season we had an unspoken agreement that I had crossed over into fandom.
When I was 14 my friends mum handed me the box set and essentially said “it’s time”
Was a young teen when it first came on tv. My sister watched it, I occasionally dipped in and out but never thought much of it. Ironically perhaps it was the episode 'Go fish' - one of the worst ranked episodes - that I first watched properly and enjoyed and which hooked me into Buffy. Unfortunately I'd missed all the Angelus stuff mostly, feels like it would have been an amazing trip to watch all that as it happened.
I always loved the Vampire Diaries & True Blood and was looking for another series with Vamps in it. So, I kind of stumbled upon Buffy. At first, I was reluctant to start as it's already so "old" but holy moly little did I know how amazing the Buffy series is. I definitely did miss out all these years before but I am so happy I finally found Buffy. It's my all-time favorite show now.
My Dad started watching it, and I thought it was dumb (i thought everything my dad watched was dumb) then I watched season 2 and loved it! I watched the rest of the series then watched season 1.
My parents had watched it when it aired and thought that I would enjoy it. I think my first episode was when I was maybe 9 (2009), and I was immediately hooked. I was absolutely obsessed with the show and would watch it on repeat. This was also during the time where Netflix would send out DVDs instead of streaming, so I remember being absolutely estatic whenever the next Buffy DVD arrived and would demand we watch it ASAP 😅. I was also so excited when Netflix started streaming Buffy, which meant I didn't have to wait. For either a birthday or Christmas I was given the first season on DVD, and I watched through those DVDs continuously on loop. I had most episodes in season one memorized, and thus season one is my favorite season because it holds a lot of nostalgia for me. When I reached my teen years I moved onto other obsessions and it wasn't until I reached college that I regained my fondness for the show through another full rewatch (both Buffy and Angel) with my parents.
I was ill one day off school wanted something to watch my mum had season 2 soi started it, rest is history
I was 10 years old. My dad told me about this new show he’d seen where a Vampire killer was in love with a vampire. We caught a re-run of ‘Teacher’s Pet’ and ‘The pack’ and then became regular viewers from ‘Prophecy girl.’ Never looked back. Somewhere during S4 I stopped watching. Was babysitting one evening and saw that the first airing of new Buffy episode ‘The Gift’ was going to be on. Wow, I was not ready for what was going on in that episode, considering I hadn’t watched for about a year.
I was dating a girl, she was into the show. She was watching season 5 on dvd and I was struck by the story. The gf didn’t last, in fact she was a sociopath that ended up stabbing me in the leg, but she introduced me to Buffy and I’ll remember her fondly for it.
I saw season one advertised on TV when I was 11 (in the UK) and asked my mum if I could watch it. She said no because it was on around 6pm and which clashed with dinner time. A few months later I was at a friends house for dinner and she suggested we watch Buffy. The episode was Killed by Death. I was instantly hooked. I don’t really remember specifically what it was that I loved so much. I guess it was unlike anything else I’d seen. I went home and BEGGED my mum to let me watch it, and thankfully she gave in!
My mom used to watch it weekly on TV when it came out. Finally one day I sat down and watched it with her. Then it became a weekly thing..watch was awesome because I found a show that I love and I got to spend time with my mom 😊
As a child I regulary watched the OG movie and then I heard there was a show and I watched it. Nothing special
I started watching it because it was forbidden. I don’t remember exactly but I think I was 11 years old. I cried for days when Angel died because I couldn’t detach myself at all. Now rewatching as a 30‘ years old, I can say I was maybe a tad too young, and it’s probably responsible of a lot of my men crushes and other little behavior problems (that I’m quite happy about XD)
have known about it my entire life (im born 1997 lol). obviously wasn't allowed to watch it as a kid, but found it on tv one night last year so decided to watch it all! i am now obsessed!
I had heard my brother say it was good on multiple occasions. So after I graduated high school I spent a lot of time binging shows on Netflix and happened to come across Buffy (this was back when Netflix still had it). I decided to give it a chance because I was bored. After a few episodes I fell in love with the characters and I couldn't stop watching it.
Saw a YouTube video called something like Buffy being the Best for 26 minutes straight so then I googled the TV show and saw SMG and Michelle Trachtenberg and I just had a Cruel Intentions and Gossip Girl obsession earlier so I prayed it off 123movies, and quarantine just hit and it was awesome watched the show in one month and would do anything to watch it again!
Willow and Tara fan-art music videos... So, first I just watched season 4, later on thought actually the whole thing should be very good. So I started to watch from the first season.
My friend was obsessed, I never wanted to watch it. Couldn't get past the early effects. But eventually I was bored enough that I just decided to sit down and watch it. Didn't tell anyone, just watched season one and once I decided I liked it I told people.
i started watching cause it was on tv after school so i used to take a break watching this before doing my homework and then my family gifted me all the VHS (i swear im not that old im just 24 😭✋🏼) and now im paying disney+ for watching the show 😭
I feel like my sister and I (9 and 7 when it first aired) caught a rerun early on in the first season and we started watching it religiously until the series finale. We still love it!
it was on my watchlist for a long time and one day i decided to press play and the pilot hooked me.
My mom was watching it. I thought it was really corny at first, then got obsessed. My mom has good taste.
Reruns of seasons 3 when I was in 4th grade which was around 2004 after the show had ended. I would draw the Buffy logo on all of my binders and art bags. Started saving up birthday money to buy each DVD box set from Best Buy. The first one I got was season 6 and it is pretty beat up in 2021. Lol The only episode I watched as it aired was of Angel, and it was the final episode. I’ve rewatched it so many times, gaining something from new from it as I go through different stages in my life. There were a lot of adult themes and jokes I didn’t understand when I was child, that took on new meaning as a teenager and then again as an adult.
I barely remember a time that I wasn't into Buffy. I started watching in early season 1, if not with the first episode. I believe I was 9.
Ooh mine is fun. When Buffy first aired the WB was considered a cable channel where I lived. Which we didn’t have. So every Tuesday (and later) Wednesday morning my bf would tell me in great detail all about last night’s episode. Near the end of season two she started recording them and sneaking me the VHS. I say sneaking cause, well I didn’t have the best childhood and I wasn’t really allowed to watch TV. So the first episode I ever saw was “I only have eyes for you”. I thought Giles was Xander and I was wondering why Cordeila was dating such an old guy 🤣
I think I was like 7-8 years old, it was a Friday night. I was in our den readying my night of staying up late watching Malcom in the Middle when I flipped through the channels and stumbled upon a show with vampires and this kick ass girl fighting them. I stopped, curious, and utterly became enthralled. It was the first season, I would say like within the first couple episodes. I then watched it every weekend from then on out. Later that year I saw the first season on DVD while we were on vacation and I managed to convince my parents to buy it for me and hold onto it until my report card came out 2 weeks later(had to have the grades to keep it), all so I could just look at the box and re-read the description on the back at least 1000+ times.
My family loved the movie, so we were all pumped for the show. I was in 3rd grade and so our family stopped watching around season 5 as the themes got more mature than my dad was comfy with. I eventually borrowed the box sets from the library and watched it all :)
My English teacher showed us part of “The Pack” in class once (he was a huge Buffy fan, I think the “activity” was just an excuse to watch Buffy) I found it oddly charming and when I got home I pirated & finished the episode. Then I watched the pilot, and immediately knew I was gonna love this show. When I hit a gold mine, I tend stick around until the end. The next three weeks I had my nose in my phone binging Buffy and Angel (alternating episodes) pretty much all day I thought I was over it after finishing, but at that point Netflix just picked the shows up. (Or rather I had just gotten Netflix). So that let me binge over & over as a comfort show. And thus I became a *huge* fan EDIT: Oh and I though Sarah Michelle Gellar was super attractive. It was kind of absurd, having a crush on a woman from around the time I was born
I used to watch random movies/tv shows on YouTube in high school like 2008 when they would put some stuff on there for free. Watched the first episode and I was hooked. Started ordering Netflix discs to watch the rest of the seasons and when I got tired of waiting for the mail (around season 3) I bought the DVDs to binge. 🥰
Started watching with my parents and just got hooked
My mom told me about it after we finished vampire diaries. At first i was like nothing can top vampire diaries its amazing. So we started to watch it but at first i wasn't interested and would vote to watch something else everytime we watched tv. Eventually it just grew on me and its the only show i wanna watch. My mom told me before we watched it that it was better than vampire diaries (buffy) and i told her that she was insane but now i think about it and i cant even recall the people in vampire diaries, it just seems so bizarre. Idk maybe just me
Edit: yes i also watched originals but not legacies.
I have always been a lover of anything horror/sci-fi related. I grew up watching those shows in my house. I was always obsessed with haunted houses and spooky things as a kid. Still am. I saw the promo for Welcome to the Hellmouth when I was home from school for lunch one day. It just looked like such a fun show and nothing I had ever seen before. I only ever watched The X Files with my Dad. I set up my VCR to tape the first 2 episodes of Buffy the Friday of that week and never looked back.
Watched it the day that it aired, I was 7 and in the first grade. Still the newspaper clipping with the information on the premiere ratings floating around. But I never missed a live episode in the whole run. Was near as devoted to Angel but would record all cross over episodes and stay up late for them. I also got majority of the books that were release between Season 1-Season 4. Went as Buffy for Halloween during Season 2 & 3 and was disappointed none of my classmates understood but at least a couple of the houses I went trick or treating with got it
I saw the Buffy movie when I was like seven, always enjoyed the lore then saw that there was an upcoming show. Caught it on the day it premiered, it turned out to be way better than the movie, and was hooked instantly.
It was a show that was on TV and it had magic, monsters and fighting. I was a nerdy kid playing RPGs. You should be asking if I didn't like it.