The one TV show I can never bear to miss. I watch it every night on Tuesdays -- and sometimes again on Saturdays when another network replays it, and then the old re-runs on Space.
Some people might look at the title, scoff (Buffy? Vampire slayer?), and never give the show a chance. Or maybe they watched the (terrible, imo) movie a decade ago and thought the TV show would be more of the same unbridled campiness. They are missing out.
Very brief description: Buffy is the Slayer, the Chosen One of each generation bequeathed with superpowers in order to slay vampires and other nasty evil beings who disturb the peace. She has a couple of friends who help her out, some with magic powers, some without, but they try really hard all the same. She even died a couple of times saving the world, but came back to life, which caused all sorts of complicated problems. She also has bad taste in men (in my humble opinion).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a combination of drama, horror and comedy; the show does all of these genres with equal quality and dexterity.
There are vampires and demons and magic... but the fantasy aspect, while crucial, is not the entire point of the show. The characters are. If you’re not usually one for fantasy, give Buffy a try before you say no.
The show has been getting increasingly dark in the last two seasons, tackling themes such as the worth of living, grief & depression, and what it means to be human. There are unexpected plot twists. The dialogue is snappy. The character development (what I live for, really) is good.
Much better than Charmed, really. :p