Buffy the Vampire Slayer | |
---|---|
Genre |
Supernatural drama Fantasy Action Horror |
Created by | Joss Whedon |
Starring |
Sarah Michelle Gellar Nicholas Brendon Alyson Hannigan Charisma Carpenter Anthony Stewart Head David Boreanaz Seth Green James Marsters Marc Blucas Emma Caulfield Michelle Trachtenberg Amber Benson |
Theme music composer | Nerf Herder |
Composer(s) |
Walter Murphy (1997) Christophe Beck (1997–2000; 2001) Shawn Clement (1997–98) Sean Murray (1997–98) Thomas Wanker (2000–02) Robert Duncan (2002–03) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 7 |
No. of episodes | 144 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
Joss Whedon David Greenwalt Marti Noxon Fran Rubel Kuzui Kaz Kuzui |
Running time | 42–51 minutes |
Production company(s) |
Mutant Enemy Productions Sandollar Television Kuzui Entertainment 20th Century Fox Television |
Distributor | 20th Television |
Release | |
Original network |
The WB (1997–2001) UPN (2001–03) |
Picture format |
NTSC 480i 4:3 PAL 576i 16:9 (Seasons 4–7) 1080i (HDTV) 16:9 (remaster) |
Original release | March 10, 1997 | – May 20, 2003
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992 film) |
Followed by | Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight (comic book) (2007–11) |
Related shows | Angel |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American television series created by Joss Whedon under his production tag, Mutant Enemy Productions with later co-executive producers being Jane Espenson, David Fury, David Greenwalt, Doug Petrie, Marti Noxon, and David Solomon. The series premiered on March 10, 1997, on The WB and concluded on May 20, 2003, on UPN. The series narrative follows Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar), the latest in a line of young women known as "Vampire Slayers", or simply "Slayers". In the story, Slayers are "called" (chosen by fate) to battle against vampires, demons, and other forces of darkness. Like previous Slayers, Buffy is aided by a Watcher, who guides, teaches, and trains her. Unlike her predecessors, Buffy surrounds herself with a circle of loyal friends who become known as the "Scooby Gang".
The series received critical and popular acclaim, frequently being listed as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and usually reached between four and six million viewers on original airings. Although such ratings are lower than successful shows on the "big four" networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox), they were a success for the relatively new and smaller WB Television Network.