15 Reasons You Will Always Love 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'

If you grew up in the 90s, then you definitely caught a few episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and you absolutely loved it. From the very first second that you witnessed Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers kicking butt in a graveyard, you were hooked. You knew that this was one of your favorite shows and that it always would be. Of course, now that you're older, you still love this show… and you probably adore it even more. Because by now, you've gotten the chance to watch the entire series, and you know just how awesome it is. You love the characters, the storylines, the humor, and pretty much everything about it. You've seen each episode more than once and you're still interested in binge-watching it all over again, which is definitely the test of a good show. Yup, you're a fan for life. Here are 15 reasons why you will always love Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

15 Three Words: Sarah Michelle Gellar

Yup, you're a huge fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar. She brings Buffy to life and honestly makes the whole show. You can't even begin to imagine this series without her playing the main character, so you're not even going to try. You're pretty sure that as soon as she walked into the audition room, she wowed everyone and that there was no question whether or not she would be Buffy. Sarah Michelle Gellar is such a talented actress and, of course, this role put her on the map. So she's definitely a huge reason that you are such a big fan of this show. And she keeps you coming back and binge-watching the show over and over again, no matter how many times you've already seen it. It's like every single time that you sink into your comfy couch and watch an episode, it's the first time. You always notice something new or have some new realization. It's pretty cool.

14 Xander

Xander is one of the best characters on the show. When you first meet everyone in the pilot, he's best friends with Willow and the two of them invite Buffy into their little world. Sure, he has a huge crush on Buffy at first and you might have thought that he was kind of a nerd, but eventually, he totally grew on you and he became one of your favorite TV characters ever. You love watching Xander and Cordelia keep their relationship a secret. You love watching Xander try to be tough and realize that he's super scared of everything spooky that is going on. And you definitely love watching Xander make jokes and be sarcastic. He really makes every single episode. It's also really awesome watching him come of age and grow up and become more mature. Okay, now you're feeling super nostalgic.

13 The Musical Episode

There's a musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer called "Once More, With Feeling" and it's the best thing ever. Well, that's probably what you think since you're a huge fan of the show, but some people probably disagree with you. That's okay, though. You love it and you're not going to apologize for it. Other shows have employed this technique and you have to say that this episode is really up there in terms of quality. You didn't think that it was random or poorly done. Nope. It was special and epic and magical and you had so much fun watching it. You could just tell that the cast and crew really enjoyed making the episode. This sixth season episode was about a demon who made people sing when they were around him… which is both awesome and hilarious. Do you want to watch this episode again? Of course.

12 The Town Of Sunnydale

It's interesting how much the setting makes or breaks the show. This particular series just wouldn't be the same if it wasn't set in Sunnydale. Sunnydale, California is not a real place… but to you, it totally is. Because it's one of your favorite TV settings ever. You love watching Buffy in graveyards. You love the high school. You love the whole town. And you definitely love that the town is on top of the Hellmouth aka the creepiest thing ever. It's funny because you adore Sunnydale but are glad that you don't live there. It's not like Capeside on Dawson's Creek or Stars Hollow on Gilmore Girls. You definitely wish that you lived in those places because those are magical small towns. But Sunnydale? Would you really want to live somewhere that had demons all over the place? Nope, definitely not.

11 How Funny It Is

Another awesome thing about Buffy the Vampire Slayer is how absolutely hilarious it is. No matter what is going on in each episode, you're always going to laugh at something. Whether you're giggling at Xander or Willow or Giles, or you're just smiling at the situation in general, you know that you're going to enjoy whatever episode you're watching. There's also the fact that Buffy herself is absolutely hilarious. She's sarcastic when necessary and she always knows the right thing to say. She's like that awesome friend that you have who you can't believe is so amazing because she's so smart and witty and always has a clever comeback ready. Yup, that's Buffy. She's like your TV BFF. The humor keeps you coming back to the show and it's why you can watch every episodes so many times.

10 The Campy Tone

Another cool thing about this show? How scary it is and how much it keeps you guessing. But it's not terrifying in the way that a lot of horror movies are. Instead, it's campy, which means, of course, that it's both funny and scary. That's why it's so much fun to watch. Whether you're watching the town's mayor dream of becoming a demon instead of a sorcerer or watching Xander unknowingly date someone evil, you always enjoy the creepy and supernatural stories. There have been some shows since that have embraced this tone, from Scream Queens to Dead Of Summer, but Buffy is still incredibly special. There's a reason that it has endured, after all, and there's a reason that whenever you bring this show up to your friends, they get super happy and you start a super long discussion about the show.

9 Dawn

Dawn was a pretty interesting character, but a lot of fans don't exactly love her. Okay, that's an understatement. She made it onto Entertainment Weekly's "21 Most Annoying TV Characters list" so, yeah, a lot of people aren't into her. You might like her, though, because as a true Buffy fan, you have to admit that she changed the course of the show and made it even more fascinating. She was introduced in the first episode of season five and after a while, it became clear that she was much more than just Buffy's little sister. She was actually "The Key" aka she was able to reach dimensions other than this world. Pretty awesome stuff. It was also nice to have a younger teenage girl character on the show and watch her grow up and go through all that high school coming-of-age stuff. She doesn't really seem that annoying, does she?

8 The Witty Dialogue

This show is known for its clever, witty, and hilarious dialogue and this is another reason that you are such a big fan. Whether it's Buffy, Xander or Cordelia, everyone is always saying something that is equal parts smart and funny. Once, Anya says, "14. Don't be ridiculous. Martha Stewart isn't a demon. She's a witch. Nobody could do that much decoupage without calling on the powers of darkness." Another time, Willow says, "I like you. You're nice, and funny, and you don't smoke, and, okay, you're a werewolf, but that's okay. I mean, three days out of the month I'm not that much fun to be around either." And finally, here's one of the best quotes from Buffy herself: when she works with another watcher named Wesley and he asks her how she works with Giles, she says, "Giles tells me what to kill, and I kill it. Then he gives me a cookie." Sounds about right.

7 Cordelia

At first, Cordelia might seem like your typical high school mean girl, and yet she is so much more than that. She is actually a good person and she's absolutely hilarious. After all, she falls in love with Xander, even though they do keep their romance a secret and she can't seem to really admit how she feels. Whenever there is a situation that is pretty creepy and heavy, you can always count on Cordelia to say something somewhat ditzy and definitely funny. She can lighten the mood no matter what and she brings a lot of comic relief to the show, which is always welcome. You like her so much that you can totally forgive her for starring on the spin-off Angel and, yup, falling in love with Angel. You still think that Buffy and Angel are a better match but you're not going to hold that against Cordelia since Angel is clearly very cute.

6 The Fact That There Is No Revival

Yes, as a true and loyal fan, you would absolutely love to see a new version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It would be cool to have an eight or ten-episode series on TV, a season on Netflix, or a movie. You're not above wishing for that. But at the same time, you're really glad that there has been no revival and that there doesn't seem to be one in the works. You agree with Sarah Michelle Gellar's belief about the whole thing: that it's nice to leave this show in the past where it belongs since it's so amazing and perfect as it is. Sometimes it's best to leave something alone and not try to make it even better because it's possible that fans would be disappointed by the new episodes and it might ruin the whole experience. That's just not a good idea. You've definitely seen this happen with more than a few revivals.

5 The Surprises

One of the most surprising storylines on this show was when Buffy and Spike started dating. You definitely would never have thought that this would happen (mostly because you never thought that Buffy and Angel would break up, but more on that sadness later). At first, you totally hated Spike. You had to. There was literally no other way that you could feel toward him. But then, as Buffy warmed up to him, you did too. She realized that Spike had a serious thing for her and totally freaked out at first. She thought the idea was gross and just wasn't into it. You weren't, either, since you had only seen him as a super evil vampire. It was impossible for you to see him in more of a leading man kind of role. When Buffy decided to give him a chance, you did too. It was probably pretty confusing since you weren't sure why you suddenly were shipping these characters, but you came around.

4 The Nostalgia Factor

The shows from your childhood and high school years are the most nostalgic ever, and that's another reason why Buffy is so incredibly special to you. There's also the fact that this is a show from the 90s and that's obviously your favorite time ever. But that goes without saying. Whenever you want to chill out or remember your teenage years, you definitely re-watch a few episodes of this show. There are a bunch of other teen dramas that you still hold close to your heart and remember super fondly, but there's just something magical about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You can't even necessarily put your finger on it. You just love everything and anything about it and you know that your friends all love it too, so you can always bring it up in random conversations or text message threads and everyone will be glad that you made a Buffy reference.

3 The Smart Take On Teenage Issues

Creator Joss Whedon has said that being in high school is a total nightmare and that's why he was inspired to literally make high school a nightmare on this show. Have you seen something like this before? Definitely not. It's an incredibly unique, original, and amazing idea for a television series, and that's exactly why you love it so much. The concept feels just as new and fresh today as it did when it premiered back in 1997 and that's pretty rare. So instead of presenting teenage problems like an after school special, Buffy the Vampire Slayer would take those themes and make them supernatural and magical instead. If you watch the show with this in mind, you will discover some pretty profound things, that's for sure, and you will definitely want to watch the whole series all over again to see how many other life lessons you can learn. Like you needed another reason.

2 The Love Stories

Oh man. Can you handle the love stories on this show? Probably not. This is a time when you literally can't even. Buffy and Angel were just one of the most amazing couples on television. And even though things went south for them and he ended up leaving the show, you still think that they are meant to be together. Angel just always looked out for Buffy and wanted to be there for her and protect her, and he knew that it wasn't the best idea for him to date her. You know, the whole vampire dating a vampire slayer thing doesn't always seem like a match made in heaven. You always loved the Buffy/Angel scenes because they were sweet and charming and funny and just really interesting. You also loved seeing Willow date the adorable Oz and, then, later, fall in love with Tara. You're also a fan of Xander and Cordelia and then later Xander and Anya.

1 The Feminist Tone

Is there a more feminist show than Buffy the Vampire Slayer? If there is, you really can't think of one. The final and most important reason that you love this show is that it is super feminist. Buffy is an incredibly inspiring and motivating character. She kicks some serious butt on a regular basis and she inspires you to be as strong as she is. Sure, you may not be fighting off vampires or demons in graveyards or throughout your city or town (or at least, you're hopefully not doing that) but you can still learn so much from her. You've also learned a lot from the other characters, both male and female, because of how they support and love each other. Everyone on the show cares deeply about Buffy and wants her to be the best that she can be, and that's a pretty cool thing. Every time that you watch the show, you love its feminist message even more. Buffy forever.