Supernatural
and Buffy The Vampire Slayer
could both get a comeback, but despite some overlap in the fanbase, the shows have different strengths. While Buffy The Vampire Slayer debuted in 1997, and the final season wrapped two years before Supernatural premiered, the shows are often compared and contrasted. With young protagonists hunting supernatural beasts and monsters in an effort to save the world and hold back the forces of evil.
However, for all the similarities these shows have, they also have a lot that sets them apart. And for this reason, it would be great to get both series’ airing on TV at the same time. With Buffy officially getting a reboot, we are one step closer to seeing these two epic shows go head-to-head, and finally getting to see which fares better, Supernatural season 16, or the Buffy reboot.
10
Supernatural Wins: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Would Face Higher Expectations
Let’s face it, reboots are nearly always weaker than the original shows. A reboot needs to somehow recapture the magic from a series that is long gone. It needs to invite old viewers back, while also delivering enticing storylines that could welcome in new audiences. This isn’t impossible to achieve, but it’s a high bar, and one that, if not crossed, could be detrimental to the future of Buffy and the Scooby Gang.
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But Supernatural isn’t rebooting. Or at least it doesn’t need to. Yes, the show did wrap five years ago in 2020, but the possibility of getting the whole gang back together and just continuing the story in season 16 gives them more flexibility than rebooting an extinct series. As a result, Supernatural season 16 would already have an advantage over Buffy’s reboot.
9
Buffy Wins: There’s More Anticipation For A Buffy Revival
On the flip side, with that time passing between being much larger for Buffy, it does mean there’s a lot more excitement for the reboot to get made and continue the story. Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a huge series when it debuted in 1997. It launched Joss Whedon’s career, along with bringing incredible talent like Sarah Michelle Gellar into the public arena.
And despite being off the air for more than 23 years, the show continues to have a cult following. Among that fanbase, the revival is a very welcome surprise, and one that many people are desperate to engage with as minuscule details about what to expect are released. The show is still in the early stages of pre-production, which means that there is plenty more time to build this anticipation too.
8
Supernatural Wins: Supernatural Has More Lore To Dig Into
Supernatural had an exceptional run on TV with 15 seasons airing between 2005 and 2020. In that time, the series explored demons, monsters, the afterlife, multiverses, time travel, gods, prophets, and so much more. All of this adds to the rich tapestry of Supernatural’s incredible legacy and lore, which could lead to a wealth of stories that can be tapped into.
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Sam and Dean have seen a lot in their many years on the road. This means that the world of Supernatural is so much more vast, and ripe to have an expansion in the form of another season. And the way that the show left things after season 15, there is a lot of potential for where it could go next, and how it can explain getting the Winchester boys back together.
7
Buffy Wins: Buffy Has A Lot More Potential For Untold Stories
Buffy, on the other hand, had just seven seasons. This is an impressive number for a show of its kind, but the benefit to having less than half of the total seasons compared to Supernatural is the fact that there is a lot that has yet to be seen in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. And for a reboot, that is an awesome position to be in.
If Buffy had spent years going over every type of monster, having the character die and come back (even more than it already did), and literally fighting next to angels, it would be hard to find something new to do with the character. Yes, a new cryptid or monster could appear, but the show deserves to have the lore built up, and a reboot will give it a chance to do just that.
6
Supernatural Wins: Supernatural Has The Advantage Of Time
In terms of the ages of the actors, Jensen Ackles is actually the same age as Buffy actor, Sarah Michelle Gellar. However, Jared Padalecki, who plays Sam WInchester, is five years younger. In this way, none of the actors have a specific advantage over each other, but Supernatural still has a huge advantage thanks to time.
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Supernatural ended in 2020, which means that fans of the show still have recent memories of the series. This means there are likely more active fans of the show, and more casual fans that would happily return if season 16 were to pop up. It also has the potential to go on for much longer, because there are younger members of the cast who could conceivably carry stories forward, and expand the franchise in new ways.
5
Buffy Wins: Buffy Has The Advantage Of Nostalgia
But Buffy shouldn’t be counted out just because the show wrapped decades earlier. The thing is, in the landscape of film and TV today, nostalgia does have a significant part to play in projects earning big money, and getting the backing of a studio. Nostalgia is a powerful incentive, and it entices a lot of people to return to a show or franchise many years after the series wrapped.
Supernatural really can’t stand out for nostalgia, despite starting in 2005, because the characters have grown up throughout the series, and season 16 would only serve to stretch out the runtime, not restore something that was lost years earlier. Buffy easily wins the nostalgia vote, and that could drastically influence the popularity of it to overtake Supernatural.
4
Supernatural Wins: Sam & Dean Are Both On Board To Return
Supernatural stars Jensen and Jared are close friends in real life, and the pair continue to tour the comic convention circuits where fans consistently ask about a future for the Winchester brothers. While both men have moved on to explore other projects, it’s evident that both are open to exploring the story further, and returning to Supernatural if the circumstances are right.
And beyond that, there are plenty of other actors from the show that are equally enthusiastic about getting back to the world of Supernatural. One of the best examples of this is the fact that recently Jared, Jensen, and Misha Collins, who played the angel Castiel, have all been cast in The Boys’ final season, creating a mini-reunion that the show’s marketing campaign is happy to lean into, as seen by the post above.
3
Buffy Wins: Sarah Michelle Gellar Is More Than Capable Of Leading The Show Alone
Sarah Michelle Gellar has been a leading lady in Hollywood since 1997. Before that, she played in prominent roles in 1992 and 1993 in multiple projects. Since that time, Gellar has gone on to star in major movies, and in other TV shows, including the prequel series, Dexter: Original Sin. In all of these roles, Gellar shows how capable she is of leading and starring in shows without the need for support, though she helps her castmates shine when they appear together.
As great as Ackles and Padalecki may be, the pair have had precious few starring roles. And in the single best example of them being cast as leads, the boys spent years playing the same part, while Gellar’s expanded her talents, refined her skills, and tackled various opportunities. Gellar is easily a stronger solo lead than either of the Winchester’s independently.
2
Supernatural Wins: Supernatural Can Pick Up Right Where It Left Off
All of that being said, Supernatural also has the benefit of concluding recently. The show delivered a seemingly definitive ending, but Supernatural has subverted expectations before, and both Sam and Dean have managed to cheat death numerous times. And with the addition of the spin-off, The Winchesters, time travel has been established, with Dean being able to travel through time and space after his death.
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Supernatural season 16 could either choose to lean into the time that passed between Dean’s death and Sam dying from old age, and build a narrative there. But, it could choose to play with time in a less conventional way with a story that follows the boys after they die, using their divine gifts to fix problems in time and space that they couldn’t have handled as well during life.
1
Buffy Wins: Buffy Has Had Years To Grow And Advance As A Hero
Image via Paramount+
As much as this continuity is helpful for shows like Supernatural, there is also something to be said about having a much longer gap, and jumping forward to a new point in time. Buffy is locked into a situation like that, with over two decades passing since the show ended. Buffy Summers has presumably grown up. She is an adult, a middle-aged woman, who could have had a family, with a husband and kids.
The same goes for all her friends, and the show could have a lot of fun playing with them and seeing what comes next for these beloved characters. Seeing what happens to Buffy after her dangerous missions in Sunnydale is likely to be extremely satisfying for fans who have speculated about the character’s future, as the answers will finally be delivered in Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s new reboot, which could result in the show outperforming anything Supernatural season 16 could do.