Posted in: Fox, TV | Tagged: buffy, buffy the vampire slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A Look Back at 2002's Animated Series Effort

As we await word on the revival series, we look back at the efforts made in 2002 to bring a Buffy the Vampire Slayer animated series to life.

Published Sat, 19 Jul 2025 20:07:04 -0500

by Ray Flook

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While we await updates on how things are rolling with series star/EP Sarah Michelle Gellar, Showrunners Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman, director Chloé Zhao, and EP Gail Berman's Gellar and Ryan Kiera Armstrong-starring Buffy the Vampire Slayer sequel series pilot for Hulu, we've had a chance to revisit some fascinating corners of the "Buffyverse." Earlier this week, a reader was kind enough to remind us about the attempt at an animated series that went south a little more than twenty years ago.

Originally given the go-ahead by 20th Century Fox in 2002, the animated series would've seen franchise creator Joss Whedon and writer Jeph Loeb serve as executive producers. Timeline-wise, the series was set in the middle of the original series' first season, and would've featured a number of familiar faces. Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Anthony Stewart Head, Charisma Carpenter, Michelle Trachtenberg, Kristine Sutherland, Armin Shimerman, and David Boreanaz. Gellar had opted not to return, with Giselle Loren (BTVS video games Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Chaos Bleeds) taking over the voice role. An interesting note about the cast is that Trachtenberg's Dawn was included in the lineup even though the character didn't debut until the fifth season.

Initially set to air on FOX Kids, plans changed in 2002 when the channel ceased operations, and the animated series was shopped out to other networks, but to no avail. In 2004, the animated series would be shopped again – and once again, there were no takers. Reportedly, there were concerns that the series was too adult for kids' programming but not adult enough for prime time, with the series pretty much considered dead a year later. Regarding how far along the series was in development, writer and producer Jane Espenson noted that six scripts were complete and two were incomplete, with a four-minute pilot produced (and eventually leaked online years later. Some of the ideas reportedly in play included Buffy having to deal with getting her driver's license (and a demonic driver's ed instructor) and becoming a shrunken slayer.

While we can't help but wonder about what could've been, most of it is based on the idea that Gellar would also return. Without the lead voice in the cast, it's actually not surprising that the networks passed. Don't get us wrong—that was an impressive lineup of familiar faces in the voice cast. But we also can't help but feel like that would've only made it more evident that Gellar wasn't behind Buffy's voice. If Gellar had returned, we could've seen a mini bidding war in play. With the Buffyverse buzz growing, here's hoping that an animated adventure is an idea that might be revisited.

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