Posted in: TV | Tagged: Amber Benson, angel, Audible, Audio Drama, buffy the vampire slayer, buffyverse, charisma carpenter, christopher golden, Emma Caulfield Ford, felicia day, james marsters, juliet landau, Layla DeLeon Hayes, murray head, podcast, slayers, third eye

Slayers, Third Eye Make for Perfect "Buffyverse Night" Double-Bill

Here's why Audible Originals Slayers and Third Eye is the perfect listening lineup for fans looking to revisit those Buffyverse nights.

Remember Buffyverse nights on The CW? That used to be Tuesdays a long time ago before Twitter became a big deal, but fandom was starting to really take off. You had Buffy the Vampire Slayer at 8 p.m., followed by Angel at 9 p.m. That was the one night of Geek Heaven from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Those were the days before social media, and certain key creators getting rightfully #MeToo'd turned everything into a bit of a dumpster fire. But now, you can give yourself a kind of revival of those nights. All you need to do is close your eyes and listen to the new audio drama podcast series Slayers: A Buffyverse Story and Third Eye.

In case you didn't know, Slayers is a new authorized audio drama series produced by Audible set in the Buffyverse. It's written by Amber Benson (who played Tara on Buffy) and Christopher Golden and is a sequel to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Set years after the series finale, presumably the present day where the world now has hundreds of slayers fighting demons and vampires, featuring all the actors and fan favourite supporting characters who were unjustly neglected in the TV series' final seasons.  Vampire with a Soul Spike (James Marsters) and his demon buddy Clem (James Charles Leary) are undercover in the vampire and demon underworld helping out the slayers when a new baby slayer named Indira (Layla DeLeon Hayes) shows up asking for mentorship. Then they encounter a Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter), the lone vampire slayer from another universe, who asks for help to fight her world's big bad – Drusilla (Juliet Landau), who has become vampire queen there. Soon Drusilla comes after them, bringing that world's version of Tara (Amber Benson), alive, a dark witch and her love, and also alive, Anya (Emma Caulfield Ford), who has been helping Cordelia. Buffy and Willow are elsewhere, but a retired and now-elderly Giles (Murray Head) is dragged into the fight.

Felicia Day's new fantasy comedy audio series isn't set in the Buffyverse but could be called "Buffyverse-adjacent." Day had played a baby slayer in the final season of Buffy, after all. It's set in a world where supernatural creatures and magic exist, like in the Buffyverse, and features not only actors who have appeared in Buffy and Angel but also has the same vibe as Buffyverse shows. It asks the question, "What happens after the Chosen One fails?" and features Day as said failed Chosen One, now an adult after her defeat by the demon lord in her teens but condemned to live in a world now without power where everyone blames her for losing her Great Battle. It's gleefully snarky and subversive in all the best ways Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel were and features a hilarious cast of characters that are instantly recognizable and lovable. It has all the same vibes as a good Buffyverse show. We recommend it highly.

Both Slayers and Third Eye are Audible productions and presented as hour-long chapters or "episodes," so you can take a break after each story installment. We recommend you listen first to a chapter of Slayers, then a chapter of Third Eye while you're lying back with your eyes closed, or cooking or whatever you want. Voila! You now have a new Buffyverse Night!

Slayers and Third Eye are both available from Audible here and here.

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