While watching the show, I've picked up on a few things. First off, she's the archetype of essentially all shows supernatural, including Supernatural. Any fans of both shows know that Dean is the male version of Buffy (hence the Buffy/Dean shippers). Moreover, the general format of the show is exactly what Supernatural does. Each episode, on the whole, is self-contained.
The Buffy/Angel spinoff is the first of it's kind where spinoffs actually interact. Before, spinoffs occurred after the main show ran its course like Joey after Friends and Fraser after Cheers. Angel actually gained its own fan base separate from the Buffy fans and ran for a season after Buffy.
The Buffy/Angel/Spike love triangle is identical to the one in The Vampire Diaries with Elena/Stefan/Damon respectively. The girl falls in love with the "good" or "tame" vampire and then goes on to fall for the rough around the edges one who needs reforming. And of course he does reform for her. He can't entirely change his bad self, but on the most part he does.
All of these similarities remind me of a book that I read in high school called How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster. For those of you who haven't read it, I highly recommend it. In the book, Foster talks about how we essentially have the same few plots retold in various forms. As an aspiring writer, it's kind of sad because, according to Foster, anything I write is not original.
Buffy popularized the supernatural genre on TV and set the stage for shows to come. However, though she was revolutionary, her story isn't entirely original either. After all, Dracula and Anne Rice beat her to the vampire stories and the Lost Boys did the creepy vampire face thing first.
Anyway, I haven't finished Buffy yet--my progress has been made very slow now that I'm simultaneously watching Angel. However, I felt like I should share my observations thus far.
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