Best/Worst Spin-Off Ideas?

POSTED BY: bobknaptor
UPDATED: Friday, September 6, 2002 18:46
VIEWED: 14813
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BOBKNAPTOR

Thursday, June 20, 2002 10:08 PM

I have heard a lot of talk about Spin-Offs on several different message boards and I'm fascinated by the idea. I'm curious what others think, and also, what do you think are the best and worst ideas for a spin-off?

I would love to see a withchy-Willow spin-off (I've never like the idea of magic=drug addiction storyline).

I've heard a lot of talk of a "Dawn the Vampire Slayer" spin-off, and I have really mixed feelings. My first reaction was HELL NO!!! but have heard a couple convincing arguments for it and now I think maybe... It's still open for debate in my mind.

We could grind our enemies into talcum powder with a sledgehammer, but, gosh, we did that last night.

HAKEN

Thursday, June 20, 2002 10:19 PM

I have mixed feeling about a Dawn spinoff as well. It's been there done that. What I would like to really see is a Faith: The Vampire Slayer movie. It has the potential of being very dark, very scary, and very adult because of the Faith character.

HJERMSTED

Thursday, June 20, 2002 10:33 PM

I think a better approach would be a spin-off mini-series or twice annual TV movie. As much as I looove the Whedon-iverse, I think five TV series will be enough (factoring in the BTVS animated show and BBC Giles). Don't want the shows to get too hard pressed for ideas.

Babylon 5 and Alien Nation have each gone the TV movie route and turned out some excellent shows.

I'd love to see a Faith mini-series or TV movie. A Willow TV movie would be grand as well.

How about a narrative TV movie detailing a particular occasion when Holtz got too close to Angel & Co. back in the last century? It could be a great Buffyverse period piece as opposed to the usual flashback. Heck, Holtz could meet an actual Slayer.

Speaking of which, past Slayers would play well in an anthology show (similar to the comic book Tales of the Slayer).

Moving away from the TV series philosophy would be a good thing. How many shows actually merit 22 hours a year (26 if you're Star Trek)? Not many! Some would say the last season of Buffy didn't merit that many episodes (personally I disagree). However, constructing mini-series instead of full series and one or two TV movies a year has the benefit of:

A. Higher budgets
B. Choosing the better realized stories.
C. Easier scheduling of the talent (many of whom are big movie celebs now and wouldn't have time otherwise)

I say NO MORE SERIES. Time to branch out and mess with the format, Jack!

These ideas are free. Take them and be rich!

mattro

MARINO

Thursday, June 20, 2002 10:42 PM

Um, I'm really inclined to beg Joss for a FRAY television series based on the comic book. It's so amazingly good, and the character is quite different from Buffy.

NOVAGRASS

Friday, June 21, 2002 12:42 AM

There's been talk of a Fray movie (David Fury has been begging Joss to do it.) A Fray series won't be possible, if my guess as to what will happen a the story's conclusion is right.

David Fury has also mentioned wanting to do a Faith series and a Willow series.

If I were to do anything, it would be a Faith series. I'd send her out to Manhattan, where she'd meet up with Whistler (I think they'd be a *riot* together. No romance, though). I think a fugitive-esque, traveling from town to town, method... that way she'd have time to redeem herself and whatnot.

Willow looks to be getting a lot darker as a character, and while I originally thought that a Willow series would end up being a little too Sabrina-esque, with the current developments in her character it could now work.

Dawn The Vampire Slayer won't happen... it's just a dumb idea, IMO. She isn't a slayer, and the line isn't passed genetically (that and the fact that the line is passed through Faith... and Faith isn't dead.) Maybe "The Key" would be interesting, but I doubt it.

I think a "Tales of the Slayers" series would be very cool... each season could be the story of another slayer in Buffy continuum... it'd be a fresh idea, one that's never been done in America. Even a movie series like this would be cool.

Now, on the Angel front, a series about Lorne would be the most interesting, IMO... but I won't get into that...

--Dylan Palmer, aka NoVaGrAsS--

"Nice guys can only get so mad." Fillion on Mal

MOJOECA

Friday, June 21, 2002 3:32 AM

I would LOVE to see a Slayer Anthology series -- perhaps a limited-run.

FRAY ANIMATED. Live-action would be prohibitively expensive.

I want to see RIPPER here in the U.S. if it ever gets going.

Since Willow is no longer a witch, Spike is now the only character who can carry his own show, IMO. He could probably be in a spin-off w/ Dawn.

--- Joe

NOVAGRASS

Friday, June 21, 2002 4:20 AM

Spoilers/speculation for Fray, Buffy Season 7, and Spinoffs

Fray Speculation... not confirmed, but spoilers should be on regardless...

Select to view spoiler:

My guess is that Fray will die at the end of the comic book run. Buffy is unique in how long she's lived (mostly due to the help of her friends)... most slayers die relatively quickly, and I can't imagine a neutered slayer like Fray (with basically no friends) could live longer than the average chosen one.

Buffy Season 7/ Potential Willow Spin-off

Select to view spoiler:

I think Willow will still be a witch. Next season is supposed to involve Willow off in England with Giles. My Speculation: Either she's developing mega-powerful good magic with the coven mentioned in Grave by Giles, or she's training to be a watcher.

Either way, she's still gonna be some majorly powerful figure in the Buffy-verse.

Another thing I forgot to mention is... Sarah Michelle Gellar has said that she will not be in a Buffy movie if one is ever made (meaning, one'll never be made). She says that it's a slap in the face to the medium that they've been working in (TV) and something that just wouldn't work as a major motion picture. Maybe she'd do a TV movie? Her main gripe seemed to be a theatrical release, so a TV movie/movies/mini-series could be possible(Source on Sarah's stuff: Wanda from E!Online)

SO... If Joss wants to continue the slayer mythos past the Buffy series and on the big screen, it'd have to be with a different slayer... like an adaptation of Fray.

Personally, I think that when the Buffy story comes to an end, none of the main characters should be spun off (no Willow series, not Spike series, no Dawn series). The reason the characters work so well is that they compliment eachother perfectly. Without any of the other characters, I doubt they could support a story. The end of the series will probably be the end of Buffy and Company's story...

The *only* Buffy related figure that I feel could realistically support a series post-Buffy is Faith, and Eliza Dushku is becomming too big a star to return to TV as a more-than-recurring character. If a series were to develop based on Faith, it would be Faith's story... not the continuation of a Buffy story, much like Angel is the story of Angel's "family."

--Dylan Palmer, aka NoVaGrAsS--

"Nice guys can only get so mad." Fillion on Mal

FURYFIRE

Saturday, June 22, 2002 12:40 AM

I think a Dawn spinoff would be great, it would be a whole different way to explore the teenage years, considering also that Dawn would have absolutely no family. Since Buffy would be gone or dead.

No other characters would work in a spinoff.

Spike: The character has pretty much been used to his full potential. ANy spinoff would be too close to ANGEL, a vampire with a soul. Nah.

Willow: Hannigan wants to move on, and she should, but Willow has stopped with the magicks, Tara's dead, not much left for her, in BS8 she'd have a job by then since she's graduating in S7.

Xander: What does he do?

Buffy: Dead. Gone. Either way. This show ends with her, she's not spinning her self off.

Anya: Yeah she's bak with the demonic stuff, but any vengeance wreaking we've either seen or heard about, and her and Hallie aren't gonna carry a show.

Dawn: All the potential.

ps. Cya yall soon

Uh, is the tag the same as the signature?

J

Saturday, June 22, 2002 4:20 AM

Any Buffy (real Buffy) is better than no Buffy. In order: I'd like to see s8, 9, 10, etc. If not, then a set of mini-series sounds great. Whether they're her real reasons or not and whether she'd stick to it, I agree with some of what Sarah says about a Buffy movie. That's a last resort.

As far as character's supporting spinoffs, I agree with what some others have said. To combine a couple of idea: Spike's the only character who could carry a show, but he doesn't have a show to carry. AtS is already doing the vamp-with-a-soul shtick. (Assuming, as I very much hope, that Spike is at least still a vamp.)

I'm not a Dawn-hater, though she tried my patience this season, but I wouldn't watch a show centered on her. The other Scooby's, shining through at the end of this season or not, are sidekicks for a reason - integral to the Slayer's strength and success, but still sidekicks.

The only hope is a new show based in the Buffyverse, like a past/future Slayer show... or Faith. And Faith would be a smash. I'd love to see that. Before Angel took a dive, it was supposed to be a dark adult show about an almost anti-hero in heavy self-conflict on the mean streets of a major city. Faith could completely pull that off. I also like the idea of a very adult movie based on something similar. If we can't bring ED back to the show, maybe we can take the show to her as a movie.

MOJOECA

Saturday, June 22, 2002 4:58 AM

I've heard Joss mention that he imagined a Faith spin-off would be kinda like Renegade. Of course, a Faith series won't happen unless Dushku wants it, but she's busy with the movies.

Also, I've mentioned already the slayer anthology series. Of any possible spin-off, this would be the one that I would most look forward to.

--- Joe

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