Entertainment Weekly's annual reunion issue has some serious bite this year. The magazine brought the cast of Buffy The Vampire Slayer back together to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary year. It's hard to believe that it was two decades ago that an adaptation of a cult early '90s supernatural comedy debuted on what was then the WB network, led by a mostly unknown ensemble and captained by a first-time showrunner by the name of Joss Whedon. But Buffy The Vampire Slayer is almost old enough to drink now, and the series is renowned for its cleverness, feminism, and sneakily serious take on real young adult issues. Who was on hand for Entertainment Weekly's high school reunion and who missed out? Keep reading to find out which Buffy stars showed up to reminisce about the legacy of the groundbreaking teen show.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the photoshoot that's bound to set fan hearts racing (those with heartbeats, at least) is the first the Buffy cast has done together in over 10 years. There couldn't be a better time to end that separation. The 20th anniversary of the show has reignited interest in the seven-season series, launching many first watches and re-watch marathons (including mine) as well as countless nostalgic treatises and lists of the show's best moments. Buffy Summers didn't choose to be born the Slayer, but her run certainly left a mark on pop culture. And that's why Entertainment Weekly was able to round up these Buffy alums:
Sarah Michelle Gellar As Buffy
You can't have a Sunnydale reunion without The Chosen One. The actor who embodied the flawed and funny heroine acknowledged the importance of the work, saying, "I’m so incredibly proud of what we all created. Sometimes you need distance to really understand the gravitas of that."
Alyson Hannigan As Willow
Willow's arc from a wallflower with a talent for hacking and a crush on Xander to a powerful witch in a relationship with another woman made the part what Hannigan calls "the role of a lifetime."
David Boreanaz As Angel
The vampire with a soul was the only Buffy character to spin-off into his own successful series.
Nicholas Brendon As Xander
Buffy's self-deprecating pal learns a lot in the course of the series, and almost entirely from his friendships and relationships with women.
Seth Green As Oz
A '90s alt-rock archetype with heart of gold and a dark secret, Oz notices Willow when she assumes she's invisible.
Charisma Carpenter As Cordelia
Carpenter got the best of both worlds in this role: Cordelia's epic mean-girl put-downs and her unexpected depth as she becomes more enmired in the perils of living on the Hellmouth.
Michelle Trachtenberg As Dawn Summers
It's possible that no character shook up the show quite like Buffy's little sister Dawn. Because the audience had no idea she had a little sister until she arrived.
Kristine Sutherland As Joyce Summers
Buffy got a lot of her non-Slayer strength from being raised by a single mom. It was just the two of them for so long, which made it especially heartbreaking when the episode "The Body" came around.
James Marsters As Spike
Think Sid Vicious as a creature of the night. Sarcastic and always entertained, Spike was the anti-Angel. And his late-series romance with Buffy prompted one of TV's great ongoing 'ship debates.
Emma Caufield As Anya
Even older than Angel, Anya came to the Scooby Gang as a former vengeance demon cursed to stay in a human form. Though her former mission was to punish men on behalf of the women they betrayed and abused, Anya unexpectedly finds happiness with Xander.
Amber Benson As Tara
Willow and Tara bond over being the only for-real witches in their college Wicca group, and their friendship eventually grows into a great love.
Alexis Denisof As Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Though Anthony Stewart Head (Giles) is noticeably missing from this reunion, the Watcher club is represented by Denisof, who played the fussy Wesley. The character went on to solve crimes on Angel, and Buffy served as the meet-cute for Denisof and Hannigan, who have been married since 2003 and have two children.
Joss Whedon
"This is like a high school reunion," the Buffy mastermind said about Entertainment Weekly's anniversary party shoot, "but much worse because they all still look really great." At least the creator can rest easy knowing the show itself has also aged so well.
There's nothing like getting together with old friends, is there? This Buffy The Vampire Slayer reunion is nothing short of the perfect gift for the fandom.
