Watch the never-before-seen original 1996 pilot episode of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER that Joss Whedon says “sucks ass”

If you are a fan of Joss Whedonit’s a classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, I have a little surprise here for you today. If you’ve never seen the series’ original pilot, which never aired, you can check it out here.

The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer The pilot was only about 25 minutes long and was intended as a presentation for network executives rather than a full-fledged episode. While it contained the core of what the series would eventually become, it also had some differences.

Warner Bros. commissioned the pilot but due to the low budget given to it, Whedon had to change the pilot’s script to fit the shorter runtime. In the book Joss Whedon: The Biography by Amy Pascale, it is revealed that there were many problems with the production and it was described as a “nightmare” because the crew didn’t really like working with Whedon.

One of the most obvious differences between the unaired pilot and the series is the cast:

• Buffy Summers: While Sarah Michelle Gellar she is synonymous with the role of Buffy, she is the Buffy we see in both the pilot and the series.

• Willow Rosenberg: Perhaps the most significant change in the cast was that of Willow, then played by Alyson Hanniganwas originally played by Riff Reagan in the pilot. The character was also slightly different in behavior. While Hannigan’s Willow starts out shy and becomes progressively stronger and more confident, Regan’s portrayal was less distinct.

• Principal Flutie: In the never-aired pilot, the role of the principal of Sunnydale High was played by Stephen Tobolowskywhich was later replaced by Ken Lerner in the series.

While the core of the story – a high school girl chosen to fight the forces of darkness – remained the same, the tone of the never-aired pilot was slightly different. He seemed a little rougher around the edges, given his shorter length and proof-of-concept nature.

While it served its purpose by securing a series order, the original pilot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was never intended for public viewing, but it provides a fascinating look at the early stages of a beloved series, offering insights into the show’s evolution and the creative choices that shaped it.

Whedon and the studio weren’t really fans of the pilot episode and were all pretty “disappointed” with it and didn’t even pick up the show for the 1996 fall season. Instead, they went with 7th heaven. During an interview with IGN, Whedon said that the pilot he made “sucks.”

WB chief programmer Garth Ancier once said:

“The pilot wasn’t great. And we had some better pilots that year. The discussion was, ‘Should we make our bet on another Stephen Cannell show? [21 Jump Street, The A-Team, The Rockford Files]? Or do we bet on Joss, who we believe in as a writer, even if this pilot has to be completely scrapped?'”

So, what actually pushed the series into development? The then president of the WB, Susan Danielscanceled the soap opera Savannah in February 1997 and brought in Joss Whedon to develop Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The rest is history!