Summary

• Angel's exit marked a turning point for Buffy, leading to a spin-off series and viewer shifts.
• Riley as a love interest divided viewers due to his bland character compared to Angel.
• The Initiative storyline in Season 4 almost ruined the show for many, leading to viewer drop-off.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the most beloved television series ever, but several moments made some viewers stop watching altogether. As a powerful feminist story about the teenage vampire slayer Buffy Summers and her battles against vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness, Buffy was a groundbreaking television series for its depiction of strong female characters, LGBTQ+ themes, and incredible worldbuilding. However, other moments weren’t as well received, and certain aspects led audiences to stop following the adventures of the Scooby Gang.

For a television show to be genuinely great, it has to not be afraid of alienating some viewers, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer was no different. For every storyline, narrative arc, or character development that turned viewers away, Buffy also gained new audience who connected with the show's risks. The disparity between what makes one viewer stick with a show through its entire run and what makes another tune out and stop watching makes the television landscape interesting. With this in mind, Buffy’s willingness to try new things made it an essential TV show for understanding the 1990s.

10 Angel’s Exit

Season 3, Episodes 21 & 22, “Graduation”

The two-part third season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a turning point for the series as it was the last to feature Angel (David Boreanaz) and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) as series regulars. This was because, following the end of this season, a new Buffy spin-off called Angel began, which expanded the Buffyverse into stories that weren’t focused on the vampire slayer Buffy Summers. While this was an exciting development, when series like this started to branch out into multiple entries, viewers often called it quits on the show, as it can be overwhelming to keep up with everything.

The love story between Buffy and Angel was also a central component of Buffy's first three seasons; without that aspect, audiences may have tuned out for the remainder of the show. However, this would have been a mistake because many of the best episodes of Buffy were yet to come, and the series' compelling complexity only grew in subsequent seasons. Angel’s exit certainly represented a before-and-after moment for Buffy, but this was not a reason to give up on it entirely.

9 Riley As A Love Interest

Season 4, Episode 1, “The Freshman”

Some viewers may believe that Riley was Buffy’s best boyfriend, but just as many were turned off by this love interest introduced at the beginning of Season 4. Riley Finn was intended to be the antithesis of Buffy’s previous boyfriend, Angel, and acted as her first opportunity to have a normal relationship, although it was later revealed Riley had a secret double life in the Initiative. While Riley did offer something new regarding romantic storylines in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he was also a much blander character than Angel, which made some viewers quit watching.

As a stereotypical nice guy and military man, Riley’s character was less engaging than other Buffy love interests, and after the conclusion of the Initiative storyline, he was written off the show altogether, but made one further appearance in Season 6. For Buffy, Riley represented a link to what she always wanted, a normal life, but as a viewer, it was far more engaging to see the conflicted nature of her feelings for vampires like Angel and Spike.

8 The Initiative

Season 4, Episode 4, “Fear Itself”

The Initiative was a secret government organization introduced early in the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, whose storyline almost ruined the entire season and made plenty of viewers quit watching. As an agency that captured demons for military purposes, there were a lot of interesting concepts in the idea behind the Initiative, but it quickly became stale, and the plotline simply went on for too long. If this season arc was a bit shorter, maybe Buffy would have retained more viewers.

The Initiative storyline took a lot of time away from the main characters that viewers were interested in, and when matched with the underwhelming love interest of Initiative member Riley, Buffy felt like it was treading water. Once the Initiative storyline was introduced, Buffy became less about vampire slaying and more about secret government conspiracies. While many may have enjoyed the Initiative story, it was also the point when others decided to call it a day on Buffy.

7 An All-Time Low

Season 4, Episode 5, “Beer Bad”

Of the 144 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one stood above the rest as the absolute low point of the series, and that was “Beer Bad” from Season 4. Buffy was known for having its fair share of heavy-handed messages, and the anti-underage drinking themes of “Beer Bad” were a particularly noticeable example of this done in a way that did not work. Full of on-the-nose messaging and a questionable anti-sex stance, it’s no surprise this episode rubbed some viewers the wrong way and made them quit the show.

“Beer Bad” also featured one of the Buffy from Xander, who said, “Nothing can defeat the penis” in a drunken conversation with Willow. Overall, “Beer Bad” was far less effective than other Buffy episodes centered around moralistic themes and did not get its message across with the nuance or subtlety required. However, even the worst episodes of Buffy still had something to offer, as “Beer Bad” was nominated for an Emmy for Makeup and Hairstyling.

6 The Unexplained Appearance Of Dawn Summers

Season 5, Episode 1, “Buffy vs. Dracula”

In the Season 5 premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a character named Dawn Summers was introduced and revealed to be Buffy’s little sister, who had never been mentioned before. Viewers watching in the year 2000 were left scratching their heads and questioning if series creator Joss Whedon thought he could get away with such a major retcon as entirely changing Buffy’s family dynamic. This felt like an insult to viewers who paid intense attention to the details of Buffy and was a point at which many decided to stop watching the show entirely.

However, this would have been a major mistake, as Dawn's unexplained introduction was deliberate and later became a major plot point. The characters accepted Dawn’s presence as if she had always been there, and it was later revealed that she was the mystical “key” to unlocking dimensions and was there to protect Buffy. This realization that Dawn was not born but created acted as a springboard to explore psychological themes about the very nature of selfhood in Buffy.

5 Buffy’s Resurrection

Season 6, Episodes 1 & 2, “Bargaining”

After Buffy Summers died in the Season 5 finale, it begged the question of how a show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer could continue if the lead character were no longer alive. Luckily, the supernatural nature of the series meant that she could be resurrected by the Scooby Gang and live on to fight another day. This was exactly what happened in the Season 6 premiere, although Buffy’s return undermined her earlier demise and led to some viewers tuning out.

Following her resurrection, Buffy fulfilled her Season 1 nightmare and was forced to crawl out of her grave after being returned from heaven into a buried coffin. For Buffy to continue as a show, the titular slayer was always set to return somehow. However, Buffy's return in the very next episode just felt too quick. Buffy could have retained more viewers if it had spent more time exploring the world without Buffy and had a more effective return later in the season.

4 THAT Spike & Buffy Scene

Season 6, Episode 19, “Seeing Red”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer lost viewers after the scene where the vampire Spike attempted to sexually assault Buffy. As one real low point for the show, this controversial storyline reflected the dark nature of Spike’s character but also felt like it took things too far and turned him from an anti-hero-style character into a truly sinister monster. While Spike’s character was on a journey to overcome his demonic nature and become one of the good guys, this highly problematic addition to his character could never be undone and has remained a talking point.

Buffy’s actress, Sarah Michelle Geller, stated in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter that she has trouble with the sixth season and does not want to rewatch it. Spike’s actor James Marsters also told Radio Times that the scene “doesn’t seem to age well,” but its point was to show viewers that they should stop rooting for Buffy and Spike to end up together. As a traumatic storyline that was highly triggering to many viewers, this scene between Spike and Buffy was a significant part of the narrative but also the breaking point for some viewers.

3 Tara's Death In Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Season 6, Episode 19, “Seeing Red”

Tara Maclay was a popular character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer whose death in Season 6 was badly received by many viewers who felt it did her character an injustice. As a major love interest of Willow Rosenberg, Tara’s death felt like it happened merely to push Willow’s plot forward. In the process, it undermined her character and stripped her of her agency. Looking back, even Buffy’s former showrunner regretted Tara’s death and said the development bordered on “sadistic.”

Tara’s death was just one of many controversial occurrences in the sixth season of Buffy that led to viewers' decision to quit watching the series. Tara was shot by a stray bullet that was meant for Buffy, and her instant death felt bothersome, chaotic, and disrespectful. As a highly important character within Buffy, unceremoniously killing off somebody very beloved by viewers always meant that some would stop watching for good.

2 The Dark Willow Arc

Season 6, Episode 20, “Villains”

Watching Willow Rosenberg transform from a shy high school student into a powerful witch was an incredible character arc throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, one aspect of her character that led some viewers to quit the show was when she turned into Dark Willow after the death of her girlfriend, Tara, in Season 6. Seeing the sweet and innocent Willow turn into a major antagonist was a surprising turn of events that was too much for some to take.

At this point, Willow embraced her evil side, and this was such a dramatic shift in her character dynamic that it felt jarring to many viewers. Although it wasn’t completely out of left field, Willow’s darker nature had been hinted at as far back as Season 2, when she contemplated using dark magic to stop Angelus from awakening Acathla. However, viewers who quit watching due to the Dark Willow arc should have been more patient, as in the season finale, two episodes later, she overcame this physical transformation and returned to her old, good-natured self.

1 Too Many Slayers In Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Season 7

The seventh and final television season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured a plotline about the Potential Slayers, who were normal girls worldwide who were candidates to succeed the Slayer upon her death. With at least 1800 potentials around the world, 500 slayers in training were working with the Scooby Gang in Season 7, which was just too many for some viewers to take. With so many slayers introduced, it felt like this undermined the importance of slayers like Buffy or Faith and led to viewers quitting the show.

The Potential Slayers storyline and the development of the Slayer Organization were highly ambitious ideas but also incredibly divisive. Having so many slayers living at Buffy’s house took away time from the main cast and divided the viewer's attention between too many characters. This storyline was carried forward in the Buffy comics and worked better as a graphic novel because of its grand and numerous nature.

Sources: Hollywood Reporter, Radio Times