TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer don’t come around often, which makes the existence of an underrated supernatural gem from the early 2010s such a win for Buffy fans. Buffy the Vampire Slayer blended supernatural action, teen angst, witty writing, and genuine emotional stakes in a way that redefined genre television. For many, Buffy wasn’t just about slaying monsters - it was about facing the challenges of growing up, embracing your identity, and building chosen family, and nothing has really scratched the same itch since. Luckily, there’s a lesser-known Canadian show that taps into that same supernatural energy and could be the perfect to fill the void.
This series, like Buffy, features a fierce female lead, a mysterious underworld of supernatural creatures, and a loyal core group of allies who help the heroine navigate both personal growth and epic battles. It has the same mix of monster-of-the-week storytelling and long-form arcs, plus the kind of emotional beats that sneak up on viewers. While Buffy fans may already know about more recent spiritual successors like Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries, this Canadian series hits much closer to the original in tone, themes, and groundbreaking character work, making it perfect to fill the gap while the Buffy reboot remains in limbo.
Lost Girl Is A Supernatural Series About A Succubus Named Bo
A Charismatic Heroine Discovers A Hidden World Of Supernatural Beings And A Mystery-Filled Destiny
Lost Girl is a Canadian supernatural fantasy drama that premiered in 2010 and quickly developed a ionate fanbase of its own, and it has a lot to offer fans of Buffy. At the center of Lost Girl is Bo (Anna Silk), a woman who discovers she’s a succubus - a type of Fae who feeds on the life force of humans through sexual energy. When Bo learns the truth about her identity after accidentally killing her first lover, she rejects the traditional allegiances of the Fae world and chooses to walk her own path.
That decision sets off a series of events that not only define her own journey but also threaten to change the supernatural world as it stands. The Fae in SyFy's Lost Girl are divided into Light and Dark clans, each with their own politics and agendas. But Bo, much like Buffy, refuses to play by anyone’s rules. She’s a powerful, emotionally complex lead whose comion often clashes with her deadly instincts. Her arc, like Buffy’s, is ultimately about choice, identity, and fighting for the people she loves - even when the odds are stacked against her.
Stylistically, Lost Girl has a lot in common with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It mixes serialized story arcs with standalone episodes, introduces a diverse set of quirky and lovable characters, and balances romance, danger, and humor in each episode. Bo’s human best friend Kenzi (Ksenia Solo) often steals the show with her one-liners and street-smart attitude, and their ride-or-die friendship mirrors the heart of Buffy and Willow’s dynamic.
Over time, Lost Girl expands its mythology just as Buffy did, diving deeper into the lore of its world and challenging its characters in more emotionally complex ways. There’s a layered mystery at the heart of Bo’s origin and destiny that unfolds gradually, keeping the stakes personal while never losing sight of the supernatural spectacle.
Why Buffy Fans Will Love Lost Girl
The Tone, Themes, And Core Relationships In Lost Girl Will Feel Familiar To Buffy Fans In The Best Way
There are plenty of supernatural shows out there, but few manage to capture the specific vibe that made Buffy the Vampire Slayer so beloved - which is what makes Lost Girl such a treasure for Buffy fans. For starters, both shows center on a powerful but emotionally grounded heroine who shoulders the burden of protecting others while navigating a world filled with danger, monsters, and moral ambiguity. Bo, like Buffy, isn’t invincible, and also struggles with her identity, love life, and role in the supernatural world. It’s this humanity that makes her story resonate, just like Buffy was such a relatable character for the same reasons.
Lost Girl also engages with deeper themes beneath its fantasy surface.
The ensemble casts of both Lost Girl and Buffy are another strong point of comparison. Just as Buffy had her Scooby Gang, Bo builds a chosen family around her, including Kenzi (her human best friend), Dyson (a werewolf cop), and Lauren (a human doctor). These characters don’t just Bo - they challenge her, love her, betray her, and grow with her. Their dynamics are emotionally rich and often messy, echoing the interpersonal drama that defined Buffy through its best seasons. There's also a major "star-crossed lovers" angle between Bo and Lauren that mirrors some of the push-pull of Buffy’s relationships with Angel and Spike.
Then there’s the tone. Lost Girl mixes dark fantasy with snappy humor and emotional vulnerability, just like Buffy did. It knows when to break the tension with a joke and when to let a moment linger. Many Lost Girl episodes pack emotional gut-punches, while others lean more into freak-of-the-week fun. What’s more, just as Buffy wasn’t afraid to explore philosophical and ethical questions about power, free will, and destiny, Lost Girl also engages with deeper themes beneath its fantasy surface.
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However, what really seals the deal is how both shows empower their heroines not through perfection, but through resilience. Bo and Buffy both learn that strength isn’t about how hard you hit - it’s about standing your ground, protecting the people you love, and knowing when to walk away. For fans eager for TV shows like Buffy that combine myth, heart, and character-driven storytelling, Lost Girl is the perfect next obsession.
Like Buffy, Lost Girl Has Groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Representation
Lost Girl’s Bisexual Lead And Queer Storylines Were Way Ahead Of Their Time, Just Like Buffy’s Willow Arc
One of the most progressive - and often overlooked - aspects of Lost Girl is its LGBTQ+ representation. At the heart of the series is Bo, a proudly bisexual protagonist whose relationships with both men and women are treated with equal narrative weight. At a time when bisexual leads were almost nonexistent in genre television, Lost Girl placed Bo’s sexuality at the center of the story without reducing it to a gimmick or stereotype. Her love triangle with Dyson and Lauren is compelling not because it’s shocking, but because all the emotional beats are earned.
The show’s treatment of queer relationships is refreshingly matter-of-fact. Bo’s bisexuality is never framed as “confusing” or “experimental”,it’s just part of who she is. The romance between Bo and Lauren becomes one of the most important and enduring arcs in the series, and it’s written with the kind of emotional depth typically reserved for heterosexual pairings in mainstream media. That’s what made Lost Girl so significant for LGBTQ+ viewers - it didn’t just include them; it centered them.
This progressive spirit draws Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which broke ground in the early 2000s by developing Willow’s relationship with Tara. That arc was revolutionary for its time, offering one of the first long-running, sincere portrayals of a lesbian relationship on network TV. While Buffy may have stumbled at times (especially with how Tara’s arc ended), it paved the way for shows like Lost Girl to push the boundaries even further.
There are still shockingly few TV shows like Buffy or Lost Girl that feature queer female leads, especially in fantasy and sci-fi. Even today, many genre shows shy away from centering LGBTQ+ characters in meaningful ways. That’s why both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost Girl stand out not only as beloved supernatural dramas but also as trailblazers. They made space for identities and stories that had long been excluded - and did it with style, smarts, and heart.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
- Release Date
- 1997 - 2003
- Network
- The WB
- Showrunner
- Joss Whedon
Cast
Buffy Summers
Alexander Harris
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Joss Whedon
- Writers
- Joss Whedon
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