Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Note: The first three seasons are available on DVD, with the fourth scheduled for release June 10.

Season 1: Glimmers of brilliance for this WB midseason replacement, but the low-budget series is still finding its teeth. *** out of four stars

Season 2: We have liftoff. Year two contains the show’s most perfectly realized story arc, centered on the doomed romance between Buffy and the vampire Angel. Newcomers could start here. ****

Season 3: Senior year builds on Season 2’s momentum, with the introduction of bad Slayer Faith and an apocalyptic graduation theme. Highest overall quality. ****

Season 4: The Slayer goes to college. The Scoobies struggle for direction, and for the first time, so does the show. ** 1/2

Season 5: Buffy gains a teenage sister, loses her mother and makes the ultimate sacrifice in a powerful year about the trials of young adulthood. The series could have ended here nicely. *** 1/2

Season 6: The show’s first season on UPN has many great moments, but the risk of shark-jumping has taken hold, and the series is beginning to show its age. ***

Season 7: The year’s not over yet, but indications are "Buffy" will go out in style. *** 1/2