Buffy The Vampire Slayer

So Buffy The Vampire Slayer has had its glorious ending, and now the summer rerun season has begun. So now what? Where are our favorite actors and writers heading?

Well, the first answer that comes to mind is Angel. That’s right. If you’re a Buffy fan yet to jump onto the Angel bandwagon, now is the time. With the loss of Buffy, next year Angel will take its place as my favorite show. A great show in its own right, Angel has at times equaled Buffy’s brilliance in the past four years. This year, as Mutant Enemy’s foremost project, Angel is bound to blossom as the best show on TV.

In addition to all of that, look for some of Mutant Enemy’s finest writers and actors to join the Angel ranks. For instance, fan favorite James Marsters is signed for a full 22-episode season reprising his role as badass-with-a-heart-of-gold Spike, even despite his apparent death in "Chosen", Buffy’s series finale.

On the writing side of things, Joss Whedon Himself has decided to take a renewed interest in Angel and may even write and direct an episode or two. Also, the neo-Joss, Drew Goddard has decided to join the writing staff of Angel for season five, something that excites me to no end, as some of the best Buffy episodes of season seven ("Selfless", "Conversations With Dead People", "Lies My Parents Told Me") were penned by his masterful hand.

Also, the fantastic David Greenwalt, who left to create the intriguing (and swiftly cancelled) Miracles at the end of season three of Angel, is set to return for season five in a very heavy role.

One great Buffy writer that is not expected to join the Angel staff is Jane Espenson, who wrote wonderful stuff like "Earshot", "A New Man", "After Life", and "Storyteller". Espenson is joining the writing staff of Amy Palladino’s wonderful series Gilmore Girls, a show that I have been taping during Buffy for the past two years. Espenson’s quirky style and sophisticated punch lines should be a perfect fit for the equally quirky and sophisticated Gilmore Girls.

Another fantastic writer that is heading off to work on a non-Mutant Enemy series is Marti Noxon (she of "Wild At Heart", "New Moon Rising", "The Prom", and "Villains"), who is set to exec-produce the brand new series Still Life. Still Life, which sounds awfully similar to Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones, is about a deceased member of a family, looking back on the family from the afterlife. It sounds interesting, and where Marti Noxon goes, so goes my nation, so I will be watching Still Life when it debuts mid-season.

Eliza Dushku, who we all know as Faith, who can be seen this summer in the horror flick Wrong Turn, is also working on a pilot called Tru Calling, which sounds action-packed. It’s on in a pretty rough timeslot (Thursday’s at Eight), but I’m hoping it does well simply because Ms. Dushku is really a very good actress and I’d like to see her do well.

And what of the regulars?

Sarah Michelle Gellar, our heroine, and the best television actress since Mary Tyler Moore, will be squandering her considerable talents this summer filming Scooby Doo Too: Monsters Unleashed opposite a CGI dog in front of a blue screen. How fun. Seriously, I can’t imagine a worse film to kick off Ms. Gellar’s post-television film career. After that, though, things look to get better. She’s doing a romantic comedy very aptly titled Romantic Comedy that should be out in 2004 and is already getting some very good buzz. I look forward to that one, but I refuse to subject myself to another Scooby movie just to see one of my favorite actresses.

As for Alyson Hannigan, she’ll be reprising her role as band-geek-with-a-heart-of-gold Michelle in this summers third helping of American Pie: American Wedding. As I write this, I’m beginning to become upset at how one-dimensional these characters are. I’m used to seeing these actors play such nuanced, emotional characters. Depression.

Anthony Stewart Head is becoming the proverbial gentleman of leisure, though he will be working on BBC television and is also due to film a small part in a film later this year.

Michelle Trachtenberg is perhaps the busiest of any of the Buffy actors. She’ll be working this year both on the big screen and the small screen. She’s filming a teen comedy this summer called "The Ugly Americans" in which she has a major role. It doesn’t sound too good, but I’m glad little Dawnie is getting in some good work. She’ll also continue hosting "Truth Or Scare" for the DiscoveryKids network. Fantastic (with drawling sarcastic voice).

Nicky Brendon, one of my personal favorites, has signed on to join the cast of a new FOX comedy. I suppose I’ll watch it, but I haven’t heard much about it.

Emma Caulfield is taking some time off from acting, but you’ll see her soon because her movie Darkness Falls made some big bank.

It doesn’t look good people. Your best bet is to watch Angel and be a maniacal fan like that show deserves. Other than that, watch your DVD’s, watch your FX reruns, give Tru Calling a shot, check out Still Life, and look back fondly on Buffy, because it doesn’t get any better than that.