Buffy -what age?

[purpleme12]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
What age would you let your child watch it?
I have watched it and loved it but not for many years! Wondered if anyone had watched it more recent and had it fresh in their head. So could give me more of a detailed view
I've looked and there are certain episodes rated 15.
My child is nearing 12

The drawing he does of him 😂

Im guessing “where the wild things are” as it’s just Buffy and Riley at it all episode (plus it’s a crap episode)

I’m a MASSIVE Buffy fan (see the username lol). My kids have been exposed to it from when they were probably about 6/7. But at that age I would cherry pick episodes that weren’t too scary or adult (so stuff from seasons 1-3 on the whole). We did our first full run through when my youngest was about 10. We have since had several run through of that and Angel as my youngest loves it as much as I do. Ok maybe not quite as much, but he’s obsessed - 2 years back his Spotify wrapped most listening to song was the Buffy episode intro by Neef herder with Darling Violetta’s Angel theme a close second. My older boys were happy to sit and watch it, but they haven’t fallen in love with it.

So if you want them to love it, somewhere before the teenage years hit it seems!

I’d have thought “Seeing Red” if they were watching all the way through after the internal season 4 wat h? That’s a tough watch for an adult, never mind a child.

With that episode, I powered through it but warned my sons that the scene was hard to watch, they could look away, but it was important to see the importance of consent.

Yes as pp have said, the sex is probably more of a concern than the gore - my DD is 12 and I don’t think I’d quite let her watch it yet. I think the early seasons would be OK around 13-14, but I remember watching the later Buffy-Spike stuff in my early 20s and still finding some scenes a bit shocking to watch! Plus the death of Joyce is actually quite a harrowing storyline aimed at an age group that’s a little older and more mature than very young teens.

If it’s the sex side you’re worried about, you’re safe with season 5 - there’s virtually nothing that season. It’s also arguable the feet best season of the show, and has an ending that you could say was the end of the series and your child would believe it!

Mine have watched the first season (aged 8 and 10), but it's on hold for a few years now as the more mature material comes in from season 2. Angel's curse and the "moment of pure happiness" is a major plot point, as well as several of the characters having sexual relationships, it's a bit much at this point.

It’s funny - my sons really enjoyed Veronica Mars, but also weren’t fussed about Alias. Which I was gutted about as I wanted a rewatch!

we have rewatched the following shows that my boys have loved:

Buffy
Angel
House
Scrubs
Criminal Minds
Veronica Mars
Supergirl
The Flash

I’ve just started re-watching Person of Interest with my 13 year old. He was hooked from episode 1. I’ve told him Amy Acker (Fred from Angel) joins later on and that made him want to watch the show - we both love Amy! I at least have met her though.

We started watching Grey’s Anatomy too, but he sort of drops in and out of that, We tried 24, but that was a nope.

Ah apologies I thought she just meant season 4! Yes seeing red definitely needs to come with parental guidance!

It started on TV when I as 10 and that’s when I started watching it. I grew up and matured with it and I was perfectly fine. If you have a particularly sensitive child though, it might be worth waiting a year or two.

Yes, but it's in the context of lots of supernatural based shows throughout their early childhood (and Xena/Hercules), so they were used to magic and monsters and suchlike as stories - unlike some children who are kept away from anything more challenging than a story where a toy is lost until they're about 20 11 and the parents are complaining about Anne Frank in school being too adult for them.

The only film that was too much for them in terms of scary was sodding Snow Dogs.

Yeah but the magic in Sabrina is not the scary or sinister kind of magic it's just the friendly funny kind

The gypsy curse is a major plot point that never goes away. Even when most of that storyline is dealt with, it’s still brought up again and again.

Apart from Buffy having sex completely unbeknownst to her mum, you have the love of her life turning into a nightmare after she sleeps with him. If you’re ready to have a conversation about sex and abusive relationships… go for it. And again with Spike… someone who Buffy trusts, and who she should in theory be strong enough to fight off…

Joyce’s sudden death - probably even harder to watch if your child only has one parent. The supernatural deaths won’t register, but losing a parent… the only one actually in Buffy’s life… that’s heavy.

Willow’s seemingly sudden change in sexuality?

Xander emotionally neglecting and mistreating Anya?

The acceptability of adopting some random man in tweed as a pseudo parent figure?

I enjoyed watching Buffy, but ignoring the problematic aspects of certain people involved in the show… there are a lot of big conversations required. It depends on how emotionally mature your child is, and if you’re ready to take away their innocence.

There are so many unhealthy relationships to discuss and you need to explain why no one should put up with them in real life.

we were 12 and she loved it - looking forward to the reboot.

we have recently watched (she is 16 now) the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina which I think I glossed over the 15 (as she is over that) and expected it to be like Sabrina the Teenage Witch - it wasn’t! It makes Buffy look tame.

it is also interesting what was allowed so to speak back 25 years ago on tv that just wouldn’t nowadays

Ok thanks
Good points

Although watching Joyce's death was really sad, I don't think it was a traumatic back in the day and I'm sure I'd watched worse on other programmes

When did it go over to sky? When it was originally on?
Does anyone know?

I think started around 1996/7 Remember watching series 2/3 at Uni and SMG is around my age

Yeah but first it was on channel 2 wasn't it at about 6 o clock or something.

Couldn't remember when channel 2 stopped having it

True - and that then morphs into different kinds of magic without distress for children because they've already encountered the concepts, just as Meg and Mog books introduced witches and Red Riding Hood/etc introduced never trusting strangers.

(is also the reason why some particularly religiously observant people hate them and want them banned)

Ok I think perhaps you saw the magic more seriously than me lol

Nah, I'm fine with it. I just know the arguments because I've had them shouted over me in the playground when people were losing their shit about the presence of Harry Potter books in the school library (and my 5 year old was watching The Mummy as well as Buffy, seeing it as pure fun, entertainment).

It was but they would heavily edit the 6pm ones in later seasons. It was shown again unedited late on a Friday. I would watch both and it was very jarring in some of the later episodes!

Oh ok interesting

I just was curious as well when it stopped being shown on channel 2 .
Did it go over to sky

I think it's a great opportunity to discuss issues around consent and what we accept in relationships - I'd say around 11/12 is the perfect age for those kinds of discussions.

It's funny though, that we fret over this stuff and yet my generation was shown Threads at school !

When it was on BBC2 at 6 pm, it was an edited version, so lots of sex/gore cut out