If Buffy and Angel were airing on tv today

But the storyline already existed, is what I'm saying. Not disagreeing that Buffy paved the way for other shows, just disagreeing on the "copying" part. 🙂
 
I don't think it would be that much of a stretch to reimagine BtVS in 2016.

All that would really need to change would be for some mobile phones to be thrown in to the mix. In 'I Robot, You Jane' Willow would find Moloch in a dating app that resembles Tinder rather than in a chatroom. Most of the episodes relate quite well to the modern day. I can see the fashion update being something similar to Pretty Little Liars.

There were some arguments made that BtVS wasn't bleak enough (like TWD) but I feel like this is just one example of a popular television show that has been bleak. There are still shows such as Pretty Little Liars, Ash VS. The Evil Dead, Bones & Orange Is The New Black that gather big crowds that are not purely bleak and have a healthy blend of fun and comedy. I think BtVS's brand of comedy/drama would do well if it was made well today with the right cast, modern special effects and the right stylistic choices.
 
Everyone has made good arguments for Buffy, but since the title also includes Angel... 🙂

I think if it was possible (which it, of course, isn't) to have Angel without the characters past on Buffy, this is a show that could better compete with today's shows; it's dark, there's a definite noir feel in the earlier seasons, and, imo, it just ages slightly better than BtVS.
 
My childhood was spent watching and re-watching Buffy and Angel. I'd love to think that if they aired now, they would still do well. And I genuinely think they would.

I've recently been watching it all back through again, and the writing is just so good, I think it would be difficult to not gain fans just like it once did.

It would be exactly the same except the VFX would be very very good from the beginning, depending on budget, and the whole series would be full frame as opposed to 4:3 for the most part is it is on the DVD now. But that stuff is all just technical.

I was 8 when I first started watching Buffy and I fell in love with the whole series. The Characters, the storylines. I believed every bit of it. I'm 27 now and watching it for the millionth time, and my boyfriend is 32 and it's his first time watching it. And he is as hooked as I was when I was in my teens. We have really enjoyed watching it all through. I can see him going through all the emotions I did when I was younger.

I think it would be as popular if it aired now as it was when it first aired.
 
BtVS had more symbolism & intelligence in the 2 part series premiere than some shows have in their entire series run.

The herione/titular lead is from LA and it's important to the story because it's the City of Angels, it's "the town of our Lady the Queen of Angels." That sets the tone of who Buffy is more than just she's a big city girl moving to a one Starbucks town, though that is important too.

Angel gave the herione a cross necklace and said, "Don't turn your back on this." Later we find out he viewed her as his salvation and redemption before moving to her hometown to make a career out of saving souls and helping the hopeless. When he told her his name there was an angel statue right behind him because he saw himself as her guardian angel (watches over her, wants to protect her without interfering), a messenger (gives info on the paranormal and upcoming events) which is the etymology of angel, and metaphorically as a demon he is a fallen angel. Later she became a fallen angel when she was cast out of Heaven and back to the Hellmouth by Osiris (God of the dead, ruler of the Underworld).

The Master is an inversion of God. The name itself makes you think Lord. He has disciples, is given blood offerings/human sacrifices, is trapped in an underground church, and quotes from a book of prophecy as though it were scripture. He was referred to as The Sleeper and it connects him to Buffy since the first scene showing her she's asleep having a prophetic dream.

Buffy's first day in history class is about the black plague. Later Luke describes humanity as "a plague of boils" that covers the earth, wanting a return to the days of the Old Ones. Pureblood demons, like the fallen angels from religion, were cast out and sent to Hell dimensions.

The use of black & white in wardrobes was done on Supernatural for the angels and demons. Angel & Darla both wore black jackets over a white collared shirt. Buffy switched from white to black to white again. The Master wore all black.

Buffy entered the library looking for a history textbook and her new Watcher Giles over eagerly takes out the Vampyr book and she said it was not what she was looking for. It was reminiscent of Jehovah's Witnesses asking "Have you heard the good news?" And that night Buffy holds up an old fashioned dress and says, "Would you like a copy of The Watchtower?" Her mom asked if there would be boys there and Buffy said, "No mom, it's a nun's club." We find out later that Angelus had a thing for nuns and bad girls, basically the old Madonna whore complex. At this point Buffy is still a virgin but partially inspired by the promiscuous girls of horror movies who are punished for their sexuality by being killed early while the Final Girl is the one who didn't have sex.

When Buffy was deciding what to wear she was navigating societal expectations on female sexuality. She held up a short black dress, said "Hi, I'm an enormous slut" and then a very modest dress and compared it to being devoutly religious. In the end she went with pants.

It ties into actual ex prostitute, possible rape victim, and definite rape enabler (she used to bring Angelus girls) Darla (sired/damned by The Master) in a Catholic school girl uniform, using the image of girly innocence to lure boys (who want to exploit it for sexual gain) to their death & dammation.
 
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Meant to mention Angel following Buffy into an alley in WTTH was one of the first things to really compare & contrast his relationship with her to that with Darla.

He followed Buffy & Darla into an alley, they are petite blondes, were murdered by The Master, had sex with Angel in an episode called Surprise/Reprise, asked him "Was I not good?", Angelus told Buffy "I thought you were a pro" and Darla told Angel "I used to do this professionally", they both died and were resurrected, could sense Angel's presence in a way that went beyond honing, dreamwalked into his mind, became his lover, ran him through with a sword, damned him, were the cause of his loss of humanity, and one (Buffy) he dreamed of marrying and the other (Darla) he fathered a child with. Buffy was the girl chased into alleys by the monster only to turn out to be the Slayer of monsters while Darla played the girl who gets taken advantage of by the monster only to turn out to be a monster. Darla tried to murder Buffy's mother and Buffy does murder Darla's sire who was her father in the vampiric. Darla thought she was going to be Eve to Angel's Adam in the new world order but it turned out to be Buffy. She thought if Angel ever had children it would be with her but turned out to be Darla. Buffy gets her own child, a daughter aptly named Dawn since Buffy is a warrior of Light and everything from her last name to her experiences in the desert tie into that symbolism.

The song playing when the vamps are on their way to start The Harvest is Ballad of Dead Friends by Dashboard Prophets. It has a line "I really wish I could have saved you then you would have saved me from myself" and that ties in to Angel trying to save himself through keeping darkness out of Buffy's heart because she represented goodness and his victims and later trying to give Darla a second chance at life because if the person who turned him evil could be redeemed so could he. The line "there's no vacancy in paradise" is a good way to say they're all damned, they're not allowed in Heaven. Angel told Buffy, "You're standing on the mouth of Hell and it's about to open."
 
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