Post by burrunjor on Nov 19, 2024 23:23:33 GMT
Which do you think was best out of these four.
Buffy/Angel (counting them as one.)
Ash Vs Evil Dead
Supernatural
Charmed.
Well for me I'd probably say Buffy/Angel, but I think it's a bit more complicated than that.
Buffy/Angel had the biggest highs no doubt. Of the four they were the only ones that really changed tv. Sure the others all inspired clones and such, and obviously the Evil Dead films had a big impact, but in terms of the tv shows then Buffy and Angel were truly unique and groundbreaking. That said however both had also had the worst lows I think. From the Buffy/Riley/Spike love triangle to the Body to Angel season 4, they definitely lost their way a bit more at times. Ironically I think that probably only happened because they were more experimental. Sometimes the experiments and pushing the boundaries worked, other times it didn't.
Ash Vs Evil Dead meanwhile is consistently excellent right the way through. There isn't a single bad episode. The season 2 finale comes close. It's plot is an insanely garbled mess. It's like they weren't even trying, but Joel Tobek is such an awesome villain and Bruce Campbell, Lucy Lawless and of course Dana DeLorenzo are so charismatic it's still entertaining at least. Granted Ash Vs Evil Dead only had 30 episodes, but still it never dipped at all and is basically perfect.
Supernatural meanwhile I have to give it credit I think it maintained its perfect run for a lot longer than Buffy/Angel ever did, though again it never quite reached their heights and dragged. It also had an absolutely atrocious ending in my opinion. Far worse than either Buffy or Angel. (Both of which had good endings, even if I'm more critical of Buffy's now.)
Charmed sadly is the weakest of the 4. It's actually really good, and a bit underrated. It's third season in particular is one of the best seasons of any genre show. Death Takes A Haliwell is a particularly poignant and atmospheric episode (even more so after Shannen Doherty's tragic passing. PS her character of Prue is also one of the best protagonists from any of the series and should have been kept around. I'd have ditched Alyssa Milano first.)
I think the key element to all these shows success is the monsters. Everybody tends to dismiss them as just being window dressing, but they shape the show, give it a distinct identity and define and push the characters. Buffy and Angel had a fantastic variety of fascinating creatures, whilst Ash Vs Evil Dead's beasts were the most outrageous and stunning visually. Supernatural was let down by its villains being extremely dull visually, but at least the lore behind them and the main villains was interesting. Charmed however again fell short in this department with its monsters not really having a distinct visual flair.
Buffy/Angel (counting them as one.)
Ash Vs Evil Dead
Supernatural
Charmed.
Well for me I'd probably say Buffy/Angel, but I think it's a bit more complicated than that.
Buffy/Angel had the biggest highs no doubt. Of the four they were the only ones that really changed tv. Sure the others all inspired clones and such, and obviously the Evil Dead films had a big impact, but in terms of the tv shows then Buffy and Angel were truly unique and groundbreaking. That said however both had also had the worst lows I think. From the Buffy/Riley/Spike love triangle to the Body to Angel season 4, they definitely lost their way a bit more at times. Ironically I think that probably only happened because they were more experimental. Sometimes the experiments and pushing the boundaries worked, other times it didn't.
Ash Vs Evil Dead meanwhile is consistently excellent right the way through. There isn't a single bad episode. The season 2 finale comes close. It's plot is an insanely garbled mess. It's like they weren't even trying, but Joel Tobek is such an awesome villain and Bruce Campbell, Lucy Lawless and of course Dana DeLorenzo are so charismatic it's still entertaining at least. Granted Ash Vs Evil Dead only had 30 episodes, but still it never dipped at all and is basically perfect.
Supernatural meanwhile I have to give it credit I think it maintained its perfect run for a lot longer than Buffy/Angel ever did, though again it never quite reached their heights and dragged. It also had an absolutely atrocious ending in my opinion. Far worse than either Buffy or Angel. (Both of which had good endings, even if I'm more critical of Buffy's now.)
Charmed sadly is the weakest of the 4. It's actually really good, and a bit underrated. It's third season in particular is one of the best seasons of any genre show. Death Takes A Haliwell is a particularly poignant and atmospheric episode (even more so after Shannen Doherty's tragic passing. PS her character of Prue is also one of the best protagonists from any of the series and should have been kept around. I'd have ditched Alyssa Milano first.)
I think the key element to all these shows success is the monsters. Everybody tends to dismiss them as just being window dressing, but they shape the show, give it a distinct identity and define and push the characters. Buffy and Angel had a fantastic variety of fascinating creatures, whilst Ash Vs Evil Dead's beasts were the most outrageous and stunning visually. Supernatural was let down by its villains being extremely dull visually, but at least the lore behind them and the main villains was interesting. Charmed however again fell short in this department with its monsters not really having a distinct visual flair.
