The Buffy Spinoff Story That Can Revive The Franchise
The Buffyverse is back with a brand new spinoff based on one of the fandom’s favorite characters: Spike. While we’re glad to see the franchise’s bleach-blonde bad boy getting the love he deserves, one forgotten story could bring the franchise to a new era. Overlooked and forgotten by many, a Buffy spinoff focusing on the Pylea arc, featuring Groosalugg, from Angel is the perfect starting point to revive the vampiric butt-kicking franchise.
For those needing a refresher, Groosalugg (Mark Lutz) was first introduced in the three-part finale of Angel Season 2. Angel and co travel to Lorne’s home dimension, Pylea, to save Cordelia, who was accidentally sucked through a portal.
If the Buffyverse is going to work today, an original series reboot just won’t work. Instead, Disney should bring us a series set in the Pylea dimension, with Angel‘s forgotten champion, Groosalugg.
In Pylea, Cordelia is named the princess due to a prophecy, but there’s one catch. As part of her new role, she is required to “com-shuck” with a Groosalugg. As it turns out, Groosalugg is far from the terrifying alternative dimensional being the gang assumed he would be, and instead is a handsome, strong, muscular, human-looking half-demon with a pure (albeit confused at times) heart.
Groo, as he’s come to be known, was only featured in a few episodes of Angel. We thought we’d seen the last of him at the end of Season 2 when Cordelia leaves behind the man she’s fallen for to return home. But the third season brings the champion to Los Angeles for a few episodes.
It’s no Sunnydale or Los Angeles, but Pylea offers a fresh new setting for a Buffy spinoff. Pylea and its medieval feel would allow a new series to blend the witty, dark tropes we loved from Angel with something completely new. Think of it as a modern-day Hercules or Xena.
The Angel gang’s journey to Pylea was a delightful vacation for fans of the broody, thematic episodes we grew accustomed to in the series. Pylea is a feudal society, with demon species ruling and humans (referred to as cows) being nothing more than slaves.
Groo, Lorne, and more of our favorite investigators journey back to Pylea to finish what they started, once and (hopefully) for all, freeing the humans of this alternate dimension.
However, after Angel and his crew leave their mark, Pylea is declared by Cordelia to be under the care of Groo, and all species are now equal. This new way of life didn’t last very long, as we find out in Groo’s season 3 return that things have changed and he was deposed.
This is exactly where a new Buffy spinoff could pick up. Groo, Lorne, and more of our favorite investigators journey back to Pylea to finish what they started, once and (hopefully) for all, freeing the humans of this alternate dimension for good.
Introducing new generations of future Buffy fans to Pylea instead of Earth is a great way to breathe new life into the franchise.
Part of the Scooby gang (with original stars) is confirmed to return, just not in the way most hoped for. A Spike-led spinoff is coming to audible. If the podcast performs well, maybe it will be the spark to ignite Disney’s interest in the franchise, once again bringing our beloved characters to the small screen.
Today, remakes, reboots, and revivals are everywhere. Even in the Buffy realm, revivals have been discussed, and everyone’s given their two cents on who’s most deserving of a Buffy spinoff. Introducing new generations of future Buffy fans to Pylea instead of Earth is a great way to breathe new life into the franchise.
We’ve seen countless cherished movies and TV series rebooted, often to disastrous results. While we’d love to see a Buffy reboot or a Spike spinoff, if Disney wants to catch a wider audience, taking a gamble on an underrated story arc might just be the studio’s best chance.
