Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997): Drama, Action, Supernatural. Series details, synopsis, cast and season dates from TVmaze.

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team•Updated September 29, 2026•2 min read•✓ Fact-checked

Editorial graphic for: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Story, Cast and Series Facts — Editorial graphic by Pop Culture Files · not a photograph

Story and premise

"Into every generation, there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer."

Buffy Summers is the latest in a line of young women known as "Vampire Slayers" who have to battle vampires, demons and other forces of evil, all while growing up and dealing with love and teenage angst in this iconic cult series. She and her "Scooby Gang" fight the good fight in a small town called Sunnydale.

Series details

Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Format: Scripted
Language: English
Genres: Drama, Action, Supernatural
Premiere date: 1997-03-10
Final broadcast date listed: 2003-05-20
Status in TVmaze: Ended
Network listed by TVmaze: UPN
Network country: United States
Typical episode runtime: 60 minutes
TVmaze community rating: 8.5/10
TVMaze ID: 427

Cast and credited roles

Sarah Michelle Gellar — Buffy Summers
Alyson Hannigan — Willow Rosenberg
Nicholas Brendon — Xander Harris
Anthony Head — Rupert Giles
James Marsters — Spike
Emma Caulfield — Anya Jenkins
Michelle Trachtenberg — Dawn Summers
David Boreanaz — Angel
Charisma Carpenter — Cordelia Chase
Amber Benson — Tara Maclay
Seth Green — Daniel "Oz" Osbourne
Marc Blucas — Riley Finn

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

Season 1: premiered 1997-03-10; final listed air date 1997-06-02; episode order: 12.
Season 2: premiered 1997-09-15; final listed air date 1998-05-19; episode order: 22.
Season 3: premiered 1998-09-29; final listed air date 1999-07-13; episode order: 22.
Season 4: premiered 1999-10-05; final listed air date 2000-05-23; episode order: 22.
Season 5: premiered 2000-09-26; final listed air date 2001-05-22; episode order: 22.
Season 6: premiered 2001-10-02; final listed air date 2002-05-21; episode order: 21.
Season 7: premiered 2002-09-24; final listed air date 2003-05-20; episode order: 22.

Source and licence

Adapted from Buffy the Vampire Slayer on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.