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Liz Hersey
Published 24 minutes ago
Liz Hersey is an Editor for ScreenRant's Classic TV team, editing, writing, and creating content about the iconic shows you love to rewatch. She began her editing career at ScreenRant in 2019, shortly after joining the site as a Writer that same year.
With a passion for all things books, Liz frequently attends Toronto literary events and conferences, and loves interacting with her book lover community. In addition to being an avid reader of the romance and thriller genres, Liz is a writer of several short stories, and is currently at work on a young adult witch novel.
When she's not working, reading, or writing, Liz can be found seeing movies at her local cinema, attending live jazz events, or curling up on the couch to binge her favorite TV shows.
You can reach her at [email protected].
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With updates on the highly anticipated Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival pouring in, the show will hopefully soon reveal which OG characters will be included, and one particular fan-favorite definitely deserves to appear. For the longest time, it seemed like the project was a pipe dream, but it was recently announced that the new Buffy show is expected to be released on Hulu in 2026.
Though the show will focus on a new teenage Slayer and her friends, one of the most exciting aspects about the revival is that it will see the return of Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy Summers. Other original characters many fans want to see in the Buffy revival include Alyson Hannigan's Willow, James Marsters' Spike, and a certain queen bee — or "Queen C" — who got a raw deal in the franchise.
Charisma Carpenter's Controversial Departure From The Buffy Universe, Explained
Sunnydale High's resident mean girl turned agent of the Powers That Be, Cordelia Chase is one of the Buffyverse's most beloved characters. She underwent an impressive character arc in Buffy's first three seasons before going on to star in the spinoff Angel, where she became even more complex, hilarious, and lovable.
Sadly, Cordelia's time on Angel was cut short when, in season 4, she was possessed by the evil entity Jasmine and fell into a coma that she never fully recovered from. Cordelia's exit came on the heels of actress Charisma Carpenter's real-life pregnancy — which was written into her Angel storyline — though Buffy and Angel creator Joss Whedon's reasoning for writing Carpenter out of the show was vague.
However, nearly two decades later, in 2021, Carpenter came forward with severe allegations of workplace abuse against Whedon. In support of actor Ray Fisher, who publicly accused Whedon of creating a toxic environment on the set of Justice League, Carpenter spoke of her own experiences in the lead-up to her Angel departure.
In a lengthy social media post, Carpenter said, "Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers."
Carpenter went on to say that Whedon's alleged abuse escalated when she became pregnant while filming Angel. She reported that Whedon called her "fat" to her co-workers, purposefully intensified her filming hours, and, in a private meeting, "asked if I was 'going to keep it' and manipulatively weaponized my womanhood and faith against me."
Many Buffy actors leapt to Carpenter's defense, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amber Benson, and the late Michelle Trachtenberg. Their statements ranged from words of support to confirmation of Carpenter's allegations against Whedon.
For a lot of the fandom, these accusations have soured the legacy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is widely considered to be one of the most feminist TV shows of all time. This makes the handling of the revival all the more important.
Why We Need Cordelia In The Buffy Revival (Yes, It Can Be Done)
While Carpenter's account of her Buffy and Angel experience is horrifying, the actress still has plenty of love of the Buffyverse. She frequently appears at fan conventions, and earlier this year, Carpenter launched her own Buffy and Angel watch podcast, where she views the series for the first time.
Carpenter is so devoted to this franchise that she had such an instrumental hand in, and, should she appear in the revival, it could serve to properly rewrite her legacy in the Buffyverse. Whedon may have credited Cordelia Chase, but it was through Carpenter's astonishing performance that the character became a feminist icon, and she deserves better than what happened to her in Angel season 4.
Of course, there is the obstacle of Cordelia being dead, but the Buffyverse has brought multiple characters back from the dead. Spike died a hero's death in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's ending, only to be resurrected for the final season of Angel, and even the Slayer herself has been brought back to life twice. It can be done, and it should.
All signs point to the Buffy revival being a resounding success, particularly the fact that Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao is helming the pilot. With a female creative team, the casual misogyny Whedon peppered throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel is almost guaranteed to be absent, and casting Carpenter in the revival will be a huge step towards writing the wrongs of her Angel exit.
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