From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
   https://screenrant.com/vampire-diaries-buffy-slayer-comparison-better-worse/   
      
   BY BEN PETTITT –   
      
   When Buffy The Vampire Slayer first aired in 1997, it took television by   
   storm. It was witty and entertaining, and succeeded in bringing back science   
   fiction to the early 21st century. It also cleared the way for other similar   
   shows like The Vampire Diaries, which went on to become a massive hit in its   
   own right.   
      
   Both shows featured a small town with a vampire infestation and followed a   
   female protagonist as she battled against the forces of darkness. However,   
   there were still some rather large differences between the two dramas, with   
   each putting their own unique spin on the supernatural. Here are 5 things   
   The Vampire Diaries did better (and 5 that Buffy excelled at).   
      
      
   10 THE VAMPIRE DIARIES - MORE COMPLEX VAMPIRES   
      
   Firstly, this isn't to say that Buffy's take on vampires was dull. Some of   
   the most interesting characters from that show were vampires, for example,   
   Angel and Spike. However, these were a minority and most vampires served as   
   a monster of the week for the Slayer to defeat with relative ease.   
      
   In the case of The Vampire Diaries, Damon and Stefan Salvatore shared the   
   spotlight with the show's original lead, Elena Gilbert. The show focused on   
   the two vampire brothers an awful lot because the characters were so   
   compelling. As if they weren't enough, the series introduced the Original   
   vampires in the third season, fuelling even more drama.   
      
      
   9 BUFFY - LGBTQ+ CHARACTERS   
      
   The LGBTQ+ community is where The Vampire Diaries fails. Whereas its equally   
   popular spinoff The Originals features a gay woman in its main cast, The   
   Vampire Diaries fails to give any LGBTQ character much chance to shine. For   
   a show where almost every person gets off with another, this is more than a   
   little disappointing.   
      
   Buffy, on the other hand, portrayed gay relationships really well, which was   
   especially gratifying considering when it first aired. In the fourth season,   
   Willow began to develop feelings for Tara, a fellow witch. The two soon   
   became involved, resulting in one of Buffy's best relationships for almost 3   
   seasons.   
      
      
   8 THE VAMPIRE DIARIES - BETTER SPINOFFS   
      
   After its third season, Buffy was soon joined by its first official spinoff   
   focusing on Buffy's vampire ex, Angel. Angel was fairly similar to its   
   sister show and it proved to be just as popular. It allowed Angel and   
   Cordelia to develop further as characters but it did feel a bit like Buffy   
   2.0.   
      
   The Vampire Diaries also paved the way for spinoffs, managing to spawn The   
   Originals and Legacies. The former focused on the Big Bads from Season 3 of   
   its parent show, the Mikaelson family. This gave the show a unique   
   perspective, in that the protagonists were not always fighting on the right   
   side. It also provided further depth for Klaus and Elijah in particular.   
      
      
   7 BUFFY - EVIL VAMPIRES   
      
   Considering it even has vampires in its name, The Vampire Diaries doesn't   
   portray many outright evil vamps. Sure, Damon nailed being the main villain   
   initially, but he soon became more of an antihero due to his infatuation   
   with Elena. The series produced some great villains but none were properly   
   bad.   
      
   In contrast, Buffy wasn't going to shy away from making vampires absolutely   
   terrifying to watch. As well as the surprisingly okay vampire prosthetics,   
   the show also introduced the audience to the most evil vampire of all:   
   Angelus. Angelus was Angel's soulless alter ego, who had zero qualms about   
   killing the people Buffy loved just to watch her suffer.   
      
      
   6 THE VAMPIRE DIARIES - DOPPELGÄNGERS   
      
   Admittedly, Buffy actually handled the concept of doppelgängers fairly   
   successfully in its third season. The first time doppelgängers were   
   introduced was in "The Wish" which involved an alternate reality. The second   
   time was when Willow's alternate vampire ego arrived in her reality and   
   wreaked havoc.   
      
   However, Buffy seemed to only use doppelgängers as a handy plot device,   
   whereas The Vampire Diaries used them to sustain a series-long arc.   
   Additionally, while seeing an evil Willow was fun, watching Katherine,   
   Elena's doppelgänger, was quite simply a privilege and not easily   
   forgettable.   
      
      
   5 BUFFY - A BIGGER VARIETY OF THE SUPERNATURAL   
      
   In all fairness, The Vampire Diaries covered impressive ground when it came   
   to the supernatural, featuring, vampires, werewolves, witches and hybrids   
   aplenty. However, all the main storylines revolved primarily around those   
   four species, with other monsters and creatures only getting an occasional   
   look in.   
      
   Since Buffy's format was more of a monster-of-the-week type, it allowed for   
   literally hundreds of supernatural entities to have their chance to shine.   
   Half of the main cast was also supernatural including a Slayer, a vampire, a   
   witch, a vengeance demon and a mystical key in human form.   
      
      
   4 THE VAMPIRE DIARIES - CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT   
      
   Buffy was one of the most interesting and popular shows on TV for almost   
   seven years and it did produce some unforgettable characters. Willow's   
   evolution from a shy and awkward student into a confident and badass witch   
   was a brilliant case of character development. However, other characters   
   fared less well, with Cordelia remaining shallow and annoying until her   
   transition on to Angel.   
      
   On the other hand, Caroline Forbes was seemingly established as another   
   Cordelia-esque 'it' girl in The Vampire Diaries, right up until she was   
   killed and turned into a vampire in the Season 2 premiere. Her character   
   development was done perfectly and she remains one of the most beloved   
   characters from the show.   
      
      
   3 BUFFY - BETTER BIG BADS   
      
   One of the best things about Buffy was its ability to produce entertaining   
   antagonists for each season. Every single villain had strong and unique   
   motivations and each presented a new challenge for the Slayer. Sometimes,   
   the Big Bad would even end up being a close ally, which just raised the   
   stakes even higher.   
      
   The Vampire Diaries also had its share of fascinating villains, with   
   Katherine and the Mikaelsons being the most well-received. However, there   
   were also quite a lot of lame antagonists as well, like the Travellers or   
   Rayna Cruz. These guys were either boring or just plain forgettable.   
      
      
   2 THE VAMPIRE DIARIES - BETTER SHOCK VALUE   
      
   Buffy was no stranger to producing some amazingly shocking twists during its   
      
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