# Buffering the Vampire Slayer

Buffering the Vampire Slayer is a podcast about the TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hosted by fans Jenny Owen Youngs and Kristin Russo. Each podcast episode analyzes one episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and concludes with an original song created by Youngs and Russo recapping their analysis. There are also notable interviews featuring actors and collaborators from the series.

## Hosts

Kristin Russo (born December 17, 1980) is an American speaker, personality, and LGBT activist. She is the CEO and editor-in-chief of Everyone Is Gay and My Kid Is Gay. She also supports organizations that provide advice, guidance, and education to LGBTQIA youth and their families; and is the co-author of This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids (Chronicle Books, 2014).
Jenny Owen Youngs (born November 22, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released three albums and several EPs, both independently and via Nettwerk Records, and has toured worldwide. Youngs also collaborated with artists such as Brett Dennen, Ingrid Michaelson, Shungudzo, Pitbull. She is a co-writer on the 2018 Panic! at the Disco single, "High Hopes".
Youngs and Russo were married when the podcast began, though they separated in May 2018. They have been described as contributing to a "golden age of queer women in podcasting".

## Format

The podcast recaps every Buffy episode, talking through each scene in the episode with commentary on the wider themes. The episodes are spoiler free, and do not discuss any plot points beyond the current point of the series.
On 7 November 2024, Russo and Youngs relaunched the podcast from Season 1 of Buffy, titled Once More, With Spoilers.

## Music

Each episode of Buffering includes an original song by Youngs and Russo, reflecting the episode discussed. All songs from completed seasons of the podcast are compiled into albums that are available on Spotify and Apple Music. The lyrics are also published on the Buffering the Vampire Slayer website.
Youngs and Russo have also created jingles honouring specific characters from the Buffyverse, including Spike, Giles, and Vampire Willow.

## Guests

Special interviews and appearances on Buffering the Vampire Slayer have included:
* Kate Leth, who provided sporadic "Buffy Fashion Watch" segments to the show
* Armin Shimerman, who played Principal Snyder in Seasons 1–3 of Buffy
* Kristine Sutherland, who played Buffy's mother, Joyce Summers, in Seasons 1–5 of Buffy
* Harry Groener, who played Mayor Richard Wilkins III in Season 3 of Buffy
* Nerf Herder, the band who wrote the Buffy theme song
* Doug Jones, who played the leader of the Gentleman in the Season 4 episode "Hush"
* James Marsters, who played Spike in Seasons 2–7 of Buffy and Seasons 1, 2, and 5 of Angel
* Sophia Crawford, who was the stunt double for Sarah Michelle Gellar in Seasons 1–4 of Buffy
* Jeff Pruitt, who was the stunt coordinator on Seasons 1–4 of Buffy
* Lindsay Crouse, who played Professor Maggie Walsh in Season 4 of Buffy
* David Wells, who played the Cheese Man in the Season 4 episode "Restless"
* Seth Green, who played Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Seasons 2–4 of Buffy and Season 1 of Angel
* Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase on Seasons 1–3 of Buffy and every season of Angel
* Mercedes McNab, who played Harmony in Seasons 1-5 of Buffy and Seasons 2 and 5 of Angel

## Motivation

Russo and Young's motivation to create the podcast was based on their interests in fandom, science fiction and queer politics. According to the duo, they "wanted to make a Buffy podcast forever" to navigate these topics in relation to the series. The podcasts often focuses on the politics and social movements within Buffy, including "analyzing the lack of racial diversity in the early seasons of the show, misogynistic and patriarchal themes as they pop up, and the queer subtext".

## Reception

The podcast has received praise for its narrative and presentation. It was included on Esquire magazine's "21 Best Podcasts of 2018,"Time magazine's "The 50 Best Podcasts to Listen to Right Now",BuzzFeed's "27 Podcasts You Need to Listening to in 2018", and Autostraddle's "14 Best Podcasts For Escaping News & Politics (2017)", and top 9 queer-run podcasts.

## Community

Buffering the Vampire Slayer is financially supported by over 2,000 patrons on Patreon.
It has also hosted a number of community events, including live episode recordings and the "Buffy Proms" of 2018 and 2019.

## Spin-offs

Upon Buffering's commencement of Buffy Season 4 coverage, a spin-off podcast, Angel on Top, was created. Angel on Top was hosted by Brittany Ashley and Laura Zak in seasons 1-2,and is currently hosted by LaToya Ferguson and Morgan Luditch. The show derives its name from a line in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Amends". This particular spin-off podcast discusses the TV show Angel. Buffering the Vampire Slayer and Angel on Top are released on alternating weeks.
Following the conclusion of the seven seasons of Buffy, the hosts launched a new podcast under the banner Buffering: A Rewatch Adventure. The hosts follow a similar format to discuss The X-Files.