Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the best teen dramas ever IMO, and had a full-blown cinematic universe when it was airing alongside the spinoff Angel. The latter series (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription) started with a small regular cast, including Charisma Carpenter as scene-stealer Cordelia Chase. Ahead of the upcoming Buffy reboot, the actress reflected on her character's "unjust" death, and the idea of returning to that role.
Fans were thrilled when it as confirmed that a pilot for a Buffy reboot starring Sarah Michelle Gellar was in the works. Fans are wondering what other Buffy actors might pop up, especially after SMG expressed interest in bringing back dead characters. When speaking with IGN, Carpenter addressed this possibility, offering:
Listen, you're not gonna get an argument out of me. Because the way it went down for her was just — without using inflammatory language — just was not... she was built up so big, she'd grown so much, she'd had this remarkable journey, and for her to go out the way that she did just felt so unjust.
As a superfan I can say she wasn't wrong. Cordelia was possessed throughout much of Season 4, which is the final entry where Carpenter was a series regular. She eventually returned for one episode in the fifth and final season, where it was revealed that she'd finally died after being in a coma. While audiences were excited to get one more episode with the beloved character, it was a rather unceremonious way for her to go.
Fans have hypothesized that Cordelia's ending might have been due to interpersonal issues. Carpenter came out against creator/showrunner Joss Whedon, accusing him of abusing his power and verbally harassing her. So the idea of getting more of the beloved Sunnydale High alum is definitely an exciting one.
Later in that same interview, Charisma Carpenter spoke more about the idea of coming back for the possible Buffy reboot, her character's death on the spinoff. In her words:
I don't know really what to make of it. I'm sure there are caveats — Cordelia died on Angel not on Buffy. I don't know what that means for Cordelia specifically — but I'm hopeful that it includes Cordelia obviously, it would be a dream to be included, and it would just be so poetic for that to occur, and for it to occur with this group. These writers are wildly creative, I'm sure they could figure it out if they wanted to, if it was a fan thing, where if there was a thirst or craving or need for Cordelia to be there, I'm sure with one hell of a creative team they have leading the writers room, it would be possible.
Let's keep our fingers crossed, fans! If we're bringing back beloved Buffy legacy figures, you know that Cordelia would give us all the sass that we need. And dead characters have come back various times throughout both the flagship series and Angel.
While not in live-action, Charisma Carpenter recently got to play Cordelia Chase thanks to the Audible series Slayers: A Buffyverse Story. This story used the concept of the multiverse to bring back dead characters, including a variant of Cordelia that became the Slayer instead of Buffy.
Of course, Hulu is going to have to actually green lit a full Buffy reboot if we're ever expected to see what happened in the pilot and beyond. Only time will tell if this happens, but there's certainly fan interest thanks to the return of Sarah Michelle Gellar as the title role.
Both Angel and Buffy are streaming in their entirety on Hulu. While the reboot isn't expected as part of the 2025 TV schedule, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic that we'll get a new season of episodes.
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