Charmed or Buffy?

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

I think the title of the thread is pretty much self explanitory, which show do you like better. Since the shows are fairly similar in theme, I thought the two would make a good comparison. Personally, I like Charmed way more than Buffy (in fact, I've probably only seen one of two episodes of Buffy, and not by choice, ever). I think it has a way more interesting plot all the way through the show, and three times as many attractive main characters :That, and Sarah Michelle Gellar is not near bada** enough for the part. Christy Swanson was so much better in the movie.

[Khantalas]

Charmed!

That may have something to do with Rose McGowan herself, but it also has something to do with the fact that it was better than Buffy in many aspects, IMHO.

Buffy just got boring after season 3 until the last season, which wasn't enough to redeem 3 seasons of boredom I had to go through.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I've watched five seasons of both shows. Well, five and a half for Buffy. More like six, actually, but not quite.

And, remember what Belthazor said: "Vampires are part of a totally different network now.". That made me laugh.

[Ironfist Orc]

We'll probably just have to agree to disagree cube, but Buffy's worst seasons (the college season with Adam and the final season,) blow Charmed out of the water. (And I've seen every Buffy episode and almost all of Charmed's.)

The writing and directing in BtVS is, IMO, much superior; and as a general rule, BtVS stayed much closer to canon throughout the series whereas Charmed seemed to change the rule to fit the plot.

[Bears With Lasers]

Buffy is a vastly superior show in pretty much every way.

[Dhavaer]

Buffy is a vastly superior show in pretty much every way.

Charmed has more fan service. Apart from that, yeah, Buffy's better.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

Buffy is a vastly superior show in pretty much every way.


Got anything to back that up BWL. i'm not knocking on you for your view, I'd just like to know why you have that opinion. I do admit, Charmed can be a little all over the place at times. But I really like the storyline surrounding Cole, and when Prue died was good too. One thing in the series that really bugs me is the addition of Bille towards the end. I really didn't care for that very much. Another reason I like Charmed better is that it seems like the characters have much more depth in it than they do in Buffy.

[Bears With Lasers]

Um. The characters have more depth? No, not really. Or, you know, at all. Charmed doesn't really have cohesive themes, much less Buffy's overarching growing-up metaphor. Buffy had great characters, both funny and sad. If you've only seen one or two random episodes, I'm not really sure how you can judge the characterization. Buffy was very well-written, with lots of hilarious banter
("Oh, listen to Mary Poppins. He's got his crust all stiffened up with that nancy boy accent. You Englishmen are always so... oh, bloody hell. Sodding... blimey... shagging, knickers, bollocks. Oh god. I'm English.")
("Alright, I-I'll just jump in my time machine, go back to the twelfth century and ask the vampires to postpone their ancient prophecy for a few days while you take in dinner and a show."
"Okay, at this point, you're abusing sarcasm."),
(Re: Zebras mating--"It was like the Heimlich... with stripes.")
touching moments
("But I don't understand! I don't understand how this all happens. How we go through this. I knew her, and then she's— there's just a body, and I don't understand why she just can't get back in it and not be dead... anymore! It's stupid! It's mortal and stupid! And... and Xander's crying and not talking, and... and I was having fruit punch, and I thought, well, Joyce will never have any more fruit punch, ever, and she'll never have eggs, or yawn, or brush her hair, not ever, and no one will explain to me why!"),
just general awesomeness
("Oh, please. If every vampire who said he was at the Crucifixion was actually there, it would've been like Woodstock. --I was actually at Woodstock. That was a weird gig. I fed off a flower person, and spent the next six hours watching... my hand... move."),
and so on--consistently, without feeling fake or melodramatic "NOOOOOOOOO!"s. It was also pretty remarkable in other ways, with episodes like The Body (it had no music, at all--and worked incredibly well because of it; it gave it more gravity than any appropriate sad music could), Hush (from the middle of the episode to the end, no one could speak), Once More With Feeling (it's a musical, and a pretty awesome one), Conversations With Dead People's beautiful setup with the song at the beginning and end...

Buffy was a really, really good show. It had both surface shine and depth. It wasn't without its problems, but no show is. Charmed was... fluff.

[Khantalas]

Hey, we ought to have Angel in the mix, too.

Admittedly, comparing Charmed and Angel, I'd say Angel.

Though, really, what do I know? I always miss seasons.

[Bears With Lasers]

Angel wasn't as good as Buffy.

[Khantalas]

Well, that depends on who's doing the comparison.

And whether you're using a linear comparison or a circular comparison.

On a slightly relevant thing: whenever I saw Alyssa Milano, I always thought of Samantha. It just couldn't leave me alone, that comparison.

EDIT: And care to see my comments about Buffy being boring (especially the sixth season - the fifth was actually great (yes, I contradict myself sometimes)). Find what's the common grounds of those four seasons, will you?

[Bears With Lasers]

Since I didn't find them boring, I can't really help you there. What made them boring?

[Khantalas]

All those four seasons had Angel in them. OK, the last season didn't really involve him (except for Spike's amulet thingie thingie).

Oh, while we're at that, Spike is the best vampire ever until the mid-point or so of season 6. Little to no angst, selfishness, bloodlust.

Stupid chip.

EDIT: Now if I could change my vote, I'd say I like them both. I remembered how awesome Spike and Anya could make the show.

[averagejoe]

I didn't used to think much of Buffy, but this english teacher put it into a totally different perspective for me. He said something to the effect of, "I like the show, because I can identify with it. It's about a high school that opens up into hell." Then he did a fairly impressive analysis about a lot of the events in the show, such as students being posessed and whatnot. I've liked it since.

Charmed was essentially just a soap opera. The events revolved more around relationship issues (and not even deep relationship issues at that, just the usual cleche, shallow, balancing a superhero lifestyle and love stuff) than they did around magic and whatnot. Plus, there were so many of those annoying moments that were like, "We're going to put in an actual in-story excuse for this, but it's basically just an excuse to hook the male audience by showing some clevage." That's just irritating on so many levels.

In fact, that's one thing I found rather satisfying about Buffy. She was one of the better written heroines I've seen. She did have a few annoyingly "cleche hot popular girl" moments, but they were few and far between. Most of those "magic spell that accidentally turn you naked" moments happen to Zander, which always made them more funny than anything.

This got to be way more ranty than I meant it to be. Oh yeah, and "Ripper" Giles owns everything.

[Bears With Lasers]

Buffy is indeed about high school being hell. And growing up. And dealing (or not dealing) with your inner geek. And how love hurts. And dealing with responsibility. And standing by your friends. And death. And how girls can and do kick ass. And a number of other important things.

[Midnight Son]

I thought Charmed was okay, but it never hooked me the way Buffy did. I watched every episode of every season, though I have to say, they should have ended the whole thing when it switched stations. I thought the story was done then. Everything after just wasn't quite as good.

I watched the first season of Charmed all the way through. The only reason I stayed with it that long was three hot chicks. I would watch it if it was on and I came accross it while surfing after that. When they brought Rose in, I started switching off of it as soon as it came on. She just bugs me.

[AmoDman]

Ummm, netiher? Charmed had the intriguing Cole, which was acted excellently by Julian McMahon but then fizzled off in an idiotic way for the character, and Buffy had Angel which spawned my favorite show ever (Angel). Buffy herself, however, annoys the 'eff out of me and I almost hate her show for it, made up for by the decent side characters (Spike owns, past Angel, and others had their moments), but still had cheesy teen-stupid plots at times and hit and miss dialogue. That said, Charmed had even worse plots (I vaguely remember there being..."evil"...and that they had to "battle it," various times, in various forms - get a bloody villain people), but main characters I could stand a whole lot more. Both shows were alright (I've watched them more than I'd like to admit), but I'm definitely not a fan of either.

Angel FTW!

(Past season 1...when it still didn't know what it was doing)

Edit: I'd be more interested in hearing people's opinions on Veronica Mars vs. Buffy. It's like a modern day Buffy (timely relevant references and writing for teen to college culture and a blonde post-popular high school girl getting through life), but set in a mystery drama world instead of fantasy action. I wasn't really a fan of VM at first, but it sucked me in after a few episodes and had me for a whole arc (this most recent season). The mysteries were addicting...and liked everyone's personalities and characters even if they weren't written to be "stand-out badasses" like Buffy.

[Jibar]

Charmed; An enjoyable watch. It's not exactly amazing, deep, or absorbing, but if you got some spare time it's worth watching.

Buffy; Superior in every way. There's not much I can add that hasn't already been said, but the characters were just so loveable.

Xander:You're Amish!! You can't fight back... 'cause you're Amish! I mock you with my icecream cone, Amish guy!

[On animal crackers]
Oz: The monkey's the only cookie animal that gets to wear clothes, you know that? You have the sweetest smile I've ever seen. So I'm wondering, do the other cookie animals feel sorta ripped? Like, is the hippo going, "Hey, where are my pants? I have my hippo dignity." And, you know, the monkey's just [in a French accent] "I mock you with my monkey pants." And then there's a big coup at the zoo.
Willow: The monkey is French?
Oz: All monkeys are French. You didn't know that?

[In Buffy's dream, she walks through a crowd at The Bronze. At one table, Willow talks to a monkey in a red jacket and hat.]
Willow: L'hippo a piqué ton pantalon.
* Roughly speaking, that's French for "The hippo stole your pants."

[Khantalas]

Charmed was essentially just a soap opera.

Oh my, you're right! Charmed is a soap opera!

That explains why I love it, then. I'm a guy who watches soap operas till their last season.

[sun_tzu]

Buffy was an excellent show, despite the occasional falling.
Charmed was a good show that lasted for two seasons (there is no season three, nevermind four! Those abominations never happened!).
Buffy wins.

[The Prince of Cats]

Well, I prefer Buffy for story and for humour (Charmed had some good moments but Buffy was funnier) but Rose McGowan did have me glued to the TV...

Still, Buffy was awful compared to Firefly. Now that was the pinacle of Whedon's talent...

[Bears With Lasers]

Buffy was just much longer than Firefly. It had high points and low points. I'd say Buffy's high points were better than Firefly.

[Khantalas]

Hey, if we go all the way with the High School as Hell metaphor, since Hell's Mouth was directly below the library in the first three seasons, does that mean Buffy is about books being evil?

*shudders*

[AtomicKitKat]

I've seen about 99% of both series. They both have their high and low points.

Buffy's worst episodes almost all revolve around Captain Cardboard. Spike being emasculated really spoiled it. Anything involving Dru was always fun.

Charmed. Where to begin? Had its moments, but jumped the shark towards the last season. Mostly because they were popping kids left and right(well, Piper was anyway), far too much time spent on Phoebe's love life(art reflecting life?). Balthazar was decent, although he suffered the Spike effect as well. The Billie arc was pretty annoying too. That one could be due to being unable to see Billie as anything other than John Ritter's annoyingly bitchy elder daughter on 8 Simple Rules.

[Alex Kidd]

Buffy definitely, seriously comparing the two is like comparing a Chuck Norris movie with Apocalypse Now, sure one's a bit of enjoyable no-thinking required fluff, the other's a classic. It's one of the defining shows of the 90s. Admittedly it peaked at season 3 (The Mayor for the win) the later seasons were a little angsty but they were still better than almost everything else on TV. And the levels of kickass the show could achieve. Every major villain worked and went out spectactulary.

[AmoDman]

Buffy was just much longer than Firefly. It had high points and low points. I'd say Buffy's high points were better than Firefly.

No offense, but I think that's a shoddy defense. I can't think of anything I've seen in Buffy that can even try and compare to Firefly. That show was deep, and amazing, from start to finish. Whedon got better with shows as time went on, IMO.

[Khantalas]

...but Rose McGowan did have me glued to the TV...

Wait, huh?

Oh, right, the week starts on 18. You can act as you like right now.

Still... *snicker*

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

in regards to the whole soap opera thing, well yeah, It is an Aaron Spelling show, what did you expect. As for the high school is hell thing, that basically sums up almost every teen drama I've ever see.(I'll ellaborate more on this and a few other things a little later. I"ve got some things I need to do in the meantime.)

[pestilenceawaits]

I think Buffy is a better show but I liked them both. I really didn't like Sarah Michelle Geller though and I think Angel was better than both of them.

[Yuki Akuma]

Charmed was an inconsistent soap opera with a plot that was simply an excuse to have hot chicks run around naked half the time.

Buffy was... well, I think Bears has really said all that can be said.

I must say that I love Buffy mainly for the banter, and the way all the characters have their own specific speech patterns. I love things like that; when all the characters speak the same, things get old quickly. From Buffy's rambling, Anya's monologues, Dawn's breathless speech-with-no-pauses-for-several-sentences-when-she-gets-excited-which-is-quite-often-apparently, Willow's tendency to remember new things to say halfway through sentences...

Yes, I am a linguistics nut. How could you tell?

[Telonius]

Charmed. My wife is obsessed with it, so it's kind of rubbed off on me. I also fully support any excuse for hot chicks to run around naked half the time. Never really watched Buffy back when it was on.

[Swordguy]

Having watch both extensively, my vote goes to Buffy. It's close, mind you, but I feel the writing is superior...and Alyson Hannigan is on Buffy.

...

Did I just say that? My, what an...interesting...mental image.

[Ted_Stryker]

Buffy kind of petered out the last couple of seasons, but I was never really able to get into Charmed, so I have to go with Buffy on this one.

[Khantalas]

...and Alyson Hannigan is on Buffy.

...

Did I just say that? My, what an...interesting...mental image.

She was also on Angel for an episode, if that helps.

[Bluelantern]

Charmed = Buffy+Sabrina.

Seriously, Charmed was very silly and predictable, Buffy is far more superior and deep... and hell... How many shows can make you laugh and make you cry like Buffy... or how many show can have a good Musical episode?

EDIT:
Also, black or white, Willow could kick the power of 3 anytime.

I think Allison appeared in a total of 3 episodes of Angel, at least 2, one where she appears in the very end, to tell that Buffy is dead, and other one where she helps to recapture angel soul.

[Jibar]

a good Musical episode?

"Once More, With Feeling!"

Ya know, a bunch of guys converted the entire lyrics for that episode to be a musical version of Lord of the Rings.

[Khantalas]

I think Allison appeared in a total of 3 episodes of Angel, at least 2, one where she appears in the very end, to tell that Buffy is dead, and other one where she helps to recapture angel soul.

And one time where she told Cordelia over the phone that Harm was turned into a vampire.

[averagejoe]

Also, black or white, Willow could kick the power of 3 anytime.

Heck, Ripper could kick the power of 3. I bet Zander could even make a good effort before getting a spell put on him that makes him eat bugs or do disturbing things to cows or something.


Ya know, a bunch of guys converted the entire lyrics for that episode to be a musical version of Lord of the Rings.

You don't have a link to that, do you?

[Khantalas]

Relatively ordinary people always triumph against the Power of Three. In turn, people with extraordinary powers succumb to the greatest power Haliwell sisters command - deus ex machina.

[AmoDman]

I must say that I love Buffy mainly for the banter, and the way all the characters have their own specific speech patterns. I love things like that; when all the characters speak the same, things get old quickly. From Buffy's rambling, Anya's monologues, Dawn's breathless speech-with-no-pauses-for-several-sentences-when-she-gets-excited-which-is-quite-often-apparently, Willow's tendency to remember new things to say halfway through sentences...

I fully agree. The dialogue of the side characters is the only thing that EVER brought me back to Buffy. It's what rolled the show along, made it interesting...Buffy herself, however...ugh, you may like her, but I don't think there's a single thing about her or her character (or her actress) that I enjoy. At all.

[Fat Daddy]

I have enjoyed both shows but Buffy far and away beats Charmed. I just loved the dialogue on Buffy. And Xander had to be my favorite character, he had so many good lines.

XANDER "I'm tired of being the guy who eats bugs and gets the funny syphillis. I'm through being everyone's buttmonkey! Got it?!"

BUFFY "Got it. No more buttmonkey"


And one of my all time favorites

Cordelia: does looking at all these guns really make you wanna have sex?
Xander: I'm 16, looking at linoleum makes me wanna have sex.

[Raistlin1040]

Charmed. If only because my sister and mom met the guy who plays the Source (Or whatever the bad guy's name is. I don't watch either show.))

[Dhavaer]

Charmed. If only because my sister and mom met the guy who plays the Source (Or whatever the bad guy's name is. I don't watch either show.))

Cole. The actor is Julian McMahon.

[Khantalas]

They might have met the other Source.

[The Dirge]

I voted neither because my sister and friends respectively forced me to watch them both and that's how my disdain for them started.

[Chunklets]

Have to go with Buffy here, if only because I haven't watched Charmed very much. However, I do agree with whoever said that we need to include Angel in this; among other things it had, in my humble opinion, one of the most glorious endings to a series I've ever seen.

[Khantalas]

"I'll take the dragon."

Though seriously, like no one in LA would not notice those. People of LA are so understanding of demon armies.

[Raistlin1040]

I didn't meet him but Cole Turner sounds like the bad guy so maybe he was the character played by the actor my mom and sister met.