"The pilot feels decidedly modern, specifically in its use of current slang and social justice language in a way that feels tailor-made to try to spawn viral clips for TikTok. Instead of "killed," characters sometimes say "unalived," which is a term social media users say because they think algorithms suppress content that uses more direct language."
"Elsewhere, a character named Larkin, who is described as a "chronic do-gooder with more heart than sense," is depicted as an exaggerated SJW stereotype, scolding people about "assuming genders" and pointing out gendered dynamics by saying "it's giving patriarchy.""
"There's also an exchange between Stacy and her boyfriend Chris in which he claims he didn't come to her defense earlier because he "didn't want to take away [her] agency," to which she replies that he's "trying to weaponize [her] feminism against [her].""
Hulu decided not to proceed with New Sunnydale, a planned Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, after Sarah Michelle Gellar announced the cancellation. A leaked 59-page pilot script from 2024 reveals the project relied heavily on current social media terminology and social justice language designed to generate viral content. The script features exaggerated stereotypes, including a character who constantly corrects gender assumptions and uses phrases like "it's giving patriarchy." Characters use euphemisms such as "unalived" instead of direct language, apparently to avoid algorithm suppression. The dialogue feels forced and inauthentic, prioritizing trendy language over genuine storytelling, which likely contributed to Hulu's decision to halt the project.
#buffy-reboot-cancellation #social-justice-dialogue-criticism #tiktok-viral-marketing #script-leak #modern-television-adaptation
Read at Kotaku
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