The Forgotten Horror Series Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fans Need To Watch

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" looks set to rise from the grave, with Sarah Michelle Gellar reportedly set to return as her iconic character. This is great news for everyone who grew up watching the original series in the late '90s and early 2000s, but the revival probably won't arrive for a while yet, and that means having to wait impatiently. Still, what if we told you that there's an awesome show that's similar to "Buffy" and flew under the radar at the time of its release? That show exists and it's called "Reaper," and it deserves to be exhumed so it can finally gain the appreciation it deserves.

Created by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters — who Marvel fans will know for their work on "Agent Carter — The CW's "Reaper" began life as a spec script for an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." However, after being inspired by Edgar Wright's "Shaun of the Dead," the writers decided to create a comedy-horror project about a slacker called Sam Oliver (Bret Harrison), whose parents sold his soul to the Devil (Ray Wise) when he was conceived. Thus begins a game of tug-of-war for our hero's soul while he contends with the literal forces of Hell.

"Reaper" and "Buffy" share many similarities, while still retaining their own distinct hallmarks that make them unique. Keeping that in mind, let's discuss why "Buffy" fans should check out this forgotten gem.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" boasts a rogue's gallery of monsters, but the series is a coming-of-age story about the trials and tribulations of high school and early adulthood. "Reaper" also uses fantastical concepts as a prism for exploring existential angst, only the heroes are aimless millennials trying to find their purpose. When we meet Sam, he's still living at home, and he spends his days working in a hardware store, goofing around with his friends Sock (Tyler Labine), Ben (Rick Gonzalez), and love interest, Andi (Missy Peregrym).

Of course, Sam's life changes when the Devil suddenly appears in his car mid-drive and reveals that he owns his soul. From that moment on, Sam is forced to round up the underworld's escaped souls and send them back via a portal on Earth, which is located in the Department of Motor Vehicles and overseen by a cranky demon named Gladys (Christine Willes). There's also a wide array of creatures, ranging from blob monsters to dudes with guns for hands, which Sam and his buddies must defeat using unusual objects given to him by the Devil, such as toy trucks. 

Like "Buffy" before it, "Reaper" is also full of unconventional romances. Buffy Summers crushes on vampires, whereas the aforementioned Ben falls in love with a winged demon called Nina (Jenny Wade) after she tries to kill Sam. Sock, meanwhile, has a fling with his half-sister, which is arguably more questionable than human/demon relations. "Reaper" is sillier than "Buffy," but it's clear that the iconic '90s series was a major influence. Sadly, it was canceled after two seasons, with the show ending on one almighty cliffhanger.

Without getting too heavily into spoiler territory, "Reaper" ends with Sam almost getting out of his agreement with the Devil, only for one of his allies to unexpectedly show up and make sure that the Father of Lies retains possession of his soul. The ending set up a wealth of interesting possibilities for the planned third season, but The CW canceled the show in favor of shifting most of its resources to weekday programming, and "Reaper" just so happened to be stuck in a Sunday night timeslot. The rest is history.

At one point, there were plans to continue the story as a comic or cartoon series, but those ideas never materialized. Tyler Labine and Bret Harrison revived their characters in the "Old Friends," episode of "Kevin (Probably) Saves the World,"  another fantasy-comedy series that was canceled shortly after it began. Still, the reunion was a fun way to give the characters a send-off, even if it wasn't in the series that birthed them.

By all means, watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" again ahead of the former show's comeback, but don't skip out on "Reaper." It's an entertaining show that hangs out in the wheelhouse as those classics, albeit with more humor and wackiness. "Reaper" might not end up getting the revival it deserves, but more people discovering that it exists would be a victory in its own right.