Syfy's 4-Season Supernatural Masterpiece Is Everything Buffy Should Have Been

Published Sep 16, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has a well-deserved place among the most iconic TV shows of the 1990s, but despite our nostalgia, the show was far from perfect and one Syfy show learned from Buffy's mistakes, resulting in a supernatural TV series that some may argue is better. Based on a much less well-received movie, Joss Whedon turned Buffy the Vampire Slayer into a TV show that defined 1990s culture through its fashion, signature slang (known as "Buffyspeak,") and its protagonist, the peppy blonde high school student who sends monsters running, flipping the script after decades. Buffy was groundbreaking, progressive, celebrated female strength, and included one of TV's best same-sex couples. Unfortunately, the show has aged badly when it comes to the "bury your gays" trope, and its portrayal of toxic relationships and sexual assault. As with many aspects of earlier TV shows, context must be taken into account, as the series was far ahead of its time when it aired in the 1990s, and the show has provided the blueprint for how to do better, resulting in Syfy's supernatural Western masterpiece, Wynonna Earp, which is essential watching for Buffy fans. Why Wynonna Earp Is A Must-Watch For Buffy Fans Centering on a young woman with the ability to banish supernatural forces, Wynonna Earp shares DNA with Buffy, and fans may recognize a similar combination of action and humor, with small-world problems like arguments with loved ones existing alongside the ever-present threat of world-threatening supernatural events. While some criticized the show's first season for seeming derivative, Wynonna Earp soon claimed its place as a groundbreaking neo-Western TV show that was self-aware without falling into parody. The show fully embraced its Western genre influence but incorporates genuinely moving stories and characters that rival even some of Buffy's best. Comparing Wynonna Earp to Buffy the Vampire Slayer Title Year Seasons Rotten Tomatoes critics' rating Rotten Tomatoes audience rating Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1997 7 85% 93% Wynonna Earp 2016 4 92% 80% While many of Buffy's significant relationships do not hold up well in hindsight, like her short-lived relationship with Riley, one fan-favorite partnership was an ever-evolving storyline that had the potential to produce one of the most powerful couples in the show. Willow and Tara became the first recurring lesbian relationship between series regular characters on US primetime network television, but just at the peak of one of their most impactful arcs, Tara was killed. Fans who miss them must watch Wynonna Earp, for a partnership with less witchcraft but a happy ending. Even setting the righftul anger about Willow and Tara aside, Wynonna Earp is a better fantasy TV show than Buffy in other ways and it is easy to understand why the two shows are regularly compared. Both Wynonna and Buffy are part of a lineage, with Wynonna taking on her role from the legendary Wyatt Earp, and Buffy being the latest Slayer, but Wynonna's family dynamic is better written, while fans needed time to warm up to Dawn. With a tighter storyline across fewer seasons, the show has less filler, making the action feel that much more intense. Wynonna Earp Is Still Overlooked As A Supernatural Masterpiece Despite having a stronger start than many other fantasy TV shows, Wynonna Earp still took time to find its feet and the initial genre mashup combined with the considerably messy main character made the show feel cluttered at first. Complications surrounding both licensing and advertising meant that the show flew under the radar, and even though Wynonna Earp was released over a decade after Buffy, it is still ahead of its time and considerably niche, while also being overshadowed by longer running shows with broader appeal, like True Blood and Supernatural. Still, Wynonna Earp has become a cult hit over time for its satisfying ending, attention paid to fans without becoming pure fan service, and creator Emily Andras' fulfilled promise that the central same-sex couple would find happiness. This evolution should have put Wynonna Earp on the same level as Buffy, and yet the series remains one of the best cult fantasy shows that deserve more attention. The genre mashup is still niche even in an age of experimental TV shows, but this does not make Wynonna Earp any less of a masterpiece for fans of the Western and supernatural genres. Release Date 2016 - 2021-00-00 Network SyFy, Space, CTV Sci-Fi Channel Showrunner emily andras Cast Melanie Scrofano Wynonna Earp Tim Rozon John Henry 'Doc' Holliday Based on a comic book series by Beau Smith, Wynonna Earp tells the story of the titular heroine who is the great-great-granddaughter of Wyatt Earp. The series follows Wynonna's return to her hometown, where she must do battle with the reanimated criminals previously killed by Earp. Aided by her sister, her great-great-grandfather's immortal partner Doc Holiday, and a member of the US Marshals, Wynonna works to keep Purgatory safe from the revenants.