Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs

DVDs of the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" were produced by 20th Century Fox and released beginning in 2000. These sets contained not only the episodes, but extra features such as: audio commentaries by the show's producers, documentary features, blooper reels, and shooting scripts.

Release dates

Differences between versions

The "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" DVD sets were released in at least three encoding formats:

* Region 1 (United States and Canada), in NTSC format
* Region 2 (United Kingdom and Europe), in PAL format
* Region 4 (Australia and New Zealand), in PAL format

Aside from the region encoding (and the packaging), the Region 2 and Region 4 DVDs are identical. However, there are several content differences between the Region 1 DVDs and the Region 2 / 4 DVDs.

Scenes from previous episodes

The Region 2 and 4 DVDs include the scenes from previous episodes ("Previously on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") at the beginning of each episode; the Region 1 DVDs do not.

This even applies to the final episode of season five, "The Gift (Buffy episode)", in which the "previously" scenes were designed to form a montage leading into the episode itself. This montage was deleted from "The Gift" on the Region 1 DVDs. This montage was later included as an easter egg on the Season 7 DVD set, even in Regions 2 and 4.

Widescreen

Beginning in season four, the Region 2 and 4 DVDs include a version of the television show. The Region 1 DVDs include the version, which is identical to the broadcast version.

The reason for this difference is that the Region 2 and 4 DVDs were released before the Region 1 DVDs, with less oversight from Mutant Enemy Productions. When the Region 1 DVDs were released, Joss Whedon decided that they should not have the widescreen version, because the show was directed and filmed for a 4:3 ratio. The extra material in the widescreen versions is never important for the plot, although it gives additional views of the sets and backgrounds.

4% speed difference

The Region 2 and 4 DVDs play the episodes at 4% faster than the Region 1 DVDs. This reduces the running time of each episode by about two minutes (not counting the "scenes from previous episodes"). It also causes the sound to be raised by two-thirds of a semitone. For example, a C note is raised to a note two-thirds of the way from C to C♯.

The speeds of the different region DVDs match the speeds used during the original television broadcasts in the respective countries. Thus the Region 1 DVD plays the video at the same speed as the American broadcasts (which is the speed at which the show was taped), while the Region 2 and 4 DVDs plays the video at the slightly faster speed that was used during the original British broadcasts. This effect is not particular to the "Buffy" DVDs but affects all television shows, because film that uses 24 frames per second is sped up for PAL that uses 25 (in the NTSC standard it is telecined and there is no speed variation). But since the signal from a DVD player is ultimately analog, the Region 2 and 4 DVDs will still play at the faster speed when played on an American television with a multi-region DVD.

NOTE: In Brazil the standard color system is not PAL, but PAL-M which is also 24 frames per second. In addition to that, all DVD releases, despite being Region 4 are in NTSC, so the frame rate is also 24 frames per second.

Subtitles

In the Region 2 and 4 releases, episodes with commentaries include two English subtitles: the show itself, and the commentary. The Region 1 releases do not offer subtitles for the commentaries.

The Region 1 DVDs also offer a smaller choice of non-English languages subtitles than the Region 2 and 4 DVDs.

eason 1

Disc 1

* Episode 1: "Welcome to the Hellmouth"
* Episode 2: "The Harvest"
* Episode 3: "Witch"
* Episode 4: "Teacher's Pet"

Special features
* Commentary by creator Joss Whedon on "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "The Harvest"
* Interview with Joss Whedon and David Boreanaz
* "Buffy" trailer
* DVD-ROM content, screensavers and "Buffy" weblinks
* Pilot script

Disc 2

Episodes
* Episode 5: "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date"
* Episode 6: "The Pack"
* Episode 7: "Angel"
* Episode 8: "I, Robot... You, Jane"

Special features
* "I Quit" music video
* Photo gallery

Disc 3

Episodes
* Episode 9: "The Puppet Show"
* Episode 10: "Nightmares"
* Episode 11: "Out of Mind, Out of Sight"
* Episode 12: "Prophecy Girl"

Special features
* Cast biographies

eason 2

Disc 1

Episodes
* Episode 1: "When She Was Bad"
* Episode 2: "Some Assembly Required"
* Episode 3: "School Hard"
* Episode 4: "Inca Mummy Girl"

Disc 2

Episodes
* Episode 5: "Reptile Boy"
* Episode 6: "Halloween"
* Episode 7: "Lie to Me"
* Episode 8: "The Dark Age"

Special features
* Audio commentary on "Reptile Boy" by David Greenwalt
* Text/photo galleries
* Screenplay for "Reptile Boy"

Disc 3

Episodes
* Episode 9: "What's My Line, Part One"
* Episode 10: "What's My Line, Part Two"
* Episode 11: "Ted"
* Episode 12: "Bad Eggs"

Special features
* Audio commentary by co-screenwriter Marti Noxon on "What's My Line, Parts 1 and 2"
* Screenplay for "What's My Line, Parts 1 and 2"

Disc 4

Episodes
* Episode 13: "Surprise"
* Episode 14: "Innocence"
* Episode 15: "Phases"
* Episode 16: "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"

Special features
* Audio commentary by director/writer/creator Joss Whedon on "Innocence"
* Interview with creator Joss Whedon on "Surprise" and "Innocence" (Region 1 only)
* Text/photo galleries
* Screenplay for "Innocence"

Disc 5

Episodes
* Episode 17: "Passion"
* Episode 18: "Killed by Death"
* Episode 19: "I Only Have Eyes for You"
* Episode 20: "Go Fish"

Special features
* Interview with creator Joss Whedon on "Passion" and "I Only Have Eyes for You" (Region 1 only)

Disc 6

Episodes
* Episode 21: "Becoming, Part One"
* Episode 22: "Becoming, Part Two"

Special features
* "Designing Buffy" featurette (13 mins)
* "A Buffy Bestiary" featurette (29 mins)
* "Beauty and the Beasts" featurette (20 mins)
* Interview with creator Joss Whedon on "Becoming, Parts 1 and 2" (Region 1 only)
* Trailers (UK TV spots, U.S. TV spots, Season 2 DVD trailer, "Angel" series)
* Cast biographies
* Stills/photos (set designs, monsters, additional photos)

eason 3

Disc 1

Episodes
* Episode 1: "Anne"
* Episode 2: "Dead Man's Party"
* Episode 3: "Faith, Hope & Trick"
* Episode 4: "Beauty and the Beasts"

Special features
* Script for episode "Faith, Hope & Trick"

Disc 2

Episodes
* Episode 5: "Homecoming"
* Episode 6: "Band Candy"
* Episode 7: "Revelations"
* Episode 8: "Lovers Walk"

Special features
* Script for episode "Band Candy"
* Script for episode "Lovers Walk"

Disc 3

Episodes
* Episode 9: "The Wish"
* Episode 10: "Amends"
* Episode 11: "Gingerbread"

Special features
* Script for episode "The Wish"
* "Season 3 Overview" featurette
* "Buffy Speak" featurette
* Photo stills gallery
* Cast biographies

Disc 4

Episodes
* Episode 12: "Helpless"
* Episode 13: "The Zeppo"
* Episode 14: "Bad Girls"
* Episode 15: "Consequences"

Special features
* Audio commentary for episode "Helpless" by David Fury
* Audio commentary for episode "Bad Girls" by Doug Petrie
* Audio commentary for episode "Consequences" by Michael Gershman

Disc 5

Episodes
* Episode 16: "Doppelgangland"
* Episode 17: "Enemies"
* Episode 18: "Earshot"
* Episode 19: "Choices"

Special features
* Audio commentary for "Earshot" episode by Jane Espenson
* Interview with Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, and Doug Petrie on "Enemies" and "Earshot"

Disc 6

Episodes
* Episode 20: "The Prom"
* Episode 21: "Graduation Day, Part One"
* Episode 22: "Graduation Day, Part Two"

Special features
* "Special Effects" featurette
* "Weapons" featurette
* "Wardrobe" featurette
* Interview with Joss Whedon on "Graduation Day, Part One"

eason 4

Disc 1

Episodes
* Episode 1: "The Freshman"
* Episode 2: "Living Conditions"
* Episode 3: "The Harsh Light of Day"
* Episode 4: "Fear, Itself"

Special features
* Script for "Fear, Itself"

Disc 2

Episodes
* Episode 5: "Beer Bad"
* Episode 6: "Wild at Heart"
* Episode 7: "The Initiative"
* Episode 8: "Pangs"

Special features
* Commentary by writer Doug Petrie on "The Initiative"
* Commentary by Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon and Seth Green on "Wild at Heart" (Region 1 only)

Disc 3

Episodes
* Episode 9: "Something Blue"
* Episode 10: "Hush"
* Episode 11: "Doomed"

Special features
* Commentary for "Hush" by Joss Whedon
* "Spike Me" featurette
* "Oz Revelations: A Full Moon" featurette
* "Buffy, Inside Sets of Sunnydale" featurette
* "Buffy, Inside the Music" featurette
* "Hush" featurette
* Script for "Hush"
* Cast biographies
* Still gallery

Disc 4

Episodes
* Episode 12: "A New Man"
* Episode 13: "The I in Team"
* Episode 14: "Goodbye Iowa"
* Episode 15: "This Year's Girl"

Special features
* Commentary by writer Doug Petrie on "This Year's Girl"

Disc 5

Episodes
* Episode 16: "Who Are You"
* Episode 17: "Superstar"
* Episode 18: "Where the Wild Things Are"
* Episode 19: "New Moon Rising"

Special features
* Commentary by Jane Espenson on "Superstar"
* Script for "Who Are You"

Disc 6

Episodes
* Episode 20: "The Yoko Factor"
* Episode 21: "Primeval"
* Episode 22: "Restless"

Special features
* Commentary by writers David Fury and James A. Contner on "Primeval"
* Commentary by Joss Whedon on "Restless"
* "Season 4 Overview" featurette
* Still gallery

Season 5

Disc 1

Episodes
* Episode 1: "Buffy vs. Dracula"
* Episode 2: "Real Me"
* Episode 3: "The Replacement"
* Episode 4: "Out of My Mind"

Special features
* Commentary by writer David Fury and director David Grossman on "Real Me"
* Script for "The Replacement"

Disc 2

Episodes
* Episode 5: "No Place Like Home"
* Episode 6: "Family"
* Episode 7: "Fool for Love"
* Episode 8: "Shadow"

Special features
* Script for "Fool For Love"
* Commentary by writer Doug Petrie on "Fool for Love"

Disc 3

Episodes
* Episode 9: "Listening to Fear"
* Episode 10: "Into the Woods"
* Episode 11: "Triangle"

Special features
* Script for "Into the Woods"
* "Buffy Abroad" featurette (5 mins)
* "Demonology: A Slayer's Guide" featurette (10 mins)
* "Casting Buffy" featurette (10 mins)
* "Action Heroes!: The Stunts of Buffy" featurette (10 mins)
* "Buffy" series outtakes

Disc 4

Episodes
* Episode 12: "Checkpoint"
* Episode 13: "Blood Ties"
* Episode 14: "Crush"
* Episode 15: "I Was Made to Love You"

Special features
* Script for "Checkpoint"
* Commentary by writer Jane Espenson on "I Was Made to Love You"

Disc 5

Episodes
* Episode 16: "The Body"
* Episode 17: "Forever"
* Episode 18: "Intervention"
* Episode 19: "Tough Love"

Special features
* Commentary by writer/director Joss Whedon on "The Body"

Disc 6

Episodes
* Episode 20: "Spiral"
* Episode 21: "The Weight of the World"
* Episode 22: "The Gift"

Special features
* "The Story of Season 5" featurette (30 mins)
* "Natural Causes" featurette (10 mins)
* "Spotlight on Dawn" featurette (10 mins)
* Still gallery (approximately 50 static images)
* "Buffy Videogame Trailer" interactive game trailer
* DVD-ROM "Buffy" demon guide

eason 6

Disc 1

Episodes
* Episode 1: "Bargaining, Part One"
* Episode 2: "Bargaining, Part Two"
* Episode 3: "After Life"
* Episode 4: "Flooded"

Special features
* Commentary by Marti Noxon and David Fury on "Bargaining"

Disc 2

Episodes
* Episode 5: "Life Serial"
* Episode 6: "All the Way"
* Episode 7: "Once More, with Feeling"
* Episode 8: "Tabula Rasa"

Special features
* Commentary by writer/director Joss Whedon on "Once More, with Feeling"
* Behind the scenes featurette on "Once More, with Feeling"
* Easter egg
* "I've Got a Theory/Bunnies/If We're Together" music video
* "I'll Never Tell" music video
* "Walk Through the Fire" music video

Disc 3

Episodes
* Episode 9: "Smashed"
* Episode 10: "Wrecked"
* Episode 11: "Gone"

Special features
* Commentary by Drew Greenberg on "Smashed"
* Academy of Television Arts and Sciences panel discussion

Disc 4

Episodes
* Episode 12: "Doublemeat Palace"
* Episode 13: "Dead Things"
* Episode 14: "Older and Far Away"
* Episode 15: "As You Were"

Special features
* Behind the scenes featurette

Disc 5

Episodes
* Episode 16: "Hell's Bells"
* Episode 17: "Normal Again"
* Episode 18: "Entropy"
* Episode 19: "Seeing Red"

Special features
* Commentary by director David Solomon and writer Rebecca Rand Kirshner on "Hell's Bells"
* Commentary by director Rick Rosenthal and writer Diego Gutierrez on "Normal Again"
* Easter egg

Disc 6

Episodes
* Episode 20: "Villains"
* Episode 21: "Two to Go"
* Episode 22: "Grave"

Special features
* Commentary by James Contner and David Fury on "Grave"
* "Buffy Gets a Job"
* "Life is the Big Bad – Season Six Overview:"
* Outtakes
* Interactive game trailer
* DVD-ROM

eason 7

Disc 1

Episodes
* Episode 1: "Lessons"
* Episode 2: "Beneath You"
* Episode 3: "Same Time, Same Place"
* Episode 4: "Help"

Special features
* Commentary by Joss Whedon and David Solomon on "Lessons"
* "Willow Demon Guide" ROM content

Disc 2

Episodes
* Episode 5: "Selfless"
* Episode 6: "Him"
* Episode 7: "Conversations with Dead People"
* Episode 8: "Sleeper"

Special features
* Commentary by Nick Marck, Jane Espenson, Drew Goddard, Danny Strong, and Tom Lenk on "Conversations with Dead People"
* Commentary by Drew Goddard and David Solomon on "Selfless"

Disc 3

Episodes
* Episode 9: "Never Leave Me"
* Episode 10: "Bring on the Night"
* Episode 11: "Showtime"

Special features
* "Buffy: It's Always Been About the Fans" featurette

Disc 4

Episodes
* Episode 12: "Potential"
* Episode 13: "The Killer in Me"
* Episode 14: "First Date"
* Episode 15: "Get It Done"

Special features
* Commentary by David Solomon and Drew Greenberg on "The Killer in Me"

Disc 5

Episodes
* Episode 16: "Storyteller"
* Episode 17: "Lies My Parents Told Me"
* Episode 18: "Dirty Girls"
* Episode 19: "Empty Places"

Special features
* Commentary by David Fury, Drew Goddard, James Marsters, and D.B. Woodside on "Lies My Parents Told Me"
* Commentary by Drew Goddard and Nicholas Brendon on "Dirty Girls"

Disc 6

Episodes
* Episode 20: "Touched"
* Episode 21: "End of Days"
* Episode 22: "Chosen"

Special features
* Commentary by Joss Whedon on "Chosen"
* "Season 7 Overview - 'Buffy: Full Circle'" featurette
* "Buffy 101: Studying the Slayer" featurette
* "Generation S" featurette
* "The Last Sundown" featurette
* Outtakes reel
* "Buffy" wraps
* Easter egg

Collections

The Region 1 "Buffy" 40-disc boxed set includes an extra disc (the 40th) with all-new interviews, including a round table discussion that was recorded in August 2005. It features participation from Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, Jane Espenson, and such actors as Charisma Carpenter, Nicholas Brendon and Emma Caulfield. It also comes with a letter from Joss Whedon.

limmer versions

The entire series was re-released on DVD in 2006, in a "slimmer" package with the same bonus materials that were featured in the original fold out versions.

Thematic releases

Two special Region 1 DVD releases contain assorted episodes from various seasons:

* Spike: Love is Hell (October 2005):This single-disc release includes four Spike-related episodes: "School Hard", "Lie to Me", "Lovers Walk" and "Fool for Love", as well as a special feature on the character.
* The Curse of the Hellmouth (September 2006):A two-disc set that contains eight Sunnydale-related episodes: "The Pack", "Halloween", "Passion", "The Wish", "Helpless", "Fear, Itself", "Hush" and "Same Time, Same Place", as well as a short supplemental featurette.

In Region 2, there have been several single-disc releases named after individual characters from the show, under the overarching title of "The Slayer Collection". Each contains four episodes and a character profile. The Spike-centric DVD contains the same episodes as the R1 "Love is Hell" collection. Other discs focus on Willow, Xander, Giles, Cordelia, Dawn, Angel, and Faith.

Two other single-disc Region 2 DVDs have been released. The first is entitled "The Very Best Of...". It contains these four episodes: "Becoming, Part One", "Graduation Day, Part Two", "Hush", and "The Gift". The second contains the episode "Once More, with Feeling" and a number of special features including a featurette on season 1 of "Angel" and a featurette entitled "Buffy Inside the Music".

References

* The DVD sets themselves
* " [http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/buffystuff/dvdvideo/index.shtml Buffy DVD and VHS] " "Bbc.co.uk" (2004). Reveals UK release dates.
* " [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276/dvd DVD details for Buffy the Vampire Slayer] " "Imdb" (2006).