Age: High School
- Willow was dating a male character on the show, but came out after Tara joined the cast
- Faced some confusion among friends, but no major homophobia
First aired in 1997 on the WB network, Buffy was a campy, but successful attempt at bringing vampires, witches, and warewolves to the teen demographic. It stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy and was based on the story of the 1992 film of the same name. The show was eventually moved to the UPN Network.
In the 2000-2001 season, Willow's passionate love-affair with Oz (Seth Green) came to a close when he departed the show. Willow became interested in Tara when she joined the cast and the two evenually became an item, though at first their relationship was only represented through the writer's favorite metaphors. "When they do magic together, their powers shoot out of their bodies, zap around the room and leave them panting on the floor surrounded by candles and rose petals," explained critic Joyce Millman.
Though there was initially some skepticism and trouble in the Buffy clan accepting Willow's sudden change in sexuality and the plotline was left open to allow Willow to go back to being straight, the relationship between Willow and Tara has been going for close to an entire season and has recently been more physical than ever..
Willow and Tara's relationship is unique in that they are the first teen lesbian couple to appear regularly on TV and have, in the 2001-02 season, consummated their relationship as graphically as possible on network TV. Though the show only originally insinuated sex through metaphors, a recent episode showed the two engaging in what was obviously oral sex.
The show is somewhat of a cliche in that it portrays witches as lesbians, a stereotype that runs far back in history and literature. The show, however, treats the subject respectfully and brings it to an audience who is the same generation as a show like Dawson's Creek, but not necessarily the same type of viewer.
Allyson Hannigan is best known for her role as the flute-toting band geek in American Pie 1 & 2: a far cry from her role on Buffy.
Amber Benson has had small roles in movies such as Can't Hardly Wait and Bye Bye Love; this is her most visible and groundbreaking role to date.
