It would be okay if the references weren't so damn specific. That way we could always claim the reference was to just the movie. And we could say that the movie was based on the exploits of the "real" person. It's a claim that works for the movie versions of 'Doctor Who' (with Peter Cushing), and for movies like "Starsky & Hutch", "The Brady Bunch", etc. whenever they get referenced.
The only problem with the "Buffy" movie is that it came out first, five years before the series. We'd probably have to rejigger the Toobworld timeline to make it a more recent movie, since the TV show didn't even start until 1997 - how could a movie be based on her exploits be made before she actually started making a name for herself as a vampire slayer?
Most of the references to Buffy take it for granted that the audience knows who she is. Therefore we can claim that they're talking about the real Buffy Summers and not about the fictional character.
Here are the examples provided at the IMDb.com:
"Charmed: The Power of Two (#1.20)" (1999)
- In response to Prue's comment about zombies and vampires in the cemetery.
"Farscape: Look at the Princess: Part 1: A Kiss Is But a Kiss (#2.11)" (2000)
- Crichton mentions Buffy the Vampire Slayer as people who will be dead after he's been turned into a statue for 80 years.
"Grosse Pointe: Halloween (#1.5)" (2000)
- Hunter: "The only thing scary about me is that I look some cheesy Buffy rip-off."
"Charmed: Cheaper by the Coven (#7.3)" (2004)
- When the Seer (Charisma Carpenter) encounters Leo (Brian Krause) for the first time, she calls Leo's actions un-Scooby-like. It's a reference to Charisma's previous series, "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" (1997). Buffy's group called themselves the Scoobys
"CSI: NY: Supply & Demand (#1.20)" (2005)
- "What about Buffy the Friend Slayer back there?" (referring to Stella)
"Supernatural: Hell House (#1.17)" (2006)
- Ed attempts to calm Harry down by saying "W.W.B.D. What Would Buffy Do?".
"South of Nowhere: Trouble in Paradise (#2.13)" (2006)
- Ashley: "Lets go before the hellmouth opens."
"Primeval: (#1.2)" (2007)
- Open reference by a character
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Caught (#1.4)" (2008)
- Pastor refers to Grace Bowman as "our own Buffy"
"The Middleman: The Vampiric Puppet Lamentation (#1.10)" (2008)
- Wendy tells The Middleman she's going to "get her Buffy on".
"True Blood: Mine (#1.3)" (2008)
- Sam wishes Buffy would come to town.
"Reaper: I Want My Baby Back (#2.5)" (2009)
- When Sam picks up the wooden stake/vessel, the Devil says, "Looking sharp, Buffy."
"True Blood: Keep This Party Going (#2.2)" (2009)
- Jason is confronted on acting like a Muslim Buffy with a dick.
But then there are those references where there is no choice but to accept it as a Zonk:
"Eureka: Primal (#1.9)" (2006)
- Fargo mentions Buffy fan websites. Later the monsters explode into dust like Buffy's vampires.
(Okay, maybe there could be fan sites about the "real" Buffy; it would depend on how Fargo described them....)
"Will & Grace: Love Plus One (#3.6)" (2000)
- Jack says, "Buffy is my life. I am so into Willow being a lez!"
"Spaced: Change (#2.2)" (2001)
- When woken, Tim shouts "Buffy!" because hes been dreaming of her.
"Spaced: Help (#2.4)" (2001)
- Tim prays to his Buffy poster.
"Spaced: Dissolution (#2.6)" (2001)
- Tim talks about a girl and says "She's like Cordelia out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
"Just Shoot Me!: At Long Last Allie (#5.22)" (2001)
- Allie and Dennis watched it together over the phone.
"Six Feet Under: Crossroads (#1.8)" (2001)
- Claire sarcasticaly asks 'Do you think Sandra Bullock will play her in the movie?' And Topher responds with 'She can't get that good. Probably someone from Buffy or Dawson's Creek.'
"The Twilight Zone: The Collection (#1.38)" (2003)
- Danielle says that she used to watch this show with Jenny, who wanted Spike and Buffy to hook up
"Emmerdale Farm: (2003-10-27)" (2003)
- A Buffy the Vampire Slayer poster hangs on Robert Sugden's room wall.
"Gilmore Girls: But Not as Cute as Pushkin (#5.10)" (2004)
- Rory mentions Spike and Drusilla from season 2
"TransGeneration" (2005)
- Gabbie mentions watching Buffy while dilating.
And sometimes, you even get a show that has it both ways:
"Big Wolf on Campus: The Manchurian Werewolf (#2.13)" (2000)
- Merton and Dean discuss the show
"Big Wolf on Campus: Fangs for the Memories (#1.15)" (1999)
- Merton mentions Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I bring this up because over the weekend, John Popper (playing himself on an episode of 'Z Rock') mentioned that the band's manager loved the movie but hated the TV series (which just shows to go ya that Dina Molinsky has no artistic sense whatsoever.) Had it ended with him saying that Dina loved the movie, we could have been in the clear. This was one case of a pop culture reference going on far too long.....Like many of Buffy's enemies, this Zonk sucks.
BCnU!
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