Copyright Screen Rant
In the early 2000s, Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans were living through peak speculation season. Following the breakout success of Angel in 1999, talk of even more spinoffs began to dominate fan forums and entertainment columns alike. Several ideas floated around, some half-realized, others little more than whispers. While none reached screens, one still stands out for the sheer potential it had. Among the potential Buffy spinoffs, there was one concept that feels, in hindsight, like lightning in a bottle. It could have fused the gothic, monster-hunting tone of Supernatural with the cerebral, morally gray world of s. Both shows would later become cultural juggernauts in their own right, but this Buffy spinoff imagined something strikingly similar years before either existed. That project was Ripper, a planned spinoff centered on Buffy’s Watcher, Rupert Giles (Anthony Head). It would have explored his mysterious and troubled youth - the same past that haunted him throughout Buffy. Ripper never got its chance, but it might have simply been too early. With a Buffy revival on the horizon, now could finally be its moment to rise from the grave. Ripper Was A Planned Buffy Spinoff About Young Giles Buffy’s Most Mysterious Character Almost Got His Own Supernatural Detective Show Ripper was first conceived in the early 2000s by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon as a darker, more grounded entry into the Buffyverse. The show would have centered on Rupert Giles, the scholarly and stoic Watcher who guided Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) through her fight against the forces of darkness. However, a Buffy the Vampire Splayer young Giles spinoff would have peeled back his calm exterior to reveal the chaotic and haunted man he once was. Throughout Buffy, viewers caught only glimpses of Giles’s mysterious past. In the standout season 2 episode “The Dark Age,” it’s revealed that in his youth, Giles went by the alias “Ripper.” Giles wasn’t the mild-mannered librarian audiences came to know during this time. He was reckless, rebellious, and dangerously immersed in the dark arts. This era of his life fascinated fans, as it hinted at a world of British occult intrigue far removed from Sunnydale’s high school setting. Buffy characters like Ethan Rayne (Robin Sachs) helped flesh out Giles’s wilder past, describing him as a thrill-seeker who toyed with demonic forces for fun. Episodes like season 3’s “Band Candy” further peeled back the layers, showing that under his tweed and reserve, Giles still carried a spark of that untamed energy. Reports at the time suggested a hybrid of supernatural mystery and psychological horror, more Hammer Horror than Buffy’s teen drama. It’s easy to see why Whedon saw storytelling gold in revisiting that part of his life. The concept of Ripper was to follow Giles in his youth, possibly during or after his university years, when his flirtation with the occult blurred into dangerous territory. Reports at the time suggested a hybrid of supernatural mystery and psychological horror, more Hammer Horror than Buffy’s teen drama. Ripper was envisioned as a show with a distinctly British flavor, delving into folklore, curses, and the unseen magic lurking in the streets of London. Plus, since it would have taken place in the 1970s, Ripper would have had a period-drama feel that set it apart from other shows set in the Buffyverse Unfortunately, despite multiple attempts to bring it to life, Ripper never materialized. Still, the concept alone showcased how rich Giles’s backstory was. The character had all the makings of a compelling antihero - a man burdened by guilt, knowledge, and power - making Ripper one of the great “what ifs” of television history. A Show About Young Giles Would Be Like Sherlock Meets Supernatural Ripper Could Have Combined British Mystery With Supernatural Monster-Hunting Brilliance Had it been made, Ripper might have predated two of the biggest genre TV hits of the 21st century, Sherlock and Supernatural, while embodying the best of both. At its heart, Ripper was envisioned as a monster-of-the-week series with a uniquely British tone. Set in London, it would have followed a morally conflicted young Giles investigating the occult underworld, uncovering supernatural cases steeped in folklore and myth. This setup feels remarkably close to Supernatural’s long-running formula - two protagonists investigating a new eerie mystery each week, with a larger emotional arc running underneath. The difference? Ripper would have done it through the lens of a brooding intellectual who understood both the magic and the moral cost of wielding it. It would have traded Buffy’s American suburbia for foggy alleys, occult bookstores, and candlelit rituals. At the same time, the proposed tone and setting of Ripper align closely with Sherlock. The idea of a troubled, razor-sharp investigator operating in London, solving unexplainable mysteries, mirrors the dynamic energy that made Sherlock a phenomenon a decade later. Giles’s personality (brilliant, guilt-ridden, and emotionally repressed) shares much with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes, while the arc of redemption and reckoning would have provided deep emotional substance. A Ripper series could have leaned into the gothic atmosphere of Britain’s supernatural folklore, rich with ghost stories, cursed artifacts, and ancient magics hidden in plain sight. It would have traded Buffy’s American suburbia for foggy alleys, occult bookstores, and candlelit rituals. Think Supernatural’s intensity, but with a distinctly British sensibility and the moody introspection of Sherlock. Given how successfully both Supernatural and Sherlock later captured global audiences, Ripper’s unrealized formula feels like a missed opportunity. It might have become a genre-defining series in its own right, one that combined mystery, horror, and character study into something timeless. In hindsight, Ripper was simply ahead of the curve. It’s Not Too Late For The Ripper Spinoff The Buffy Revival Could Finally Give Ripper The Resurrection It Deserves With a Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival in development, there’s renewed excitement about expanding the Buffyverse for a new generation. If the revival proves successful, history could repeat itself, much like how Angel spun out from Buffy’s popularity in 1999. Executives will almost certainly look for new spinoff opportunities, and few ideas are as ready-made as Ripper. Because Ripper is a prequel, recasting wouldn’t be an obstacle. A younger actor could easily step into Giles’s shoes, exploring his transformation from reckless occultist to responsible Watcher. In today’s landscape, where reimaginings and legacy prequels thrive on streaming platforms, Ripper could finally find the creative freedom it was denied two decades ago. There’s also more audience demand than ever for series that blend the mystery and monster-hunting genres. Supernatural and Sherlock have both ended, leaving fans of cerebral, character-driven supernatural storytelling wanting more. A Ripper series could bridge that gap perfectly - a smart, moody, and lore-rich supernatural mystery set against the backdrop of 1970s Britain.
