Thank you for this piece.  It's my life too.  All the great shows my friends look at me like I am nuts.

Other than the Buffy/Angel Verse

Other Shows I must defend:

1) Doctor Who

2) Wonderfalls - although I converted people with the DVD set so well I never got the set back

3) Firefly - same deal lost my set forever converting someone into a fan

4) Dead Like Me

5) Battlestar Galactica

6) Eureka

7) Blood Ties

8) Torchwood 

9) BBC Life on Mars which ironically will now be an American series in the fall 

10) And my guilty pleasure show just because it's soapy fun - One Tree Hill 

sigh. <3

also my so-called-life and dead like me. 

Another great piece Ms. Snarker. I too have often found myself defending Buffy and the like. It is strange to me, what’s not to effin like? I must admit that I am a bit of a snob; I have found that I ‘judge’ potential new friends or dates based on their Buffy fanaticism or lack thereof.

Shows I have defended:

Buffy

Wonderfalls

Battlestar

Angel

Firefly

Dark Angel

Freaks and Geeks

My so called life

Why is there so much buffy hate in the world? :P Buffy is MY all time favourite show and i will defend its honor till my dying day. Me and a group of friends were out at a pub for the night when we were talking about DVD box sets when i happened to mention some of mine, family guy *everyone smiles and nods* simpsons *more nods* Buffy seasons 1-7 *silence and looks of horror* Buffy!?!? i didnt even dare admit that i had the whole angel box set too....  what more could people want in a show? A Kick a** leading lady, Cute lesbian couple, the adorable male friend, funny villans (glory anyone?) funny episodes, episodes that make you cry....

Ahhhh now you've got me started on a Buffy rant i could go on forever... damnit! ;D

Other tv shows i have to defend are - DR Who, Angel, Kyle XY, Bones ( Eh how do people not like bones?)

" i *Heart* Oy oy lady"

on all counts.

nothing tops btvs.

i love when ill be somewhere random - like a friend of a friend of a friend's house party - and see a once more, with feeling poster on a wall. everyone laughs, but whatever. im proud to know all the words. senior year of college (oh wait, that was last year), i remember walking up my fire escape with my friend's ex and the two of us singing together, him doing spike and giles, and me doing the ladies. priceless.

smartest. show. ever.

oh, and arrested development is pretty high up there, too. absolutely brilliant.

I have to admit I can't have seen more than a dozen or so episodes of Buffy. But the few episodes I have seen have been so briliant that I would deffinately deffend the show if asked about it. 

Of the shows I actualy watch/ed regularly, I am constantly getting strange looks for watching

Star Trek: Voyager

Battlestar

Xena

Stargate (SG1 and Atlantis)

X-Files

Actualy, the only show I don't get made fun of for watching is Alias.

Don't shoot! I'm a friendly! We're all friendly! So lets just be... friendly!-Starbuck (Battlestar Galactica)

I was addicted to this show when I was 10 (i was also fan of Charmed and ER...) and it's still one of my favorite show of all time, along with Friends and Bones. (Okay I also have a huge addiction to this amazing show which is The O.C ^^ and I'm still dreaming of what could happen if Marissa and Alex were still together in season3....)

Lately, I convinced one of my friends who wasn't really open-minded with this "whole Buffy-crazyness" to watch the first season and she became a super-fan!!! She is even more fan than me!!

Anyway, Buffy, I miss it/you. 

there's also Angel but I guess that falls into the Buffy category but uhh..

Freaks and Geeks: I hate when people just rip on the fact that it was canceled even though they've never seen an episode.

Family Guy (mostly against my gf): How can anyone not like this show, although I guess i'm the same when it comes to her watching John and Kate plus Eight.  I hate reality tv (mostly)

Once upon a time I was a Buffy hater. I was a Charmed fan, and based on what I knew, it was Buffy vs. Charmed. 7 DVD sets and one weird coming out story later, I am a fan of Buffy & Charmed.

My other faves w kickass females are Wonderfalls and Blood Ties.

*runs off to watch Buffy* 

I wish there could be a show as great as Buffy out there, my life would be even better :P

Anyway, I'm still defending my love and addiction to Buffy, they just don't understande me here lol, but I guess because Buffy in Italy was treated like some filling tv show, with really bad translation (no sexuale references nor jokes), censure (yeah, during the 4th season, they decided not to air the episode Full Moon Rising, guess why...) and schedule time.

I wasn't able myself to appreciate it completely until I got the DVDs. Best. Purchase. Ever.

I think there aren't any other show I defended that much...maybe Xena a little, horrible translation there too -_- ... also Popular, good translation, but treated just like a filler ç_ç

Other show I like: Firefly, Angel (Joss Whedon can sell me everything *_*) and Bones

I wrote one of my undergrad dissertations on it. Best thing I have ever done, and it was great to watch Buffy and call it 'research.' And then I got my family to name our two puppies Whedon and Anyanka. I am obsessed with this show.
I will defend anything Joss Whedon has ever done with my life, (except Alien Ressurection, even he apologises for that) that means Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and everthing else, even stuff that hasn't started yet *cough* save Dollhouse *cough* Joss Whedon is God.
After that Veronica Mars is a big one for me and Battlestar Galactica, funny how Whedon is a huge fan of both those shows too.
Other shows I've been addicted to, but not really had to defend are Charmed, Bones and Popular.

If you ever play the movie star game (where you link movie stars by what films they've been in) you can make it more interesting by getting every one to go through Buffy, always fun. Annnnnnnnd, I'm a big geek...

I agree with everyone who said BSG. But if I had to pick just one show to defend, Farscape.

If you get past the whole muppets in space part it was one of the best acted, best written shows on television. It resembles BSG in that it's labeled as sci-fi, yes, but it reinvents the genre. The focus isn't on the science fiction, it's on the characters, and they're all well developed, the plots are complex, there's actual continuity and it has intelligent, snarky dialogue throughout.

Even in the stand alone episodes you get bits and pieces of information that tie in to the main storylines. The early seasons have a lot of stand alones that when you go back to rewatch, you realize aren't stand alones at all. The writers took their time developing the stoylines and characters and it makes for a believable well planned out series. It doesn't happen all that often.

Helps that it also had one of my favorite female characters of all time (hi, Aeryn!). Also? 4 seasons of Claudia Black. In leather. All the time. Carrying guns.

With Farscape, people either love it or they never give it a chance. :D It had nicest fandom ever, the cast and the crew were all awesome and they loved the show, cared about the fans... too bad more people didn't watch. I would've liked a full season 5.

Wow. I feel like such a geek right now.

trekie88, I loved Alias. Well the first seasons. After that it just went downhill and died a horrible, bloody death in season 5. But even when it sucked, I was still watching. Irina Derevko. S'all I'm gonna say.

I find myself defending my Buffy love nearly every day!  It really frustrates me because (while I feel everyone should) I appreciate that not everyone is going to be a fan of the show people should appreciate that it is great television.  My brothers, in particular, mock the show endlessly without having watched it or understanding that it is good!  I find it really annoying that so many people cast the show aside as trashy teen sci-fi or whatever when it is so much more than that.  AARRGGGHHH!!  I will defend Buffy to my grave!!

 The other show I defend quite often is The OC, oh I think I hear the skepticism in your tone!  But seriously, the show is not a glossy teen show like Tree Hill or Dawson's.  Well OK, yes it is, but it is clever, and it takes the piss out of itself.  It is self-referencing and self-deprecating, and just good television.  Loves it!!

There are a number of shows I've had to defend my love of:

1. Buffy

2. Battlestar: Galactica

3. Xena (seriously, with the ladies in this show, why do they even wonder?)

4. Dead Like Me

People always give me greif when I try to talk to them about the tv I like. I'll ask them what their favorite tv show is, and the answer is usually Law and Order. Well I say that my silly Buffy the Vampire Slayer is smarter, funnier, and features better writing than your cop drama any day of the week. Other shows I've had to defend are:

1.)Six Feet Under

2.) Battlestar Glactica

3.) Doctor Who

4.)Firefly

5.) Dead Like Me

6.) Torchwood

7.)Wonderfalls

8.)Veronica Mars

9.) Big Love

10.) Life on Mars (the British version)

XENA!

Yeah pretty much would fight the masses for that one

Buffy is without a doubt my favorite show of all time and whenever I've been in a position where I need to defend my love of the Scoobies, I reply with this challenge:  Watch a few episodes, then ask me "how I could possibly like a show like that".  A few of them did, and it wasn't long before they all owned the seasons, not to mention a few action figures and one or two "Welcome to Sunnydale" T-shirts :)

Other shows I've defended include Freaks and Geeks and the similarly cancelled NBC period drama American Dreams.  Because what is cuter than Brittany Snow dancing to the Beach Boys, I ask you?

i never defend my love of buffy....i simply ridicule those who try to shame me.

buffy was a groundbreaking show on so many levels.  people who don't take time to at least appreciate what it did for modern tv are not people i choose to answer to ;)

Buffy is definitely my number one show! I think it's hard for any other show to even compete with it. My other favorite show is Veronica Mars. Both are intelligently written and executed and plus they're female driven shows with empowered yet fully flawed characters.  Two truly genius shows.

I fought to save Veronica Mars, Moonlight, and South of Nowhere. All fantastic shows...all canceled. And after that Jericho debacle, I don't think shows are going to be saved anymore....

Whenever someone asks me (or mocks, whatever, I don't care)about my favorite show, I always ask theirs and it's an almost guaranteed laugh for me as well.

Reading this blog and the responses made me realize just how cool my family is! lol

My 85 year-old aunt who celebrates her birthday today (happy birthday auntie!) was a major Buffy fan before it ever became cool to be one. My mom learned very quickly what night and time NOT to call her sister to have a chat! To call when Buffy was on meant that you must be dying and couldn't get through to 911! She was such a fierce fan...I have always felt her love of Buffy would make a great topic for a thesis paper. lol

And my mom...what a great mom...just the other day in having a chat with her, we got on to the subject of Xena...and mom expressed how much she misses the show!

*sniff sniff*

I come from such good stock. :)

This is the only place in the world, that I know of, where Buffy is so much more than a tv show that's long since been over....

To me, Buffy, was allowed me to survive my middle and high school years! I don't even know how to talk about it I love it so much...

My friends tell me I'm crazy for reading the comic book at 19 , as well as being obsessed with all of Joss Whedon, but they don't understand the impact... I thought my one friend felt it but then she told me she only watched it because Angel was hot and demanded to borrow all my Angel DVD, which she has yet to return...I need to call her about that...

The weirdest thing.. my health/ gym teacher was a fan! I was wearing a Joss WHedon shirt and she was like Buffy!!!???? and I was like oh my god your a fan and we totally spent all of gym talking about Buffy....I think the other kids were a little creeped but whatev, right?

1)Buffy, naturally!

2)Veronica Mars

3)Battlestar Galactica

O_o...

Soon to be loved

Dollhouse

Doctor horrbile?

Hey O_O

Me again.

I think any buffy fans should watch this. You can Relate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl_jAdKfb-4   

ah, if only i had family members who didn't constantly make fun of me whenever i utter the words "buffy" or "joss whedon". my life is so hard! haha. i find myself always having to defend it in some way. and yet, there was that christmas three years ago when i received the complete seven seasons box set, but i was also told that my parents and sister laughed quite loudly upon seeing a christmas list that included both buffy and firefly. so hmm. my list:

-buffy, obvs

-firefly

-angel

-veronica mars in theory? though not many people know i watch it.

-*cough* hannah montana *cough* i think it's cute! yes, i'm aware it's aimed at people half my age or younger.

-...shot at love. the only reality show i've ever watched beginning to end, both seasons. the trashiness is addicting.

i'm definitely not ashamed that i watch any of these, and thankfully i've got at least 2-5 friends who watch some of these with me. woo!

Battlestar G.

Damages

Xena

Life on Mars

Most awesome shows ever...

XENA!!!!!!!!!

If the code is broken I must take my own life with a high-pitched screaming: AAyayayayayayayayayaya!!!!!!!

The Calypso *drools* will let me have some of her god powers and I will be IMMORTAL!!!!

I will defend Showgirls (yea I said it) with less extreme self-punishment measures, instead I might beat you (viciously) with my portable stripper pole which is 79.99 at Spencer.com!!!!

Anything done by Natalie Portman..anything.....I will defend her honor, even if I have to draw my own blood *stabs self but not really*.

Pretty much every show - I watch SO much television. I own over 100 dvds of tv shows alone.

I actually wanted to comment on your first paragraph; making new friends from your shared interests.
There was this girl... er, woman (early 30s) who worked in marketing, which was in the same area as the legal dept (in which I worked). For a couple months, I use to sit next to this girl and I heard her chatting with a vet on the phone one day, she was saying the name of a couple of her dogs and my ears perked up when she said "Buffy". At least, that's what I thought I heard, so I contained my excitement figuring there was no possible connection there. In the next couple months we had said hi in the hallways a few times (she's gorgeous btw, not that it is important to the story, just sayin' is all) and I gave in one day and came by her desk, plopped my arms down on the shelf part of her desk area and told her what I had heard the one day when I use to sit by her. She smiles and urges me to continue, "Yeah?..." which made me a little excited about hearing the answer I wanted. So I continued, "Why did you name her Buffy?" She hesitates and answers, "Okay, my favorite show ever is Buffy the Vampire Slayer --" I wanted to shriek right then but didn't because she wasn't done, "-- I wanted her to have a girly name, but also, she's a very tough puppy. So I thought it was the perfect name." She still semed hesitant/embarassed but then I smiled big and held up my hand for a high-five, and she got all excited. I said with pride, "I. LOVE. THAT. SHOW." And she was all "Really!?!??" We talked for a good while about its genius. And from then on we'd talk some, but not too much considering we weren't in the same dept and couldn't get away with "it's about work". :)

Sorry for the babbling. But I love telling that story!

I defend my love for Buffy almost everyday.  I realize more and more how great it really was everytime I rewatch it.  Sadly, I have not been able to indoctrinate my girlfriend yet, though I think that has more to do with my annoying habit of saying the lines before the characters do and laughing, than it does with her dislike of the show.  For me Buffy was a family affair, my sister and my very cool dad had to convince me to watch my first episode. Since that time I have become a complete Whedonite.  As for other shows I have defended:

1. Angel

2. Firefly

3. Battlestar Galactica

4. Veronica Mars

5. The 4400

6. Wonderfalls

7. Freaks and Geeks

8. Xena

Ms. Snarker, give me my brain back!  I have watched both MSCL and Wonderfalls this very night.  Love 'em both.  Although, I don't have to defend my love of the latter because no one has ever heard of it.  I would say the most sideways glances come for BSG.  Everybody (except the cool ones) say, "Oh, I don't really like sci fi."  Losers. :)

And of course, the candle i hold for Buffy is eternal. 

Unfortunately, I think I've had to defend almost everything I've ever watched to one group of people or another. If I listed them we'd be here all day!

It's not that I watch a rediculous amount of TV, it's just that I've watched weird things since I got the option.

Buffy is actually one of the few things I find I don't have to defend, we actually watched that as a familly and although I'm probably the biggest fan I know, it's good that people can understand that in part. :)

Applause also for those of you who reminded me of my defense of

Xena - a show that when it was telling lavish stories was better then most things on tv now

Farscape - sheer genius sci-fi/TV and yet most people I know not only didn't dig the puppet factor but the comedy they dropped in.  LOVE IT

Veronica Mars - how great is/was that show

and from the other dramedy of the last few years - Gilmore GIrls another show people either LOVE or Hate. 

 It really is all the good stuff that people should try that goes and all the crap that floats to the creative surface 

Ok, maybe that's exaggerated.

However, Buffy was a big part of my life as a teenager.

I began watching it when I was about 14 years old: since then, I never missed an episode till the series ended.

On top of that, I had the chance of knowing a very special person thanks to Buffy (guess what our first conversation was about)!

And I'm proud of the fact that me and Sarah Michelle Gellar were born on the same day! ;)

Oooooh, I love a bit of cake. Oooooh, cake. Oooooh, cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. I'm just one of these people. I come home and I need a piece of cake. [Marjorie Dawes]

I have had to defend Buffy quite a number of times and will continue doing so every time someone dismisses the show as some bad teenage series. My sister was amongst the skepticals. She watched one episode ("Halloween" - season2) and was as addicted as me.

The other two shows I have to defend and will do so as fiercely as Buffy are:

BSG: As someone mentioned before, people usually answer "I dont like sci fi"... to which I answer "me neither; but this is so much more than sci fi" and i go on explaining what makes this show so awesome (hmm... aside from Lucy Lawless appearing from time to time of course!)

Xena: To be fair I've only had to defend this show to French people and I can't blame them for disliking the show given the horrific translations (no subtext!!!). But Xena is in my top 3 of all time favourite shows and will always stay there. I will defend it with my life (well, almost).

BTVS is one of the greatest shows ever and I am always having to defend and tell people who  laugh at me why I love it and the other main shows I have to defend are :

Bad Girls : Been a fan from when it started till when it ended and still love it, yet men especilly give me so much crap about it, fellow bad girls fans will know why it was so good, a bunch of not always glamerous women...but real, all locked up, we had at least one gay couple or charecter in every series. Great villians (Fenner, shell and Buxton...brilliant) absolutly brilliant one liners. It was just a great show thou I think because it got a bit crazy and out there bby the last couple of series people just gave up...but not me..bad girls forever! (still not sure wot to think of the usa remake.....will be interesting to say the least)

 Xena- All fellow xena fans will know the crap we get for watching this but I love it, and I just wanna punch people when they say "what subtext"....are u kidding me ...really lol.

Eastenders (british soap for any non uk folks who mite not know) I get so much hassle for watching this lol but i've always watched it on and off since it first aired, ...I dunno I'm proberly alone on this one lol :)

Smack the Pony- Most underated comedy show ever, it was so random and funny yet people didn't like it, written by and starring 3 funny beautifull women, its so good checkit out if you haven't heard of it its so randomly funny. But people give me hassle bout that all the time

There my main ones that people just dont get I also get a lot of stick for L Word and French and Saunders...but those people are just dumb :)

Don't mess with my weave giiirrrrllll :)

Shows I'll defend besides Buffy is Doctor Who, Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls and Veronica Mars. Oh, and Firefly.

I can't even think straight...

1. Buffy

2. Northern Exposure

3. Weeds

4. Nip/tuck

5. (the firts sesasons of) E.R.

The L Word could have been in the list, but ain't.  It's a show that does good,unfortunately not a good show.

When there's a TV show that just means a lot to you (regardless of what show it is), it's always hard to admit it publicly. I guess it's becuase there's always that social pressure there that if you say that you're a hard core fan of something you'll somehow come across as easily manipulated, over-sentimental, childish or like a person who doesn't know the difference between fiction and reality.

The funny thing is that if someone cluthes the Bible and says that it's a perfect metaphor for her life, or that the book has helped her in so many ways... that's not looked upon as being strange or over-sentimental. The person is merely said to be religious or something.

But if I were to say that Torchwood for me is a perfect metaphor for being a young adult and a metaphor for life itself... that many scenes capture what I think are some of the beautiful things in life and that the show has helped me believe in myself... if I made such a confession to say fellow students then I'm sure some of then would write me of as kinda odd.

Fortunately there's this little thing we call the internet where you can make confessions of this type. ;-)

The new Doctor Who is also a perfect metaphor for life and all those wonderful things in life that are out there just waiting to be experienced.

Cherry / Torchwood_Operative

Everyone should have the right to say "yes", and the right to say "no". Marriage should be based on love and relationships that work, not tradition

Just two words:

Buffy

Xena

Two of the best tv shows ever.