Musical episodes of television series have become more popular in recent years, but season 6, episode 7, "Once More With Feeling", from Buffy the Vampire Slayer arguably started the trend despite star Sarah Michelle Gellar not wanting to do it in the first place.
Musical theater and television don't necessarily seem like two avenues that would go seamlessly hand-in-hand. For starters, most television is relegated to an hour long format, with necessity for commercial breaks if they are shown on broadcast networks, such as NBC, versus cable networks like HBO, where commercials are shown before the program. The uninterrupted format would have been better for a musical episode of a television series, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran on UPN at the time, so it was subjected to regular commercial breaks throughout. Also, most musicals tend to be lengthy, often with at least two acts and space for an intermission; audiences can expect to spend upwards of two hours when attending live performances of musicals, which is why many musicals are often adapted to film.
Even so, Joss Whedon felt that his "monster of the week" series, which had a dedicated fan following and made itself known for out of the box thinking through his clever writing, would be able to make it work. He challenged himself with writing the music, something he had always wanted to do, and took six months on the project. The cast members spent months preparing for the episode as well through dance and vocal training, just for a single episode. While certainly strenuous and time-consuming for all involved, the show's lead actress, Sarah Michelle Gellar, had the most hesitation about doing the musical episode.
Why Sarah Michelle Gellar Didn't Want A Musical Episode
Gellar wasn't the strongest singer in the cast, especially not when stacked up against Anthony Stewart Head (Giles) and James Marsters (Spike), both of whom are musicians. However, the episode was more about Buffy's character than it was about pure talent, which was why it was so important that Gellar step up and sing the role as well as acting it. At first, Gellar stated that her intention regarding the episode was to have her sung parts dubbed with another voice. After she realized how important "Once More With Feeling" was going to be for Buffy, she decided to take on a rather hefty singing part wholeheartedly, and came around. According to an interview with EW for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion, Whedon had to work to win Gellar over. Said Gellar, "... we didn't get the script until like two or three weeks before. I really went back and forth to whether or not I was going to sing. And Joss said, 'I'll do whatever I can to make it as easy on you as possible', like bringing in my friend Adam Shankman." Even so, the actress still described the experience as "exhausting".
Other actors in the cast, such as Alyson Hannigan, also asked for minimal singing parts. While this was certainly more possible for characters that weren't as front and center, given the big reveal at the end of "Once More With Feeling", Gellar - like the slayer herself - held the brunt of the burden and carried the episode, which was widely regarded as a critical success. It has even been called "the gold standard" for musical episodes on television, and set the bar high for those to follow.
The ending of "Once More With Feeling" reveals that, after her death in the season 5 finale, "The Gift", Buffy finally found peace in Heaven. When Willow and the other members of the Scooby Gang chose to resurrect her, she had to continue her duties as the slayer, picking up where she left off and risking her life time and again to save the world. As Gellar sang in the episode, "so that's my refrain: I live in Hell 'cause I've been expelled from Heaven". While a bittersweet reveal for Buffy, "Once More With Feeling" is one of the most beloved episodes amongst fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and would not have been the same without Gellar's contribution.