Here's why Felicia Day is mad that Hulu canceled the Buffy reboot series

The author and actor says the showrunners informally discussed bringing her back to reprise her Buffy role

Hulu’s decision to not move forward on a planned Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot/sequel series has sparked vocal disappointment and frustration among fans, who saw the buy-in from original Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar as a positive sign for the show’s viability and quality. Viewers who grew up with the series aren’t the only ones who were let down, either: Felicia Day, who played Violet in the seventh and final season of the original series, tells Polygon, “I'm incredibly disappointed the show is not moving forward.”

Day, the creator of the groundbreaking web series The Guild, founder of the Geek and Sundry platform (which launched Critical Role), and star on fan-favorite shows like Supernatural and Eureka, says her role in Buffy’s final season was crucial to her career. Her character, Vi, was one of a batch of "Potentials," young women with qualities that made them viable candidates to succeed Buffy as the next Slayer.

“Buffy was my first real TV job, and that experience gave me hope that actors like me who weren't 100% mainstream could actually have a career in Hollywood,” Day says. “It was where I formed friendships that last to this day. It truly influenced my whole career. To have a project that was championed by so many people who loved the characters and story snuffed out is truly sad for fans and creators.”

Day, who is currently touring behind her first graphic novel, The Lost Daughter of Sparta, wasn’t officially part of the cast of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale reboot, but says people behind the show had approached her to gauge her interest in reprising Vi.

“I spoke to the showrunners briefly at a party right after they shot the pilot, and they expressed a hope that everyone from the original cast would return at some point, and asked about my interest,” she says. “And of course I jumped on it.”

Day points out that Vi already had a continued arc in Buffy spin-off comics published after the original show wrapped.

“She's one of the few Potentials who actually survived the ending,” Day says. “In the comics, later, she became the head of the New York Slayers. My transition into mentor world is very fulfilling to me.”

It’s still possible another streamer or studio might pick up New Sunnydale. Gellar and executive producer Chloé Zhao (director and co-writer of the Best Picture and Best Director Oscar nominee Hamnet) could potentially shop their series elsewhere. The problem would be securing the rights from 20th Century Studios’ parent company, Disney, which also owns Hulu, and reportedly hasn’t shown interest in licensing those rights elsewhere. Like the fans, Day may have to be content with her memories of the original series.

“The reason I am a public geek now is because of my time on Buffy,” she says. “I'm still friends with many people in the cast. I found a place in Hollywood that felt like I was home, and I would not trade that relationship for the world.”