She's died to save the world, been resurrected, inspired love from social outcasts and forgiven (some of) her enemies. She's also destroyed churches, posed with a hammer and sickle, mocked religion as "freaky," and explained that she hasn't accepted Jesus as her personal savior because she "just got really busy."

Now Buffy the Vampire Slayer is ending a seven-season run as the heroine of her eponymous TV show, and she's more controversial than ever: while the religious humor magazine The Door named Buffy its Theologian of the Year for 2002, the Parents Television Council is calling on Christians to boycott the show for "making a mockery of the Eucharist" this past Holy Week.
Meanwhile, back on the Hellmouth, where the vampires emerge, Buffy (played by Sarah Michelle Geller) and company are battling the First Evil in order to save the world from yet another apocalypse.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer began its television run as a midseason replacement series based on a mediocre movie, but it has blossomed into a critically acclaimed cult hit and has even generated a spin-off (Angel). The show is ostensibly aimed at a teenage audience, but its mix of snappy dialogue and savvy cultural critique has spawned a vocal cadre of older, highly educated viewers.