The Essential Guide to Streaming the Whedonverse

Joss Whedon and television itself wouldn’t be what it is today if it wasn’t for Buffy. Whedon’s brilliant idea to subvert “little blonde girl who goes into a dark alley and gets killed in every horror movie” helped pave the way for badass heroines everywhere. Not only that, but Whedon opened the often cult and largely single-gendered supernatural genre to mainstream audiences and women alike. There is a huge academic cult following surrounding Buffy’s contribution to culture as a whole within the cult following for a cult show. Honestly, I can’t hype this up enough. If you need some help, use this guide for the Sunnydale essentials. Watch it, revel in the ‘90s nostalgia, and fall in love again.

[Stream Buffy the Vampire Slayer now]

Though the Buffy spin-off took a little while to grow into its own, Angel eventually developed its own dark and fascinating tone. This five-season show really demonstrates two of the things Whedon does best — deeply exploring his many layered characters and broadening his expansive universe. Whereas Buffy is an underdog hero story, the troubled Angel tells a tale of redemption and confronting your sins, all through a tougher baddie-of-the-week format. It’s definitely Whedon’s style, and it’s definitely good. More of David Boreanaz is never a bad thing.

[Stream Angel now]

Who knew that a protest musical written during the Writer’s Strike could be this heart-wrenching? Starring Neil Patrick Harris and Whedon-favorites Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, Dr. Horrible tells the classic superhero nemesis story from the perspective of the villain. As well-worn as this tale may seem, everything in this three-part Web series departs from the expected, from its immoral jock superhero, Captain Hammer, to the consequences that come from keeping an online blog about your nefarious schemes. This expertly constructed musical proved that big networks and budgets weren’t required to make content audiences love.

[Stream Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog now]

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[You can purchase Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on iTunes]

Out of all of Whedon’s original series, Dollhouse stands out as the “worst.” This isn’t to say it’s bad; it’s not by a long shot. It’s innovative, supremely dark, and legitimately interesting television. However, when a show has to compete with epics such as Buffy and Firefly, good doesn’t take you very far. The sci-fi follows Echo, a hired out human, referred to as a “doll,” for the Los Angeles “Dollhouse.” Dolls can be hired out for any purpose whatsoever, and perhaps it was the deep sex trafficking implications of this universe that made Dollhouse such a hard sale for Fox audiences. However, it’s this same darkness and exploration of human nature that makes this show killer.

[Stream Dollhouse now]

When most people need a break, they go on vacation. When Joss Whedon needs a break, he creates a gorgeous black and white Shakespearean play. This 21st century adaptation was filmed over the course of 12 days, features several of Whedon’s favorites (including Nathan Fillion and Clark Gregg), and may be the most amazing thing he has ever directed. It’s a huge departure from Whedon’s typical intentionally campy style and a must see for anyone who doubts Whedon’s directing capabilities. The scenes are so gorgeously framed and the dialogue is so quick and perfectly paced that you’ll forget to be confused by Old English.

[Stream Much Ado About Nothing now]

If you don’t already know how great this space Western is, then you’ve been told by every Firefly fan in your life. Due to low viewership, which many blame on Fox’s bizarre marketing approach for the series as well as the network airing the episodes out of order, Firefly is an underdog series about a group of underdogs. It also has the most devoted fanbase of possibly all of Whedon’s projects and television nerd subculture itself. Why all the hype? It’s unlike anything that’s ever been on the air. Give yourself a few episodes, and fall in love with Serenity’s quick-witted and painfully-human crew. Then be depressed because you will never see any new episodes…

[Stream Firefly now]

…but you can watch a Firefly continuation movie. Serenity is another example of Whedon’s skills at universe-building, but this movie is more than that. As the fan-made and borderline creepy-obsessive documentary Done the Impossible shows, Serenity is just as much about continuing Mal Reynolds’ story as it is about the power and sense of community this show inspires. And it’s a well-earned continuation — just as entertaining, suspenseful, and human as the show it’s based on. Though it can be watched as a standalone film, why would you want to rob yourself of the full Browncoat experience?

[You can rent or purchase Serenity on iTunes and Amazon]

[Stream Done the Impossible now]

Before Fox’s Glee became an uneven and overly-dramatic pop culture punch line, it was amazing. There was a reason why Glee invaded the media sphere for so long, and that reason are the show’s first and second seasons. Whedon guest directed Season 1’s episode “Dream On,” which gleeks may recall as the one with Neil Patrick Harris. Basically, auditor Harris is an amazing singer whose dreams of stardom where never realized, and he decides to take his petty vengeance out on the Glee Club’s budget. It calls back to a time when the kids at McKinley really were outcasts, and this episode is one of the best.

[Stream Glee, “Dream On” (Season 1, Episode 19) now]

This 2012 film is more of an ode to the horror genre than an actual horror movie itself. If you haven’t watched several horror movies or don’t care about the historic genre references, the movie works really well on its own. The premise is one that has appeared countless times: Five friends go on vacation at a cabin in the woods and get more than they bargained for. The movie makes good use of unreliable shots, spooky sets, and gore. Lots of gore. However, if you are a horror nerd, you might want to keep a notebook at hand. CITW’s references to its genre predecessors (especially Evil Dead) are delightfully numerous.

[You can rent or purchase Cabin in the Woods on iTunes or Amazon]

What better way to celebrate Avengers: Age of Ultron than by watching the highest-grossing film in 2012 and the third highest-grossing film worldwide? I dare you to watch without smiling once at the movie’s shear epicness. After you’ve finished watching (and rewatching), you may finally be able to answer one of the most difficult questions of our time: Captain America or Iron Man?

[Your can rent or purchase The Avengers on iTunes or Amazon]