I mean, like, I know multiple “middle-aged dads” who are massive Buffy fans, because Buffy came out 23 years ago, so if you were a teenager then, you’re middle-aged now, and may well have acquired kids along the way.
Anyway, as a middle-aged Buffy fan, based on what you said here, I watched the terribly-and-not-even-that-accurately-named Warrior Nun (watched seven episodes out of the ten there are).
It is indeed actually good. I was surprised. As you say, the writing is decent. It’s not Buffy levels of snappy and witty but it’s good, much better than anyone is possibly going to expect from the trailers and title and so on. The dialogue and plot are both decent, which is downright unusual these days. I was initially concerned it would be hyperfocused on the main character and not be ensemble like Buffy, but that isn’t really the case. They’ve managed to do a very diverse cast and it seems completely natural/unforced, which is impressive.
It’s a lot more expensive than Buffy, like ridiculously so - tons of location shooting, everything looks pretty expensive, the lighting and filming are largely pro (moreso after the first episode). Some of the locations, which I assume are mostly in Spain, are extremely impressive, too.
There’s quite a lot less fighting, but the fight choreography, special effects and usage of stunt doubles are a lot more impressive (also some good ideas like at least one of the nuns wears a chainmail hood whilst fighting. I do hope there is a bit more fighting later, because what we’ve seen is good - there isn’t very much of it.
Tonally it’s basically Buffy Season 7. Like it almost feels like a continuation of Buffy. It’s not as maudlin as Season 6, but the concerns the main character has and her general attitude is pretty similar to Buffy in S7, especially right at the end.
It’s definitely a European show (with mostly Spanish or British actors), and to me that oddly made it feel a lot more familiar than stuff like Buffy. The world seemed more like one I was familiar with.
Anyway, if you’re looking for a modern-day Buffy-like show (not as funny, lighthearted, or as emotion-focused as the earlier seasons of Buffy, note), I think it’s definitely worth giving it a shot for an episode or two, despite the terrible title, and slightly dubious conceit.
