Okay, this message has two parts: first a description of a DS reference on the Season 2 Buffy DVD and then a controversial proposition (on my part) submitted to you for debate.
First things first... I was watching my Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVD tonight and was shocked and pleasantly surprised that in the featurette called "Beauty and the Beasts", there is a brief mention (with footage) from Dark Shadows! The featurette is about the makeup used on BtVS, and lo and behold the show's makeup supervisor was a big DS fan as a kid and drew inspiration from the show. It shows a brief clip of a vampire bat attacking Barnabas, and then the makeup guy proceeds to make a comment about how similar BtVS is to DS. My thought was... FINALLY... BtVS is so incredibly derivative of DS that I was glad someone FINALLY officially observed this! So, I thought that was WAY cool. :-)
Onto my controversial proposition: I say to those of you are waiting for a "new DS": There already IS a new DS. It is called Buffy. None of the characters are the same, and the town is on a different coast, but it just doesn't GET more next-generation DS than Buffy!! Let's see, where to begin with the similarities: 200-year-old vampires, witches, werewolves, body-snatchers, characters bouncing from good to evil to good again at the supernatural drop of a hat, spells, major characters dying (and sometimes being resurrected), and on and on and on.
I think many DS fans might be hesistant to embrace BtVS for two major reasons: first, the name of the series, and second, the fact that it is perceived as a teeny-bopper show. Well, it is a teeny show to an extent, but the heart of the show is in much the same place as DS, and the wit and intelligence of the writing move it beyond typical teen fare into actual viewable/enjoyable television.
So, there it is, my oh-so-inflammatory proposition.
I'd be interested in hearing your opinions.
Joe
p.s. If some other new show bearing the DS name actually does come into being, you better believe I'll be catching that too! (didn't want y'all to think I was disloyal!)