Bad news, Buffy fans – if you rely on Netflix to relive the adventures of the vampire-dusting Cali teenager and her loyal friends, you need to make the most of the next few days.

The series is about to be removed from the streaming service on May 31 – and while there’s just about enough time to marathon all 144 episodes back to back by then, if you have a job or a life then that’s not much of an option.

Don’t worry though – if you fancy one last blast around Sunnydale, here are twelve must-see episodes to watch while you still can.

Oh, and remember that DVD boxsets are still a thing too.

Teacher’s Pet, Season 1

Buffy’s inaugural run saw the showrunners still figuring out exactly what the show would be, but it’s got some ridiculously fun instalments – including this hilariously daft episode where Xander gets seduced by a sexy supply teacher who’s actually a giant praying mantis. Obviously.

School Hard, Season 2

If you were going to choose any Buffy season to marathon in full before its Netflix expiry, it would be Season 2 – with the incredible series arc that sees the Slayer’s vampire boyfriend Angel turn into a psycho killer and hunt down her friends and family.

Before all that kicks off, you get School Hard, which makes no bones about transposing the siege plot of Die Hard into a high school – except Hans Gruber is a peroxide-blonde vampire.

Lie to Me, Season 2

Packed with twists and turns, another highlight of Season 2 sees Buffy’s old friend Ford come to town, re-sparking their friendship – though it turns out he has ulterior motives and a life-or-death dilemma on his hands.

It’s a morally complex episode that ends with one of Giles and Buffy’s most iconic exchanges about whether life gets any easier: “Lie to me.”

Band Candy, Season 3

One of the funniest stand-alone episodes in the show, Band Candy sees the return of Giles’ old nemesis Ethan Rayne. His new nefarious plot involves a shipment of chocolate that reverts the adults’ mental states back to childhood – turning everyone into a moody teenager.

It’s silly and fun, and also revealing about many of the established characters – especially Giles, who sleeps with Buffy ‘s mum Joyce. Twice. On a police car.

The Zeppo, Season 3

Everyone’s the lead character in their own life, and The Zeppo has a lot of fun playing with perspective. While Buffy and the rest of the gang are busy trying to stop the re-opening of the Hellmouth, Xander has his own mini-apocalypse to deal with – being forced to drive a bunch of undead jocks around town.

It’s an episode about personal milestones too, as Xander loses his virginity to no-rules Slayer Faith.

Doppelgangland, Season 3

Season 3 gets pretty dark once Faith kills an innocent man and finds herself ostracised from the Scooby gang.

Breaking up the tension is Doppelgangland, which sees the vampiric alternative-universe Willow, introduced earlier in the season in The Wish, crash through into the real world.

As well as giving hints about Willow’s developing sexual orientation, it offered a masterclass from Alyson Hannigan, switching between the sweet and innocent Willow and her leather-clad counterpart.

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Something Blue, Season 4

The season that saw Buffy leave high school for the world of college gets a lot of unfair flack – it features some of the best (and, crucially, funniest) stand-alone episodes the show ever produced.

One is Something Blue, which sees a dodgy spell from Willow make her stray observations come true – turning Giles blind, making Xander a ‘demon magnet’, and sending Buffy and Spike head-over-heels for each other. It’s big, broad comedy that works by playing against type with characters that have been so strongly defined thus far.

Hush, Season 4

The infamous Hush vies with Season 2’s Killed By Death as the scariest episode of Buffy. Plundering creepy folklore, and with an ingenious lack of dialogue for most of its running time, it’s a masterpiece of silent filmmaking, packed with humour, poignancy, and terrifying floaty bad guys in suits.

Restless, Season 4

A total one-off, Restless was a rule-breaking season finale. With the whole Adam / Initiative arc wrapped up in the previous instalment, Restless instead saw four overlapping trippy dream sequences collide, offering hints at the future of the show and the origins of the Slayer, punctuated with moments of genuine surrealism.

It’s yet another example of how Buffy re-wrote the parameters of what television could (and should) be.

The Body, Season 5

Want to be emotionally drained? Watch The Body, which offers an unflinching look at the stillness, confusion, and frank awkwardness that’s felt when a close loved-one dies.

It’s frankly pretty harrowing, a stark exploration of grief and loss, with an all-time classic monologue from Anya, who can’t understand why Buffy’s mother Joyce can’t just get back into her body and carry on.

Not one to watch when you’re feeling fragile.

Once More, With Feeling, Season 6

The most famous episode of the show is renowned for good reason – Joss Whedon presents an all-singing all-dancing full-blown musical as a toe-tapping demon comes to town.

It’s also a dissection of how musicals tell stories – the characters can’t stop themselves from bursting into song, accidentally divulging their hidden thoughts and emotions as they belt out catchy tunes.

It stands well alone, but also seamlessly builds in the dark plotlines that the rest of the season explores.

Chosen, Season 7

Where better to end than with the dramatic final episode – sure, it gives some characters short thrift (Anya, you deserved better), but it’s a stirring and thematically on-point hour of female empowerment, emotional pay-offs, and an epic battle against an army of uber-vamps as the Hellmouth gets ripped wide open.

If there’s one thing you’ll take away from revisiting Buffy, it’s this: she saved the world. A lot.