20 years ago, ‘Buffy’ aired the perfect musical episode. Why it’s still the best

Twenty years ago this week, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” aired “Once More, With Feeling,” an all-out musical episode that many (including us) believe to be the best ever made.

The passage of time hasn’t diminished the Season 6 entry’s bold artistic statement, either — even if the reputation of its writer-director, “Buffy” creator Joss Whedon, has been tarnished by allegations of on-set misconduct. So in honor of the episode’s anniversary, the Los Angeles Times’ resident musical lovers and “Buffy” fans — Dawn Burkes, Tracy Brown, Ashley Lee and Jevon Phillips — gathered to discuss its momentous airing, standout scenes and continuing impact on musical storytelling on television.

Ashley Lee: I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since this episode first aired! I must confess that, in those 20 years, I had never seen it, or any other episode of “Buffy.” Watching it for the first time the other day — the series is available to stream on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video — I was floored. This episode f—ing slaps. I am low-key pissed that I wasn’t allowed to watch this show as a kid because this would