The non-broadcast pilot episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was produced by 20th Century Fox in 1996 to pitch a series to networks. The twenty-five-and-a-half-minute production was written and directed by Buffy creator Joss Whedon, and was expanded upon and re-shot for the first episode of the series. It is notable for featuring a different actress in the role of Willow, Sunnydale High is Berryman High and a different actor as Principal Flutie.

After having burned down her school gym and been expelled from a school in L.A., Buffy Summers has moved to Sunnydale with her mother. Buffy goes to school for the first time at Sunnydale High and meets new people: Cordelia, Willow, and Xander. Willow is lured by a vampire into a trap. Buffy shows up with Xander and kills all the vampires except one; the surviving vampire reports the incident back to The Master.

An Incan Princess mummy is reanimated in Sunnydale where she sucks the life force from others in order to stay alive.

Buffy and Cordelia attend a frat party where they are offered as human sacrifices to a reptile-like creature.

Buffy joins forces with another Slayer in hopes of saving Angel from the clutches of Spike and Drusilla.

Buffy and her friends encounter even more trouble than expected when the eggs they are given in health class turn out to be prehistoric parasites that take over their lives.

Angel steps up his torment of Buffy and her friends as Jenny searches for a way to restore his soul.

Members of the Sunnydale swim team are killed by a gill monster of unknown origins.

A Nigerian mask reanimates the dead, forcing Buffy to battle a horde of zombies.

As Buffy and Cordelia vie for Homecoming Queen, a group of killers gather to participate in SlayerFest '98.

Cordelia's wish for a Buffy-free Sunnydale comes true, plunging her into a world where vampires have control of the town.

After Angel breaks off their relationship, Buffy single-handedly battles three fearsome hell hounds so that her classmates can enjoy their senior prom.

In an effort to distract Buffy from the Ascension, the mayor instructs Faith to poison Angel.

On Ascension Day, Buffy and her friends prepare for the ultimate battle as they face off against the mayor and a horde of vampires.

A mouthless demon infects Buffy with the ability to hear everyone's thoughts, but what starts out as a useful power soon turns into a curse.

Buffy senses that something is amiss when Jonathan becomes a hero to everyone in Sunnydale.

While trying to get a loan, Buffy runs afoul of three deadbeat sorcerers who are using the otherworldly powers of a demon to rob a bank.

Buffy's powers are tested by Andrew, Jonathan and Warren, who seek to expose and exploit her weaknesses in an effort to destroy her.

Willow turns Amy the Rat into her old self; Jonathan, Warren and Andrew steal a diamond; and Spike discovers something unexpected about Buffy.

The Three Geeks mistakenly turn Buffy invisible. The Slayer takes some advantage from going unseen. Willow has to do the detective without using magic, while Xander finds Spike doing some weird physical training.

After Jonathan, Andrew, and Warren accidentally kill Warren's ex-girlfriend Katrina, they set Buffy up to make her believe it was she who killed the girl.

After Buffy is stung by a demon, she begins to have vivid day-dreams about a mental asylum. She gradually begins to believe that she is a crazy girl back in L.A and that Sunnydale and all her friends are just a figment of her imagination.

Anya returns to Sunnydale, bent on revenge for Xander leaving her at the altar. She has since become a Vengence demon again, but ends up hurting Xander in a way she never expected.

Willow and Tara wallow in their togetherness, but things aren't as happy everywhere else. Buffy has to face both Xander and Spike, whilst tracking Warren and Company to foil their next move.

A vengeful Willow uses her enormous power to track down Warren, despite Buffy's strong feelings about targeting humans.

Fueled by black magic, Willow targets Andrew and Jonathan, leading to a battle between Buffy and Willow; Spike fights an unstoppable foe.

After sucking all the energy out of Giles, a powerful Willow sets off to destroy the world.

Buffy strikes up a conversation with a vampire who was once an acquaintance in high school. Dawn defends Joyce from a menacing creature.

Buffy hopes to learn more about what she's up against with the First by taking Spike prisoner; Xander and Anya interrogate Andrew.

Buffy accepts an invitation to dinner from Principal Wood, and the secrets of his past are revealed. Xander impresses a beautiful girl with his knowledge of rope, and she seems to be interested in tying him up. Meanwhile, the First contacts Andrew in another attempt to destroy the Potentials, and Giles finds himself tongue-tied with the new Potential, Chao-Ahn.

Andrew creates a documentary called "Buffy, Slayer of the Vampyres", a record of the current situation in Sunnydale to show to future generations. He manages to capture many important moments, and to annoy almost everyone in the house. But Buffy needs to tear him away from his filmmaking because the Seal of Danzalthar is active and Andrew may hold the key to closing it before it destroys the town.