Naked Gun Director Reveals Fight To Keep ‘Polarizing’ Buffy Joke In Final Cut

The Naked Gun’s Akiva Schaffer has revealed that one specific joke involving TiVo and Buffy the Vampire Slayer nearly didn’t make the final cut after a “polarizing” audience response. The action-comedy legacy sequel, starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., has earned an impressive 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, drawing praise for its sharp blend of nostalgia and modern spoof humor.

With its rapid-fire gags, visual puns, and meta-humor, The Naked Gun has been widely praised as a worthy modern successor to Leslie Nielsen’s beloved original trilogy, with Liam Neeson’s comedic performance being a surprising standout. As a result, The Naked Gun has reached over $30 million at the domestic box office, with the second-best opening weekend for the franchise.

Now, in an interview with SlashFilm, Akiva Schaffer has revealed that many people wanted to cut the Buffy the Vampire Slayer joke from The Naked Gun. Schaffer states, “it was always polarizing” and it divided test audiences, but he actually kept it in for “self-indulgent” reasons, saying “it’s the only joke that still makes me laugh” after hours of editing.

In fact, even Neeson himself wasn’t sure of the scene where Frank Debrin Jr. finds out his Buffy recordings have been wiped from his TiVo. Talking about Neeson’s reaction, Schaffer said he is aware that “it only plays for half the audience,” but he couldn’t bring himself to cut his “favorite joke” from the film. Check out his quote below:

Well, it’s so funny ’cause in some of these interviews, I talk a lot about momentum and how the movie just had to move and how if a joke didn’t work, I would always cut it. Even things that went further, like sometimes we’d cut the last beat off if it climaxed at one part. Then when it gets to the ‘Buffy’ joke, it’s indefensible. That’s just me.

I think even for people who don’t love it, if they watched the movie another time or two more times now knowing it, I think it will become their favorite joke. That’s how much I believe in it.

What This Means For The Naked Gun

The scene in question happens when Frank Drebin Jr. visits Beth’s apartment after a day of mishaps, only to discover his old TiVo (which was loaded with Buffy the Vampire Slayer recordings) has been connected to the internet, wiping the expired episodes from the device. Liam Neeson’s following rant in The Naked Gun is extremely funny as his frustration peaks.

The TiVo gag works on multiple levels, giving a nostalgic nod to early DVR frustrations, a tribute to Buffy culture, and a way to inject a moment of absurd pause into the non-stop action. Moreover, the scene highlights how The Naked Gun’s humor has evolved with the times, including modern references to Sex and the City and Microsoft Office’s Clippy.

Our Take On The Naked Gun’s Buffy Joke

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer joke in The Naked Gun is understandably “polarizing,” as Schaffer points out, as it depends on the age of the viewer and knowledge of Buffy culture. However, not every joke is expected to land, and the film fully acknowledges this by instilling various funny moments in The Naked Gun which roll into each other.

It’s also not the only “polarizing” moment, as Schaffer was also pushed to cut The Naked Gun’s hilarious snowman scene. Yet, the film is perfect the way it is, as The Naked Gun reboot doesn’t just replicate Leslie Nielsen‑style absurdity, it adds its own twist, and Akiva Schaffer has made sure there’s a joke for everyone, even Buffy fans.