Dolly Parton Secretly Produced ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ — Really!

Dolly Parton has made pop culture history in a number of ways, but her newly discovered behind-the-scenes role in a classic television show has left stunned fans with a new appreciation for the country singer's many talents. People on social media are marveling at the news that the country music legend played a role in bringing Buffy the Vampire Slayer to television.

As the Independent reports, Parton launched a production company called Sandollar Entertainment with her friend and former business partner, Sandy Gallin, in 1986. The company has produced a number of film and TV properties, including Father of the Bride in 1991, Fly Away Home in 1996 and Parton's most recent TV project, the Netflix series Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings.

Sandollar also produced the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie in 1992, and although the film was not a big success, Sandollar executive Gail Berman was convinced the idea of a high school girl who fights vampires, demons and other agents of darkness was a concept audiences would embrace, and spearheaded the notion of producing it for television.

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series debuted on the WB in 1997, and it ran through 2003, concluding its run on the UPN. Sarah Michelle Gellar starred as Buffy Summers, and the show was so successful that it spawned a successful spin-off, Angel, as well as an entire subculture of novels, comics, video games and more, garnering an ardent fan base.

According to the Independent, Berman and Gallin were both listed as executive producers in the show's credits, and while Parton was not, she played a "fundamental if often forgotten role" in getting the show onto TV screens. Her birthday, Jan. 19, is Buffy Summers' birthday, which some see as a tribute to Parton and her role in the show.

Parton has not commented on the reports of her unsung role in the iconic television series, but that hasn't stopped fans from praising her on social media:

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