SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR

Sarah Michelle Gellar is back this TV season in “Ringer,” a norish soap, but viewers expecting Buffy will be somewhat disappointed. She plays Bridget a recovering alcoholic-stripper-prostitute who takes the place of her rich socialite twin sister Siobhan. It’s a character who is almost as depressing as her  role disguised as the waitress “Anne” in the third season of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” over 10 years ago, who descended into the Netherworld  to rescue lost teenagers.

However, Bridget shows flashes of Buffy’s resilience that include her surprising ability to beat off a would-be assassin and shooting him with a gun she managed to wrestle away from an FBI agent.

Without “Buffy” director Joss Whedon’s guidance, Gellar looks a bit lost her in her new role, but her character  becomes more likeable in the second episode. There are plenty of loose ends in the pilot to fill out plots for most of the 13 episodes scheduled this season. For now, instead of more Buffy, viewers get noir fluffy.