It’s rare for the CW to have one of the most anticipated new shows of the season, but when Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Sarah Michelle Gellar is making her triumphant TV return, people pay attention. At Comic-Con, it’s even bigger, and the Ringer panel was full of Buffy talk, which Gellar is probably a bit tired of, but she puts on a good face.

Ringer features Gellar playing dual roles of twins Siobhan and Bridget. Siobhan is rich and successful, married to Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd) while having an affair with her best friend’s husband (Kristoffer Polaha). Bridget, on the other hand, is a recovering addict and former stripper on the run from some gangsters. When Siobhan goes missing while the two twins are on a boat ride, Bridget takes the opportunity to assume her sister’s identity.

The pilot is fairly complicated, but there are plenty of big mysteries to explore. At the Comic-Con panel, the stars and producers discussed plans for the show’s future, moving to the CW, and Polaha’s past with Gellar.

Here are the five things you need to know about the panel.

A Three-Year Plan

While mapping out Ringer, the creators developed a three-year plan for the stories and mysteries to unfold, so even though it might take a while, answers are coming and the producers and writers actually know what they’re doing.

Polaha’s Buffy Connection

Back in the day, Kristoffer Polaha actually auditioned to play Riley Finn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and tested with Gellar in front of Joss Whedon. Sadly for him, he got beat out by Marc Blucas, but now, more than a decade later, he’s kissing Gellar on TV.

The Only Change is the Music

The producers were clear that when Ringer moved from CBS to the CW, they weren’t going to change it. However, the one thing that might be different is that Ringer can new use younger, hipper music for its soundtrack.

Siobhan’s Supporting Cast

Most of the action surrounding Ringer centers on Bridget assuming her identity, but it turns out Siobhan will also get some storylines, and not just in flashbacks. The producers revealed that Siobhan will also have other characters to work with.

SMG’s Dream Comic-Con Costume

A typical question at Comic-Con panels is about what people the stars would dress up as, and while superheroes or comic book characters are usually the top choice, Gellar went in a completely different direction, wanting to dress up like one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The fact that she embraces trashy reality TV like that just makes her even cooler.

Additional reporting by Rachel Cameron

Ringer premieres Tuesday, September 13 at 9pm on the CW.

(Image courtesy of the CW)

John Kubicek

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire DiariesSupernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.