Spin-off shows are fascinating creatures, existing only due to the inventive minds behind another show dreaming up the character(s) first, allowing them life in their own show. Angel is one such show, following the titular character who was first featured on the Joss Whedon show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Whedon is responsible for Angel too, creating the show when Angel no longer was needed as a love interest for Buffy. While the two shows deal with supernatural forces, Angel is more grounded in a private eye/procedural structure. Angel is hired for cases and solves them, all with the help of his friends. Like Buffy, Angel is nothing without the supporting cast. Cordelia, a Buffy alum, and Doyle are just as important as Angel himself. And when Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, who also comes from Buffy, arrives part way through the first season, he too becomes integral. The first season is much lighter than what eventually follows, much like Buffy, which found darker story lines in its third season, when Angel was just beginning. But most of the writing staff had connections to both shows, so that only makes sense. There is much to love about Angel, especially in the different directions both the show itself and its characters (the transformation of Cordelia and Wesley being key). Another Whedon hit.Genre - Supernatural (3.25)
Screenplay (3)
Acting (4)
Production (3)
Directing (3)
I found that I didn't enjoy the series as much after Doyle died. He was brilliantly characterised, with lightness and depth. But then again, perhaps if I'm looking for characters like that Angel was never going to be my sort of show.
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