10 Things Angel Did Better Than Any Other Show 

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10 Things Angel Did Better Than Any Other Show

It\'s been off our screens a while now, but it\'s left a standard many shows have failed live up to.

There are few spin-offs that are able to reach the same heights as its predecessor. There are even fewer that are able to get out from under the shadow of its parent show and surpass it completely. ‘Angel’ is one of those shows. Running for five seasons on The WB from 1999 to 2004, ‘Angel’ quickly set itself apart from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ by being a more mature, adult-themed, supernatural show. Unlike ‘Buffy’, however, whose later seasons left something to be desired, ‘Angel’ only got better as time went on. And yet, it never gets the accolades it so clearly deserves.

Despite being one of those shows that is constantly bandied about on “Best Of” Lists, especially in regards to its series finale, most people never give the show a proper chance and overlook it, either because of its title or its premise. Now, while both do make the show seem a little hokey, it’s so much more than what it appears to be at first glance. Melding many different elements from multiple genres, the show was able to effectively balance action, drama, romance and mystery into a singular hour that was equally adept at making you laugh or cry, while still leaving you unmistakably entertained. And so, this list hopes to rectify the common misconceptions about the show and point out just some of the things that ‘Angel’ does better than any other show on television, past or present.

Please be warned, there are some light SPOILERS sprinkled throughout.

In this post: Angel • featured • Features • Lists

This article was first posted on March 6, 2014

Ken is the writer/director of \'School Teen Drama\': http://vimeo.com/139489. An avid watcher of movies and television, he currently writes a personal blog on his Facebook called \'Prose And Cons\' that details his opinions on everything. In list form. He also infrequently hosts a video podcast on his YouTube Channel, SilverAndFriends. HA HA… Why not?

Great article, I loved how you broke down each subject and it says something that after 9 years off the air, we still remember this series and its stars.

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Loved this so much. Well laid out!

OK, you know, I’m going to come out and say it- the thing Angel did best was getting David Boreanaz to take off his shirt in nearly every episode. Other shows should do that. All other shows should do that.

I loved so much David Boreanaz and all Angel series! Thanks for the article!

I came to ‘Buffy’ just a couple of years ago, and only ended up watching ‘Angel’ because of the crossover eps.

I should have watched those eps alone. David Boreanaz has got to be the dullest leading man in history!

But I do agree on Wesley and Alexis Denisof’s portrayal. He was wonderful.

And then just look at what the show did to that character as well as other characters! Don’t even talk to me about Cordy. Just don’t.

I can give you the action and the death scenes, but I don’t think you really have a case for Angel being “better” at any of the other things. Certainly not when you compare it to Buffy. I’m not saying Buffy did those things better, but Angel definitely wasn’t better, either.

And even though I’ll concede action and death scenes, actually, Buffy had the same excellent feeling to those points as Angel did.

And, I feel I need to add, Angel’s first seasons kinda sucked. I wouldn’t have watched them at all if I hadn’t started from season 5.

Loved this show and it was my favourite. This article is as brilliant as the show. Now because of this article. I have a massive craving for an Angel marathon. :D

Georgia: Thanks. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been off the air, I still miss it and will never forget.

ND: But there was almost always a reason for him to be shirtless. Which is a testament to the writing.

Mo: I don’t think David Boreanaz is a dull leading man. He was just surrounded by equally exceptional characters so he never felt above everybody else. He always stepped up when he needed to, though. Just look at any episode where he played “Angelus”. I also didn’t like what they did with Cordy’s character, especially in the fourth season, but I think they redeemed her pretty well in the 100th episode.

Lhmac: Yeah, I’m aware that there are other shows that are equal to ‘Angel’. But, for me, ‘Angel’ will always be “better” because it combined everything together better than any other show. At least, in my opinion. And while I do believe that a lot of these points can also apply to ‘Buffy’, I didn’t relate to it or enjoy it as much as I did with ‘Angel’. Now, as for the first season, I don’t agree that it sucked. It just definitely wasn’t as good as the rest of the show. If we were to compare Buffy and Angel’s first seasons, though, I definitely prefer Angel’s first season. Way more consistency in the amount of good episodes.

Farrel Wentzel: Haha, thanks. I can only ever watch ‘Angel’ in marathons. It always makes me want to watch the next episode.

Brilliant! Well done on such a well written and well informed article. I’m 25 years old so I grew up watching Buffy and Angel every Tuesday and Wednesday night with such excitement and glee and am so proud that they continued to influence my view on entertainment. Angel, in my opinion (and only after recent marathons), did surpass Buffy on many levels. Which is saying something cos I enjoyed all 7 seasons of Buffy (even the somewhat rushed, and at times, disappointing 7th season).

Angel’s progression of characters and story arcs and action and deaths (even though Cordy’s kinda went unnoticed by the Fang Gang), were so well-constructed and it made me want to be a writer on great shows like this, if I had the genius of Joss and all the crew. But thanks for a trip down memory lane. A very nice trip indeed. Well done again!!!

After reading this amazing article, I know what Ill be doing this weekend plus it’s a win win situation just to see David Boreanaz shirtless. The only thing that I feel that this article lacked was more kudos and recognition for its leading man as he truly does deserve it not just a pretty face but the talent that made us love a vamp with a soul. From the first glimpse of him as Angel in Buffy, his character just blew me away there was always that feeling that there was more to him that meets the eye. The love story between him and Buffy it’s just timeless and no one else could even come close to it after all this years those scenes still bring the tears bangel4ever. I loved Angel’s growth through the years and he never seized to amaze or impress with the complexity and added humor. I wished more shows had the level of talent and story telling that Angel had. Boreanaz is a truly talented and gifted actor that helm this awesome show for five seasons and in my opinion it ended way before its time, I love Buffy but Angel did surpass it on so many levels even though both shows have a special place in my heart.