After 20 years, Angel has aged better than Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Salon.com

The Buffy spinoff, premiering Oct. 5, 1999, celebrated its 20th anniversary over the weekend. "Angel still looks fresh and weird and genuinely scary 20 years on," says Mary Elizabeth Williams. '"And on the strength of individual episodes, it can go toe to toe with anything in the (Joss) Whedon canon." Williams adds: "Spinoffs tend to be the runners-up of the broadcast world, and often with good reason. For every beloved Frasier or Better Call Saul or Daria, there are at least 10 Snooki & Jwoww or Joey flavored misfires. Even when a spinoff is a relative hit, audiences tend to accept their ancillary role, knowing that Young Sheldon or Mixed-ish were created in service of the long-running powerhouses that preceded them. That’s why it’s something of a surprise to me to realize, 20 years after the fact, that Angel is actually a better show than Buffy the Vampire Slayer." ALSO: David Boreanaz shares his favorite Angel memories.