Angel (1999 TV series)
Angel | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Darling Violetta |
Composers | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 5 |
No. of episodes | 110 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Running time | 41–45 minutes[4] |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | The WB |
Release | October 5, 1999 May 19, 2004 | –
Related | |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
Angel is an American supernatural television series, a spinoff of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffy's creator, writer and director Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt. It aired on The WB from October 5, 1999, to May 19, 2004, consisting of five seasons and 110 episodes. Like Buffy, it was produced by Whedon's production company, Mutant Enemy.
The show details the ongoing trials of Angel, a vampire whose human soul was restored to him by a Romani curse as a punishment for the murder of one of their own. After more than a century of murder and the torture of innocents, Angel's restored soul torments him with guilt and remorse. Angel moves to Los Angeles, California, after it is clear that his doomed relationship with Buffy, the vampire slayer, cannot continue. During the majority of the show, he works as a private detective in Los Angeles, where he and a variety of associates work to "help the helpless", restoring the faith and saving the souls of those who have lost their way.[5] While he must also battle his own demonic nature, he typically battles with evil demons or humans allied to them, primarily related to Wolfram & Hart, a law firm supported by occult practices which is an extension of otherworldly demonic forces.
The show is considered by many critics as one of the best TV spin-off series of all time with praise for its darker tone, characters and performances.[6][7][8][9]
Premise
Characters
The series focuses on Angel (David Boreanaz), an Irish vampire who is over 240 years old. Angel was known as Angelus during his rampages across Europe, but was cursed with a soul, which gave him a conscience and guilt for centuries of murder and torture. He left Buffy the Vampire Slayer at the end of season 3 to move to Los Angeles in search of redemption.
He soon finds himself assisted by Allen Francis Doyle (Glenn Quinn), another Irish character who is a half-human, half-demon who, although he comes across as a ne'er-do-well hustler, has a heroic side. Doyle serves to pass along the cryptic visions from The Powers That Be to Angel. They're soon joined by Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter), also a previous cast member of Buffy. Formerly a popular high school cheerleader of Sunnydale High, Cordelia starts her tenure on the show as a more vain and self-centered personality, but grows over the course of the series into a hero. Cordelia acquires Doyle's visions via a shared kiss prior to Doyle's death. With the death of Doyle in the ninth episode of the show's first season, another character from the Buffy series makes the jump to its spinoff: Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Alexis Denisof) joins the team under the brave guise of "rogue demon hunter," acting as comic relief and initially not well accepted. Over time, Wesley shows bravery and strength as well as some cold-blooded killing ability, like his colleague Rupert Giles, and grows into a leader.
In season 2 of the show, Angel, Cordelia and Wesley are joined by
Season 5, the show's final season, introduces several new cast members, chief amongst them
Many characters on Angel made recurring appearances. The two longest-running recurring characters are Lilah Morgan (Seasons 1–4) and
Throughout the series, there were also guest appearances from
Setting and filming locations
Much of Angel was shot on location in Los Angeles, where it is also set.[10] "Los Angeles" are the first words spoken in the premiere episode,[11] and the cityscape is the first image seen in the opening credits. Joss Whedon said, "It is set in Los Angeles because there are a lot of demons in L.A. and a wealth of stories to be told."[12] Producer Marti Noxon has expanded on this explanation: "Los Angeles was the place that Joss Whedon picked for very specific reasons. There's a lot of preconceptions about what the place is, but there are a lot of truths. It's a pretty competitive, intense town, where a lot of lonely, isolated, and desperate people end up. It's a good place for monsters."[13] Many episodes feature references to the city, and the opening episode of the second season features Lorne offering this observation of the city:
In this city, you better learn to get along. Because L.A.'s got it all: the glamour and the grit, the big breaks and the heartaches, the sweet young lovers and the nasty, ugly, hairy fiends that suck out your brain through your face. It's all part of the big wacky variety show we call Los Angeles.
In the essay, "Los Angeles: The City of Angel" (from the essay collection,
During Season 1, Angel Investigations is based in Angel's apartment. Actor Alexis Denisof, who played Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, said: "Angel had this dark, foreboding, underground cellar apartment with columns, with this antique furniture all around, and this pokey little office upstairs"[17] These offices were blown up at the climax of the first season, and Angel Investigations found a new base in the episode "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been".
Production designer Stuart Blatt outlined the new base: "An old hotel, something [the writers] could use to evoke the past of Los Angeles and some of Angel's history, something kind of creepy and spooky but not too dark because they didn't want something depressing, it's called the
Format
Much like Buffy, Angel is told in a
Season 1 is mainly told in a "
The series' narrative revolves around Angel and his colleagues, collectively making up the detective agency Angel Investigations, who fight against supernatural evils and work to "Help the helpless".[5] A typical episode contains one or more villains, or supernatural phenomena that is thwarted or defeated, and one or more people in need of help, a few of them Angel and associates not being able to (including some main characters) since from episode one. Though elements and relationships are explored and ongoing subplots are included, the show focuses centrally on Angel and his road to redemption.
The most prominent monsters in the
Storylines
At the start of the series, Angel has just moved to Los Angeles. He is soon visited by Doyle, a messenger sent to him on behalf of The Powers That Be, enigmatic and ancient forces that assist the side of good. Doyle receives visions that can guide Angel on his mission as a champion of humankind. Angel also encounters Cordelia Chase, who is trying to launch an acting career. The three group together to form Angel Investigations, a detective agency that hopes to "help the helpless". When Doyle dies in the episode "Hero", he passes on his "visions" to Cordelia with a kiss. Shortly thereafter, the ex-Watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, joins the group. Meanwhile, the evil law firm Wolfram & Hart pay increasing attention to Angel. They tempt him toward darkness when they resurrect Darla, Angel's ex-lover and sire—killed by Angel in the first season of Buffy in the episode "Angel".
To get over news of
Despite his exile from his old friends, Wesley locates and frees Angel at the beginning of season four. A hellish
In season 5, the gang begins to settle into their new lives at Wolfram & Hart. Gunn undergoes a special cognitive procedure that transforms him into a brilliant lawyer. The group receives an
Once the Circle has been dismantled, Angel and the surviving members of his gang
Production
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 22 | October 5, 1999 | May 23, 2000 | |
2 | 22 | September 26, 2000 | May 22, 2001 | |
3 | 22 | September 24, 2001 | May 20, 2002 | |
4 | 22 | October 6, 2002 | May 7, 2003 | |
5 | 22 | October 1, 2003 | May 19, 2004 |
Origins
Co-producer Greenwalt points out, "There's no denying that Angel grew out of Buffy." Several years before Angel debuted, Joss Whedon developed the concept behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer to invert the Hollywood formula of "the little blonde girl who goes into a dark alley and gets killed in every horror movie."
While the central concept behind Buffy was "high school as a horror movie" in small-town America,[26] co-creators David Greenwalt and Whedon were looking to make Angel into a different "gritty, urban show."[27] Whedon explained, "We wanted a much darker show, darker in tone. It's set in Los Angeles because there are a lot of demons in L.A. and a wealth of stories to be told. We also wanted to take the show a little older and have the characters deal with demons in a much different way. Buffy is always the underdog trying to save the world, but Angel is looking for redemption. It's those two things that creatively make the shows different."[12]
Whedon and Greenwalt prepared a six-minute promotional video pitch, often called the "Unaired Angel pilot" for The WB.[28] Some shots from this short were later used in the opening credits.[28]
Early during the life of the series, some effort was made to slightly soften the original concept. For example, scenes were cut from the pilot episode, "City of", in which Angel tasted the blood of a murder victim;[29] the episode that was originally written to be the second episode, "Corrupt", was abandoned altogether. Writer David Fury explained, "The network was shocked. They said 'We can't shoot this. This is way too dark.' We were able to break a new idea, we had to turn it over in three days."[30] Instead, the tone was lightened and the opening episodes established Angel Investigations as an idealistic, shoestring operation.
A first draft script reveals that Angel was originally intended to include the character
Executive producers
For the first three seasons, David Greenwalt, who co-created the series with Whedon, was also credited as executive producer;
Writing
Script-writing was done by Mutant Enemy, a production company created by Joss Whedon in 1997. The writers with the most writing credits for the series include: Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, Tim Minear, Jeffrey Bell, David Fury, Steven S. DeKnight, Mere Smith, and Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain.[40] Other authors with writing credits include: Shawn Ryan, Ben Edlund, Drew Goddard, Jeannine Renshaw, Howard Gordon, Jim Kouf, Jane Espenson, Doug Petrie, Tracey Stern, David H. Goodman, Scott Murphy, Marti Noxon and Brent Fletcher.
Jane Espenson has explained how scripts came together for Mutant Enemy Productions series Buffy, Angel and Firefly:[41] a meeting was held and an idea was floated (generally by Whedon) and the writers brainstormed to develop the central theme of the episode and the character development. Next, the staff met in the anteroom to Whedon's office to begin "breaking" the story into acts and scenes; the only one absent would be the writer working on the previous week's episode.
Next, the writers developed the scenes onto a marker-filled whiteboard, featuring a "brief ordered description of each scene."[41] A writer was then selected to create an outline of the episode's concept– occasionally with some dialogue and jokes– in one day. The outline was then given to the show runner, who revised it within a day. The writer used the revised outline to write the first draft of the script while the other writers worked on developing the next. This first draft was usually submitted for revision within 3–14 days; afterward, a second (and sometimes third) draft was written. After all revisions were made, the final draft would be produced as the "shooting draft".
Music
Angel features a mix of
The opening theme was composed by
The demon karaoke bar, Caritas, is frequently used to spotlight pop hits. There has also been a soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never. The soundtrack mostly consists of scores created for the show by Robert J. Kral along with a remixed theme and four other songs from the show. Douglas Romayne scored 33 episodes of Angel in seasons 4 and 5, along with series lead composer, Rob Kral.
Cancellation
On February 14, 2004, the
Head writer David Fury "guaranteed" that if Joss Whedon had not requested an early renewal, Angel would have been back for a Season 6, saying Whedon's request for an early pick-up decision put Levin in a corner, forcing him to cancel the show, adding simply waiting would have gotten the show renewed.[48] Marsters made a similar statement, saying cancellation took the cast and production staff "completely by surprise".[49] He said in 2021 that Spike's addition to the show prevented cancellation after four seasons, although his request for a salary equal to what he was paid on Buffy caused Whedon to remove Carpenter from the main cast.[50]
Angel's final episode, "
Themes
While Buffy the Vampire Slayer was built around the angst of adolescence, Angel chronicles the different stages of adulthood after one leaves home and begins working. Cordelia Chase, who had been the most popular and superficial girl in
In much the same way as Buffy had been both a homage and parody of traditional
The style and focus of the show changed considerably over its run, and starting late in season two the original noir idea was mostly discarded in favor of more large-scale supernatural-themed conflicts. In later seasons, the mythology and stories became increasingly complex; in Season Four, one of the characters on the show itself described the storyline as "a turgid supernatural soap opera."
Angel explored trust motifs as an increasingly central focus of the show. In the first two seasons, there were sprinklings of deceit and treachery, but in the last three seasons duplicity began to pervade the thematic structure, culminating in Season Five when almost every episode included some kind of double-cross, trickery, or illusion. An idea presented in Season Three was that even prophecy can betray, as they are often deceiving if not plain lies. In Season Five, it is repeatedly emphasized that the characters can trust no one in their new situation. The series is also notable for harsh betrayals within the cast of main characters; such events often having lethal consequences.
Angel depicted the feelings of loneliness, danger, and callousness often attributed to the urban Los Angeles megalopolis. The divisions between the ordered world of the day and the chaotic world of the night have been trademark themes of noir and by depicting a protagonist who literally has no daytime life, the series was able to explore these same themes in more dramatic, metaphorical ways. As the series progressed, the creators were able to explore darker aspects of the characters, particularly Angel, who commits a number of morally questionable actions, and periodically reverts to his evil persona Angelus.
Home media
The series was released to DVD, produced by
DVD | Original release date | ||
---|---|---|---|
US | UK | ||
The Complete First Season |
February 11, 2003 | December 10, 2001 | |
The Complete Second Season |
September 2, 2003 | April 15, 2002 | |
The Complete Third Season |
February 10, 2004 | March 3, 2003 | |
The Complete Fourth Season |
September 7, 2004 | March 1, 2004 | |
The Complete Fifth Season |
February 15, 2005 | February 21, 2005 | |
Special Collectors Set |
October 30, 2007 | October 30, 2006 |
In 2009, the DVDs were repackaged into slimmer cases, which resemble regular DVD packaging.
Reception
Critical response
An article in The Independent stated, "The LA-set spin-off to Buffy was initially dismissed as the original's poor cousin but gradually developed into a darkly entertaining show in its own right."[54]
U.S. ratings
Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank |
Avg. viewers (millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||||
1 | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 22 | October 5, 1999 | 7.47[55] | May 23, 2000 | 4.52[56] | 1999–2000 | 123[citation needed] | 4.8[57] |
2 | 22 | September 26, 2000 | 6.09[58] | May 22, 2001 | 4.84[59] | 2000–01 | 125[citation needed] | 4.2[60] | |
3 | Monday 9:00 pm | 22 | September 24, 2001 | 5.01[61] | May 20, 2002 | 4.64[62] | 2001–02 | 127[63] | 4.2[64] |
4 | Sunday 9:00 pm (1–7) Wednesday 9:00 pm (8–22) |
22 | October 6, 2002 | 4.57[65] | May 7, 2003 | 3.95[66] | 2002–03 | 138[67] | 3.65[67] |
5 | Wednesday 9:00 pm | 22 | October 1, 2003 | 5.16[68] | May 19, 2004 | 5.31[69] | 2003–04 | 162[70] | 3.97[70] |
In two of the four seasons when both shows were in production, Buffy's overall yearly ratings were higher than Angel's.[71]
Awards and nominations
Angel gathered a number of awards. the
Spinoffs
Angel, itself a spinoff from Buffy, has in turn inspired a whole "industry" of books, comics, and merchandise.
Expanded universe
Outside of the TV series, Angel has been officially expanded and elaborated on by authors and artists in the so-called "
Many of these works are set at particular times within the Buffyverse. For example, Joss Whedon has written an Angel mini-series of comics,
Following their success with a series of
Undeveloped spinoffs
In March 2006, Joss Whedon still talked of the possibility of a
Merchandise
Angel has inspired magazines and companion books, as well as countless websites, online discussion forums, and works of
See also
References
- ISBN 9781941631416.
- ISBN 9780191036156.
- ISBN 9780786457717.
- ^ "Angel". Hulu. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ a b In episode "Darla", Cordelia says: "Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless."
- ^ Greene, Steve; Schneider, Michael (September 27, 2017). "The 20 Best TV Spin-off Series of All Time, Ranked". IndieWire. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- ^ Ford, Lucy (February 9, 2023). "The 10 greatest TV spin-offs of all time, ranked". GQ. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- ^ Carr, Mary Kate (December 26, 2021). "The 11 Best Television Spinoffs, Ranked". Collider. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- ^ Kurland, Daniel (September 19, 2022). "10 TV Spin-Offs That Were Better Than The Original Show". CBR. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- ^ Various authors, "Sets and Locations", The Ultimate Buffy and Angel Trivia Guide (updated 2006).
- ^ Episode, "City of", Angel (1999). Angel says: "Los Angeles. You see it at night and it shines. Like a beacon. People are drawn to it. People and other things. They come for all sorts of reasons."
- ^ a b Havens, Candace, Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy Benbella Books (May 1, 2003), p101-102.
- ^ Topping, Keith, Hollywood Vampire, (3rd edition, includes Season 4) Virgin Books (2004), page 1.
- Reading Angel, I. B. Tauris (September 22, 2005), page 77
- ^ Jacob, Benjamin, "Los Angelus: The City of Angel", from Abbot, Stacey (editor), Reading Angel, I. B. Tauris (September 22, 2005), page 80.
- ^ Jacob, Benjamin, "Los Angelus: The City of Angel", from Abbot, Stacey (editor), Reading Angel, I. B. Tauris (September 22, 2005), page 83.
- ^ Angel Season 2 DVD set, disc 3 (2002).
- ^ "Angel". Zap2it. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- ^ Tyner, Adam (February 11, 2004). "Angel - Season Three". DVD Talk. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (October 31, 2007). "Angel (Collector's Set)". IGN. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- ^ Tyner, Adam (September 5, 2004). "Angel - Season Four". DVD Talk. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- ^ Billson, Anne, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BFI TV Classics S.). British Film Institute (December 5, 2005), pp24–25.
- ^ The term 'Buffyverse' is used amongst fans of Buffy/Angel online to describe the fictional universe established by Buffy/Angel. It is also used in published materials such: Walton, Andy, "Slang-age in the Buffyverse", CNN (February 18, 2004 ), and the book, Ouellette, Jennifer, Physics of the Buffyverse Archived November 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Penguin Books (January 2007).
- ^ Havens, Candace, Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy Benbella Books (May 1, 2003), p103.
- ^ Bassom, David, "Buffy, Angel and Me", from Buffy the Vampire Slayer magazine #12 (UK, September 2000), page 6.
- ^ 'Said, SF', "Interview with Joss Whedon by SF Said Archived April 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine", Shebytches.com (2005).
- ^ Havens, Candace, Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy Benbella Books (May 1, 2003), p102 (quote from Greenwalt)
- ^ a b Topping, Keith, Hollywood Vampire, (3rd edition, includes Season 4) Virgin Books (2004).
- ^ Hart, Maryelizabeth & Holder, Nancy & Mariotte, Jeff, Casefiles, Pocket Books (May 2002), page 34.
- ^ Hart, Maryelizabeth & Holder, Nancy & Mariotte, Jeff, Casefiles, Pocket Books (May 2002), page 43-44.
- ^ Topping, Keith, Hollywood Vampire, (3rd edition, includes Season 4) Virgin Books (2004), pages 18–19. Also see: Greenwalt, David & Whedon, Joss, Angel pilot, early draft 20th Century Fox (1999).
- ^ Dilullo, Tara, "Where are they now? Max Perlich" in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Magazine" #62, Titan Magazines (July 2004 issue), pages 30–31.
- ^ a b Various authors, "Joss Whedon", Internet Movie Database (updated 2006).
- ^ Various authors, "David Greenwalt", Internet Movie Database (updated 2006).
- ^ "A Brief History of Mutant Enemy". Whedon.info. May 24, 2004. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
- ^ Various authors, "Fran Kuzui" and "Kaz Kuzui", Internet Movie Database (updated 2006).
- ^ Angel Complete Fifth Series DVD Boxset.
- Five Seasons of "Angel", Benbella(October 2004), p25.
- ^ See Kerns, Dan, "Angel by the Numbers", from Yeffeth, Gareth (editor), Five Seasons of "Angel", Benbella(October 2004), p25, and Golden, Christopher, and Holder, Nancy, Watcher's Guide Vol. 1. Simon & Schuster (October 1, 1998), "Gail Berman and Fran Kuzui came to [Whedon] to ask if he wanted to do the TV series" (p241). Also see Watcher's Guide Vol. 1, pp246–249.
- ^ Various authors, "Full Cast and Crew for Angel", Internet Movie Database (updated 2006).
- ^ a b Espenson, Jane, "The Writing Process Archived October 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine", Fireflyfans.net (2003).
- ^ AngelHART, "Interview – Jymm Thomas of Darling Violetta – interviewed by Angelheart Archived October 9, 2006, at the Wayback Machine", Watchers Web (1999)
- ^ KJB (February 14, 2004). "Breaking News: Angel to End After 5 Seasons UPDATED". IGN. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ Whedon, Joss, Online post Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Bronzebeta (February 14, 2004). Archived version.
- ^ Jensen, Jeff (May 21, 2004). "Why the Buffy, Angel creator is ditching TV". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ "IGN FilmForce Exclusive: Angel Producers Confirm UPN Decision". IGN. March 3, 2004. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ "A Brief History of Mutant Enemy". Whedon.info. May 24, 2004. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ^ "MEANWHILE Interviews... Buffy Post Mortem". Mikejozic.com. September 2004. Archived from the original on May 11, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ Harris, Will (April 10, 2016). "James Marsters on Dudes & Dragons, the end of Angel, and having fun with John Barrowman". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ Marsters, James (September 30, 2021). "The CHARISMA CARPENTER Side Effects of JAMES MARSTERS Taking a Role in Angel". Inside of You (Podcast). YouTube. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- Angel Season 1 DVD set, disc 3 (2001)
- Dear Boy", Angel (2000). Wesley says of Angel, "Oh he's eccentric, all the great ones are. Sherlock Holmes, Philip Marlowe."
- Players (Angel episode)", 20th Century Fox (2003).
- ^ Hughes, Sarah (May 15, 2009). "Buffy's creator makes his valley of the dolls". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 16, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
- ^ "Rétrospective Buffy Contre Les Vampires" (in French). Audiences USA. December 30, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ "Episode List: Angel". TV Tango. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ "How did your favorite show rate?". USA Today. May 28, 2002. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ "Episode List: Angel". TV Tango. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ a b "Nielsen's TOP 156 Shows for 2002–03".
- ^ "Weekly Program Rankings From 05/17/04 Through 05/23/04". ABC Medianet. May 25, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ^ a b "I. T. R. S. Ranking Report: 01 Thru 210". ABC Medianet. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
- Buffy, aided by a new Sunday-slot and the popular series Charmedas its lead-in show."
- ^ "IHG Award Recipients". International Horror Guild. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ Stafford, Nikki (November 15, 2004). Once Bitten: An Unofficial Guide to the World of Angel. ECW Press. p. 23.
- ^ "David Boreanaz Biography". BuddyTV. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ "2003 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ "2005 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ IDWEEK: Brian Lynch talks Spike and Angel Newsarama Archived April 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ IDWEEK: Joss Whedon talks Angel, After The Fall Newsarama Archived April 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Angel at AllMovie
- Angel at IMDb
- Buffyverse Wiki - an external wiki at Fandom