Angel

 "Angel" (Tomorrow at 9, Ch. 11) : Like "Ed," "Angel" was on the brink of cancellation last spring. Also like "Ed," the "Angel" season finale featured a major plot twist that has breathed new life into a creatively stagnant series.

Heroic vampire Angel (David Boreanaz) and his sidekicks have assumed control of the Los Angeles office of Wolfram & Hart, an evil law firm run by demons and other assorted extra-dimensional types, the kind of bureaucratic nightmare where the voicemail has options like, "To sacrifice a loved one or pet, please press the pound key." The firm’s resources are seemingly without limit, but there’s a catch : To keep the branch open, Angel has to keep enough of the wicked clientele happy so the place won’t go bankrupt.

Creator Joss Whedon, finished with "Buffy" and taking a break from other side projects, is clearly relishing this strange, scary and occasionally very silly new arena. One character now working in Wolfram & Hart’s entertainment law division is overheard on a cell phone pitching a project that’s "’Joanie Loves Chachi’ meets ’The Sorrow and the Pity.’ It’s ’Joanie Loves Pity !’ "

And for added fun, James Marsters, a k a semi-heroic vampire Spike from "Buffy," shows up at the end of the season premiere to cause trouble for Angel and friends.

But wait a minute, you ask — didn’t Spike die in the "Buffy" finale ? Well, yeah, but when your regular characters include a centuries-old vampire with a soul and a karaoke-loving demon who tells fortunes, there are ways around pesky problems like death.