Angel

ANGEL

As the sun sets on the final season of ANGEL, it becomes quite evident that this year has played out like no other. Perhaps the most noticeable difference has been the lack of a season-long arc and/or accompanying "big bad" - a storytelling technique employed by this and sister series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

"The idea here is we’re in Wolfram and Hart- that’s the big over-arcing thing," says executive producer Jeffrey Bell. "The relationship between Angel and Spike in many ways was the big, new relationship."

Of course, that relationship didn’t get much chance to blossom as the WB decided quite suprisingly that ANGEL would not be returning for a sixth season. Not even cost-cutting efforts from the producers, renewed ratings strength, and continual critical support from the mainstream and genre press could save the series from having its wings clipped.

"It’s a dark, dark day for television and a dark day for the WB," says supervising producer Steven S. deKnight. "It was a fantastic show full of amazing people. It will sorely be missed by the fans, and I truly believe it will sorely be missed by the people who made the show."

— -Don E. Peterson- Computer Games

James Marsters

"Spike" Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ANGEL

"It’s not so much about playing the vampire as it is exploring the person. And that’s much more terrifying and much more exciting because there’s five or six things that you are if you’re a vampire. You’re strong. You’re sexy. You’re thin. You suck people’s blood. Even if there were 40 things, they would quickly get exhausted if you concentrated on it. So the vampire thing is really a leaping-off point to talk about human experience."

David Boreanaz

"Angel" Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ANGEL

"I never really played Angel as a vampire; I played him more as a person. That was my take on him - to play him in the sense that, this is a guy who is very old and he’s got a lot of troubles and he’s holding down a big cross that he’s bearing right now. So I never played into the vampirisms."