Summary

• The first three seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" should be watched before starting "Angel" as they precede the spin-off.
• "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" ran for 7 seasons, while "Angel" had 5 seasons, meaning crossovers were frequent.
• "Angel" season 5 should be the final "Buffyverse" season someone watches.

introduced in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1.

Ultimately, Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for five seasons on The WB before moving to UPN for its final two seasons. Meanwhile, Angel's five seasons aired on The WB, meaning the switch to another network for the original series made crossovers between the two shows difficult. Nevertheless, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel remained connected until they ended, and characters would often jump between series single episode arcs (which unfortunately signifies the difficulty of binging both shows in chronological order without becoming confused).

Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Angel Seasons In Release Order

The shows collectively ran from 1997-2004.

The first three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer solely aired on The WB until the network began producing Angel. The two supernatural dramas were released simultaneously on Tuesday nights, beginning with Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4. However, this changed once the original series moved to UPN, and consequently, Buffy and Angel's schedules began to differ. Nevertheless, the release order for both television shows is as follows.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Seasons 1-3 All Pre-Date Angel

These should be watched first before Angel.

As mentioned above, seasons 1 through 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer precede Angel, so they should be watched before tuning into any of the spin-off's episodes. Many regard Buffy season 3 as the best season of both supernatural dramas, so it won't be too hard to get through it before starting Angel. Plus, the original show's pilot episode introduces David Boreanaz as Angel.

Boreanaz gets upgraded from a recurring star to a series regular by season 2. So, Angel has a significant role in the first three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially in "The Prom," one of Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz's favorite Buffy episodes. However, Angel leaves Sunnydale during the season 3 finale, setting up his story in the Angel pilot episode.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 4/Angel Season 1 Crossovers & Watch Order

The show had 6 crossovers this year.

Even though David Boreanaz left Buffy the Vampire Slayer to star in Angel, he still appeared in the original series, and other characters frequently jumped between the shows via crossovers. Buffy season 4 and Angel season 1 aired simultaneously on The WB, and, as a result, they contained the most crossovers (six), starting with their premieres. While one might want to watch one season fully before starting the other, the storylines might get confusing since they often start in one show and end in the other. So, it's best to be up-to-date with Buffy and Angel to enjoy the crossovers.

Buffy and Angel characters crossed over in a total of 11 episodes, but Buffy season 4 and Angel season 1 technically contained six crossovers since many start in one episode and end in another.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 5/Angel Season 2 Crossovers & Watch Order

The show had 5 crossovers this year.

The crossovers continued in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 5 and Angel season 2, with five total. This was the last time the two supernatural drama series aired on the same network, which is why they have more crossovers than the following seasons. Like the previous two seasons, Buffy and Angel interacted a lot in Buffy season 5 and Angel season 2.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 6/Angel Season 3 Crossovers & Watch Order

The show had 0 crossovers this year.

Unfortunately, due to Buffy the Vampire Slayer's move to UPN, the supernatural drama television show and its spin-off had no official crossovers in their sixth and third seasons, respectively. However, Angel season 3, episode 4, "Carpe Noctem," included Angel receiving a phone call from Willow, but she isn't seen. Episode 4 of the dark sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer also featured Buffy on the phone with Angel, but like Willow, he isn't shown in the episode.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 7/Angel Season 4 Crossovers & Watch Order

The show had 2 crossovers this year.

For the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the producers made two crossovers between the show and Angel work. Buffy season 7 and Angel season 4's stories didn't connect until later in both series, but they are still significant, especially for the original supernatural drama. David Boreanaz reprised his role as Angel in the final two episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which was the last time he shared the screen with Sarah Michelle Gellar in the Buffyverse.

Angel Season 5 Is The Final Buffyverse Season

Why this should be watched after Buffy season 7.

Following the series finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel continued for one more season before The WB canceled it. Sadly, Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't appear as Buffy in Angel season 5, but James Marsters as Spike became a series regular on the spin-off during its final season. Regardless, since the events of Angel season 5 occur after its predecessor's series finale, it should be watched after Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7.

Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off audio series, was released in October 2023 on Audible and featured the return of several cast , like James Marsters as Spike and Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia. However, there are no plans for it to continue.