|
Latest News - News Home
|
Adieu, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye
|
Friday 13 February. It was certainly an unlucky day for Angel. Uncannily, it was also only a couple of days after the 13th episode of season five had been aired in the States. If you’re into omens, then certainly things weren’t looking good for the Buffy spin-off.
I found out on Friday evening, UK time. That was around midday LA time, so I was probably one of the first people in the UK to know. Strangely, I discovered the news by chance, while using Yahoo to search for “Tru Calling” and “Cancelled”; it seemed more likely at the time that what I discovered.
Because, of course, on a Tru Calling website there was also the word “cancelled”, but in connection with…gulp….Angel. I had to look at the phrase “Angel Cancelled” for a good minute before clicking on the link. It had to be a joke, surely?
Nope. It was sadly true.
Strangely, I didn’t go into denial. I realised that I had probably been in denial for the few months previously. Season five has only been commissioned by the skin of its fangs, and while ratings had improved, I knew the show wasn’t getting the number the Warner Brothers network would have liked. The writing had been on the wall.
Sure, I’d love to see one or two more seasons of Angel. Especially as since the cancellation news the standard of season five has been going from strength to strength. But let’s be thankful for what we did get. Five seasons. Five whole seasons. That’s not bad for a telefantasy show. It’s a bloody miracle for a GOOD telefantasy show. Look at the list of excellent shows that expired well before their time: Firefly, Now And Again, Odyssey Five, Good V Evil…The good, it seems, do die young.
Angel was an amazing show, one I loved dearly. I always thought it had more guts then Buffy, and was willing to take bigger chances. It was experimental, playful, challenging and thought-provoking. That, possibly, was its downfall. General audiences don’t want experimentation; they want safe and cosy. Season five was supposed to be Angel’s safe and cosy season; the WB demanded it. Joss and the team tried, but episodes like “Smile Time” and “A Hole In The World” happened – very different, but neither of them safe and cosy.
So, sure, I support all the online petitions. I’d love to see Angel continue. But if it doesn’t ever come back, at least it died for the right reasons. Because if the network had succeeded in making light and fluffy and accessible, the viewing figures may have shot up, but it wouldn’t have been the show we love.
Dave Golder, Editor of SFX Magazine
|
|
|
|
