10 Best Performances In Angel
3. Charisma Carpenter - Cordelia Chase
Bringing Cordelia Chase over to Angel was a Stroke. Of. Genius. The former queen of Sunnydale High has one of the show's very best arcs, starting the show almost exactly as we left her. She's narcissistic, slightly cruel, selfish - but somehow incredibly likable and, under the thin veneer of coldness, a genuinely kind and heroic person.
Teaming up with Angel in the first season, Cordelia plays a main role in the first four seasons of the spin-off. Season 4's storyline aside, which completely tarnished her brilliant evolution, Charisma Carpenter is great in literally every scene she has. Her narcissism and coldness never strays too far, making for some hilarious one-liners and honesty, but as the show progresses and she comes into possession of the visions (those which tell of coming danger to the innocent), Cordelia shows up as one of the franchise's most selfless and heroic characters.
Carpenter had great chemistry with Boreanaz and their relationship - with some will-they-won't-they moments thrown in there - remains one of the highlights of the show as a whole. Simply put, Carpenter nailed it, and her near-complete absence from Season 5 was a brilliant season's low point.
Long live Queen C!