10 Reasons Angel Is Better Than Buffy

Joss Whedon is always accused of killing off your favorite characters, but some of that is pretty exaggerated. In Buffy, most of the character deaths were actually fairly safe. In fact, with the exception of Buffy's mother, Joyce, none of the deaths in Buffy felt like they happened to beloved characters (sorry, Tara fans, she always annoyed me). They were supporting characters whose deaths were mostly to spur other characters to action.

True, Whedon did kill Buffy, Angel, and Spike, but he also reversed those deaths as soon as he could.

But Angel handled the deaths of major characters with far more significance. About midway into the first season of Angel, Doyle heroically sacrifices himself to save Angel and innocent half-demons. The ramifications of that death were felt throughout the series, particularly in regards to Cordelia.

And that wasn't the only significant death in Angel. Cordelia, Fred, and Wesley all faced Whedon's wrath in Angel's final season, and each one was an emotional gut-punch. Even the deaths of recurring villains like Darla and Lilah were handled exceptionally well.

Also, of all the characters Whedon should have killed in Buffy, the fact that Dawn never ended up on the chopping block was a grave sin.