While not the pop culture icon that its sister show is, Angel is a more than worthy spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. From the Season 1 adventures of Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley operating as detectives to the Season 5 escapades of Angel and his expanded team running Wolfram & Hart, Angel always keeps things fresh, goes to much darker places than its predecessor, and, even at its worst, still features excellent episodes.

Across five seasons and 110 episodes, Angel tells some of the greatest supernatural TV stories of all time. At its very best, Angel is superior to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episodes that reach this epic height are the ones with the most memorable moments, the most shocking twists, the juiciest drama, and the most charming character interactions.

10 "Hero" Features the Biggest Twist in the Series

• "Hero" is the ninth episode of Season 1.
• "Hero" was written by Tim Minear and Howard Gordon.

Angel establishes its status quo and its three leads in its first episode, and only eight episodes later, everything is shaken up. "Hero" sees Angel Investigations face off against the purity obsessed Scourge, and ends with Doyle sacrificing himself in the end to prevent the deaths of all demons with human blood.

The bulk of the episode meets the standard level of high-quality Season 1 possesses, but its ending is one of the most memorable in the series. Killing off a main character nine episodes in, especially in a series with only three leads, is unheard of, and Glenn Quinn's final performance as Doyle is the highlight of his time on the show.

9 "Spin the Bottle" is a Hilarious Highlight of a Grim Season

• "Spin the Bottle" is the sixth episode of Season 4.
• "Spin the Bottle" was written by Joss Whedon.

Angel Season 4 is the darkest season of an already dark show, but amid all the doom and gloom, "Spin the Bottle" stands out as one of the funniest episodes in the series. When a spell to restore Cordelia's memories goes wrong, Team Angel loses their memories, resulting in hijinks that allow the whole cast to show off their comedic chops.

Highlights of the episode are seeing Cordelia and Wesley return to the shallow mean girl and incompetent wimp, respectively, that they were on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and "Liam" being forced to interact with Angel's friends and the modern world. Connor's presence drags the episode down, and it loses some of its comedic focus in the back half, but even the weaker parts of the episode are still a delight.

8 "Smile Time" Makes Puppets Threatening

• "Smile Time" is the fourteenth episode of Season 5.
• "Smile Time" was written by Ben Edlund.

One of the most popular episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is its musical episode, "Once More with Feeling." While Angel never has a musical episode of its own, Season 5's "Smile Time" has a similarly ludicrous and memorable gimmick; this is the episode where Angel is turned into a puppet.

With Team Angel pitted against the demonic puppets of the in-universe "Smile Time" TV show, the episode leans into the cheesy horror that defined the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer while also leaning into how ridiculous its premise is. Countless great jokes are made with Puppet Angel, and while his interactions with his friends, employees, and werewolf girlfriend, Nina, are great, it's his hallway brawl with a hysterical Spike that leaves viewers laughing on the floor.

7 "Waiting in the Wings" was Summer Glau's TV Debut

• "Waiting in the Wings" is the thirteenth episode of Season 3.
• "Waiting in the Wings" was written by Joss Whedon.

"Waiting in the Wings" is the most romantic episode of Angel, not only focused on the ongoing attraction between Angel and Cordelia and the Gunn/Fred/Wesley love triangle but entirely set at a ballet, as Angel Investigations go out for a night of class. This sense of refinement is shared with viewers, as the usual score for the series is largely replaced with the score of Adolphe Adam's Giselle.

"Waiting in the Wings" is famous for being the TV debut of Summer Glau, who plays the Prima Ballerina cursed to perform her dance for eternity. No one would ever guess this episode was Glau's first major role just by watching it, as she gives a strong performance to complement her remarkable ballet skills.

6 "Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been" is Emotionally and Thematically Rich

• "Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been" is the second episode of Season 2.
• "Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been" was written by Tim Minear.

The Hyperion Hotel is the most iconic location in Angel, serving as Angel Investigations' base of operations throughout Season 2, Season 3, and Season 4. It's doubtful it would have the staying power it does if "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been" wasn't an outstanding and tragic introductory episode for it.

"Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been" parallels Cordelia and Wesley's investigation of the haunted Hyperion Hotel with Angel's stay at the hotel in the 1950s. The flashbacks provide some of the best insight into what makes Angel tick, showing how and why he became so closed off and eventually found himself living on the street. The episode takes full advantage of its historical setting, exploring the racism, homophobia, and anti-Communist hysteria of the decade while also commenting on how these issues prevail today and paralleling the fear of being "othered" with Angel's own story. Angel moving back into his old home following his goodbye to Judy is one of the most heartfelt moments in the series.

5 "I Will Remember You" is a Tearjerker

• "I Will Remember You" is the eighth episode of Season 1.
• "I Will Remember You" was written by David Greenwalt and Jeannine Renshaw.

Angel Season 1 is filled with appearances from Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters, but the first appearance in the series of Buffy Summers herself stands out from the rest. Asking the questions, "What if Buffy and Angel could be together?" and "What would they do to stay together?" "I Will Remember You" is both a delightful and excruciating episode for fans of the franchise's most popular couple.

After three seasons of tragic romance between Buffy and Angel and Angel's departure from Buffy's life, seeing them get to be happy and enjoy their lives together is sickeningly sweet. In the back of viewers' heads, however, it's known that Angel can't remain human and get his happy ending, leading to Angel's absolute gut punch of a heroic sacrifice at the end of the episode. David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar give some of their best performances as Angel and Buffy are forced to say goodbye to each other and the life they could have had, knowing they won't remember anything.

4 "You're Welcome" is a Spectacular 100th Episode

• "You're Welcome" is the twelfth episode of Season 5.
• "You're Welcome" was written by David Fury.

Season 4 is the least popular season of the series and of the Buffyverse as a whole, and one of the biggest reasons for this is its cruel treatment of the fan-favorite Cordelia Chase. For its celebratory 100th episode, Angel brings her back to give her a better send-off and also brings back the series' most popular original villain, Lindsey.

"You're Welcome" is a triumphant and cheesy victory lap for the series that takes full advantage of slotting Cordelia into the radically shifted status quo of Season 5. Charisma Carpenter effortlessly slides back into her role, with Cordelia bringing all the heart and hilarity she did in the first three seasons while also helping Angel battle his inner demons. While many fans wish Cordelia could have been brought back for the remainder of the series, the reveal that she was dead from the start of the episode is a devastating one.

3 "Five by Five" & "Sanctuary" Form a Stellar Two-Part Story

• "Five by Five" and "Sanctuary" are the eighteenth and nineteenth episodes of Season 1.
• "Five by Five" was written by Jim Kouf, while "Sanctuary" was written by Tim Minear and Joss Whedon.

Faith Lehane is one of the most complex and interesting characters in the Buffyverse, and after serving as the secondary antagonist of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 3 and fighting Buffy once more in Season 4, it's in "Five by Five" and "Sanctuary" that Faith begins her redemption arc, and starts down the path toward becoming the anti-hero she's best known as today. "Five by Five" sees Faith's perception of herself as an irredeemable villain breakdown, as she's hired by Wolfram & Hart to kill Angel and horrifically tortures Wesley, only to wind up crying in Angel's arms when he becomes the first person in a long time to believe in her. This episode also features always-welcome flashbacks to Angel's past in the 19th Century.

As exciting as "Five by Five" is, it's "Sanctuary" that's truly explosive. Eliza Dushku masterfully portrays all of Faith's confusion and guilt; Buffy turns up to deal with Faith, only for Angel's protection of her to shatter what remains of their relationship. Angel's relationship with Kate is left in similar tatters over the proceedings, and Wesley nearly betrays his friends to the Watcher's Council before proving once and for all that his loyalties are with them. The only thing that could make the episode pack even more of a punch is if Faith joined the main cast in the end rather than depart until Season 4.

2 "Not Fade Away" is a Nearly Perfect Finale

• "Not Fade Away" is the twenty-second episode of Season 5.
• "Not Fade Away" was written by Joss Whedon and Jeffrey Bell.

"Not Fade Away," as the final episode of both Angel and the Buffyverse, carries the heavy burden of providing a satisfying conclusion. The heart of the series is its cast, and that's where the focus is placed, as Angel, Spike, Wesley, Gunn, Illyria, and Lorne enjoy their presumed last day on Earth before they make their last stand against the Circle of the Black Thorn.

Everyone's "last days" provide final insights into their characters, with the stand-out moment being Spike reading his poetry to a crowd and finally getting the appreciation he never got in his own time. The final battles are all fittingly climactic, the best among them being Angel and Connor's struggle against the near-unstoppable Marcus Hamilton and the twists hit hard, with Lorne killing Lindsey on Angel's orders after they defeat their opponent before leaving forever and Wesley dying against Cyrus Vail. Wesley's death is a perfect conclusion to his story, as he passes away in Illyria's arms, asking her to comfort him as Fred. The final moments of the episode are controversial, with Angel, Spike, Illyria, and a dying Gunn left to fight a hopeless battle against an army of demons, but with the show's theme of the fight against evil being an interminable one, it's the only fitting way for the series to conclude.

1 "A Hole in the World" is a Tragedy Fans Can't Look Away From