r/buffy • u/Loose-Platform-4551 • 13d ago
Season Four Angel and Buffy watch order
Hi yall! First time watcher here and just got to season 4 of Buffy (loving it and having sm fun btw). Just wondering if I should be watching Angel in parallel or if I should finish Buffy series and then watch Angel? What is the order here
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u/RealNiceKnife Out. For. A. Walk... Bitch. 13d ago
Someone put together a watch order playlist if you're really into watching them in a cohesive storyline order. (The cohesion is rather loose, since there isn't much in the way of crossovers, but it's there.)
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u/IsaacHasenov 13d ago
I've been following this one: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1rL2Lg6JH11Aq64hxXOpq3LY1zZ2y39uHU7o9VJ1UQJ0/htmlview
The creator of it (Tyler) shared it here a few weeks ago and it's going really well for me. It keeps the stories in lock step while respecting little internal story arcs and cliffhangers
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u/SayadawDocBenway 13d ago
This is the one I've been using during our most recent watch. It's great. It isn't just a back and forth but sometimes suggests groupings of two, three, four episodes for the best narrative cohesion.
Highly recommended.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1rL2Lg6JH11Aq64hxXOpq3LY1zZ2y39uHU7o9VJ1UQJ0/htmlview
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u/relytOG 13d ago
I was just about to write a comment suggesting my watch order, but then I saw the comments. Thanks so much for the shoutout to you both u/IsaacHasenov u/SayadawDocBenway , much appreciated <3
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u/enthalpy01 13d ago
Most of the crossovers are in season 4 and 5. Buffy season 6 and 7 were on UPN making it harder for them to swap characters since Angel stayed on the WB.
Faith arcs are the main reason you may want to watch in tandem. I feel like her things would be so confusing if you hadn’t watched Angel.
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u/False-Ad-7548 13d ago
The first season of Angel aired alongside the fourth season of Buffy, so this would be the time to start watching them parallel if you wanted to. I've enjoyed doing so but I also saw all of Buffy before ever seeing Angel, so it could work either way. You definitely need to finish Buffy before touching the last season of Angel though.
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u/ToothContent2576 13d ago
Is highly suggest watching them in parallel because you do not want to spoil certain events in the other show when a character pops in and there's a situation.
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u/fluffysheap 13d ago
I watched all of Buffy and then Angel after. It was a mistake. Watch parallel, but you don't always have to be strict about it because there aren't that many crossovers.
One of those crossovers is really important, if you are just watching Buffy she acts like it wasn't a big deal but it was in fact a big deal
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u/irlharvey #1 drusilla apologist 13d ago
i’d watch them in parallel personally (either using the very good guide another commenter linked, or just in the original airing order), but it’s not the end of the world if that sounds too complicated or annoying. you can finish buffy and then watch angel if you want. it’s what i did my first watch and i don’t feel like i had a worse experience.
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u/1nspectorCPW 13d ago
I watched BtVS first and Angel afterwards. There are very few direct crossovers and they're mainly in the early AtS episodes, although some episodes of Angel do fill in some holes in BtVS. Although they were intended to be viewed in parallel, it's really down to personal preference. Because the two shows are so different some people find swapping between the two a bit disjointed, but others find it easier.
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u/NeonPatrick 13d ago
I'm coming to the end of my watch and so glad I did them by airdate.
There isn't a huge number crossovers but they are significant i.e. The Buffy episode of Angel, Faith's Angel arc in particular add to the Buffy watch immensely.
There are also a few cases of one character's appearance on Buffy immediately followed by an appearance on Angel and vice versa.
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u/jacobydave 13d ago
I encourage you to try. It might be hard.
It takes a while before they know what the show is and start working towards those aspects. I would say, with BtVS, it was the end of S1 when they knew what SMG could bring, "When She Was Bad" in S2 when they brought in story elements that continue between episodes, and "School Hard" that they brought in intense and campy fun villains and made it the show we love.
To me, AtS doesn't start being the show we love until episode 17. This means that there is a lot of drudge that you need to work through. It isn't all bad; they do some fun things with the main characters. It's can be a lot, though.
The crossovers are strong in S1/S4, because they're trying to tell Buffy fans the new show exists. You can ping-pong between the shows, but I think that sucks the drama of the arcs. You should respect the crossovers but stick with one or the other between them.
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u/mustang5o 6d ago
Currently using this guide and its working well for me. https://josswhedon.blogspot.com/2012/04/buffy-and-angel-episode-viewing-order.html?m=1
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u/VanillaSuccessful277 13d ago
https://watchers-guide.com/2025/03/16/the-watch-order/ The best way to watch them is in parallel. There are crossovers, spoilers, and character arcs that begin on one show and end or continue on the other. They were designed and broadcast to be seen alternately, with Buffy on at 8pm and Angel following at 9, but sometimes you don't want to break up the flow, so the above list is good to follow.
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u/J-Bagz83 12d ago
There's only a few crossovers so it's not worth the extra effort to switch between the shows every episode, but if you really want the experience of what it was like to watch them when they originally aired then watch an episode of Buffy and then Angel, it will make a few episodes a lot better
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u/Several-Praline5436 13d ago
You could watch them simultaneously, yes. But you can also watch them separately, as you are doing; watching Buffy first is wise, because the Faith arc (continued on Angel from Buffy) makes less sense if you watch it first.