Angel

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - We learned in the third season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" that death isn’t necessarily final for vampires with souls.

That should be good news for James Marsters. He’s scheduled to join the cast of "Buffy" spinoff "Angel" next season, but when we last saw his character, the ensouled vamp Spike, in Tuesday’s (May 20) "Buffy" finale, he was disintegrating after quite literally pouring his soul out to defeat the First Evil.

Jordan Levin, president of The WB Entertainment, is curious as to how Spike might be reintroduced to the world of the living.

"We’re awaiting word from [creator Joss Whedon] on that as well," Levin says. "He’s obviously a very creative person, and he hasn’t let us down in the past. I’m sure he’ll figure out a way."

Levin also confirms that other "Buffy" characters are scheduled to make appearances on "Angel" next season. However, Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia on both shows, will not return.

Although "Angel" was considered to be on the bubble to return for a fifth season, Levin says the decision to pick it up was relatively easy. The network was guided in part by the way another of its series, "Dawson’s Creek," ended its run this season.

"We think it was the right thing to do for Joss, the right thing to do for the fans," he says. "’Dawson’s Creek’ taught us the value of being able to provide closure to a show that’s been important to the audience and to the people who worked on it, including us at the network. With ’Angel,’ we felt like it would have been extraordinarily abrupt to have brought it to an end, brought the whole ’Buffy’ mythology to an end."

As Marsters and other "Buffy" cast members migrate to "Angel," so might some of the series’ behind-the-camera talent. Whedon will devote more time to his sole remaining show next season, and Levin says The WB is negotiating deals with a handful of "Buffy" writers to move to "Angel."