Angel

It’s Over in Five for ’Angel’
(Friday, February 13 04:53 PM)
By Kate O’Hare

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Earlier today, an announcement was made to the cast and crew at The WB’s "Angel" that this season, the show’s fifth, would be its last.

"It’s official enough to know it’s real," says David Greenwalt, who co-created the series with Joss Whedon, "but I haven’t talked to anybody at the network or the studio. I can tell you that it’s real, that it makes Mr. Whedon and myself very sad, that we wish it had kept going and we thought it was only getting better.

"Joss and [executive producer] Jeff Bell told the cast and crew today, We have no understanding of the inner workings of the corporate world, but we’ve had a long and fruitful relationship with [producing studio] 20th Century Fox and The WB, for which we grateful. We just wish it could have gone on forever. Apparently, it’s not going to.

"Joss literally called me this morning, so it’s very new."

This news comes on the heels of airing the 100th episode of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spin-off, the taping of which was marked by a party on the show’s sets last November.

At that time, the WB’s entertainment chief, Jordan Levin, said, "The work that you all do, I cannot thank you enough. This is something that will last. You can see it in the DVD sales. You see it in the fans. They give an incredible amount of attention to almost everything.

"You’ve created a cult here, and it’s pretty wonderful to be a part of it. So thank you and congratulations."

Next week, on Wednesday, Feb. 18, "Angel" airs one of its most innovative episodes, called "Smile Time." Written and directed by Ben Edlund ("The Tick"), and based on an idea by Whedon, it sees the show’s title character, a crusading vampire with a soul, forced to fight evil after being transformed into a walking puppet (with voice by series star David Boreanaz).

"It’s so brilliant," Greenwalt says. "I just love it. It’s one of the finest pieces of filmmaking I’ve ever seen. It just cracked me up. It’s so ridiculous and silly, and yet there’s all this heartfelt stuff in it. It’s just quintessential Whedon.

"But wait until you see the episode that follows it in terms of abject heartbreak. It’s just searing."

Greenwalt stepped away from "Angel" a few years ago but has remained a consulting producer. Since then, he’s worked on two short-lived but critically acclaimed series, ABC’s "Miracles" and UPN’s "Jake 2.0." But he’s contemplating a possible return to his old stomping ground.

"I might just go direct episode 20 [of ’Angel’]," he says, "so I can say my farewell to everybody. That’s something that might happen."