Buffy The Vampire Slayer

On Buffy and Angel, it’s all in the creepy family

Now this is what I call recycling. In conjuring memorable new supervillains for his masterful dark fantasies Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, executive producer Joss Whedon enlisted two charismatic stars who earlier this season played heroes on his short-lived sci-fi Western Firefly.

The result: some of the year’s most blistering and chilling entertainment. Apocalypse wow!

On WB’s Angel, which wraps its fourth season this week (May 7, 9 pm/ET), Gina Torres glows with malicious intent as the newly reborn ancient goddess Jasmine, able to hypnotize the masses with her false beauty. Cunningly, she turns to the media to accelerate her world conquest.

The few who can see behind her mask find themselves in a creepily paranoid Invasion of the Body Snatchers scenario as they surreptitiously plot her takedown. This week’s season finale moves beyond the Jasmine menace to take Angel in a potentially fascinating new direction, should WB decide to renew this dazzling cult series.

Meanwhile, as UPN’s Buffy (Tuesdays, 8 pm/ET) counts down to its own earth-shattering series finale, May 20, Nathan Fillion is boyishly lethal as Caleb, the Scooby gang’s latest nemesis. A wolf in preacher’s clothing, he draws significant blood in their first harrowing skirmish. "You’re burning like matchsticks in the face of the darkness," he says, mocking Buffy’s ragtag army.

As we near what’s sure to be a spectacular final battle, all we know for sure is that David Boreanaz as Angel will temporarily return to Buffy’s side.

The rumors are flying. Who will survive? Will Buffy spin off again? Who might cross over to Angel’s universe? Amid all of the impending destruction, there’s still lots of life in Whedon’s wild world. I can’t wait to see how he’ll sort it all out.

Roush Riff Two of NBC’s finest series, the charming Ed and the gripping Boomtown, recently ended their seasons on creative highs: with Ed choosing true love Carol in an emotionally satisfying resolution, and with breakout Boomtown stars Neal McDonough and Donnie Wahlberg excelling in showcase episodes. So why are both shows still "on the bubble" for renewal? Ed performed surprisingly well on Fridays in its last weeks, and Boomtown, while hardly a hit, won a prestigious Peabody award and continues an NBC tradition of deeply personal crime drama that harks back to Hill Street Blues and Homicide: Life on the Street. What more do shows need to do to earn a network’s support?