if you're watching Buffy for the first time -- or rewatching it -- and you want to include Angel, there's a problem. starting with Buffy season 4, Angel spins off into its own show. the two series share characters, reference each other's plotlines, and have direct crossover episodes. watch them in the wrong order and you'll hit spoilers, or wonder why someone is devastated about something that happened on the other show two episodes ago.
this is the interleaved viewing order. seasons 1-3 of Buffy are standalone. after that, you alternate. it's based on Andrew McDonald's guide, with one addition -- Firefly slots into the mid-season break between Buffy season 7 and Angel season 4. this way you meet Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres as Mal and Zoe before they show up as Caleb and Jasmine.
Buffy season 1
Buffy season 2
Buffy season 3
and then
Buffy season 4 & Angel season 1
- Buffy 'The Freshman' (S04E01)
- Angel 'City Of...' (S01E01)
- Buffy 'Living Conditions' (S04E02)
- Angel 'Lonely Hearts' (S01E02)
- Buffy 'The Harsh Light of Day' (S04E03)
- Angel 'In The Dark' (S01E03)
- Buffy 'Fear Itself' (S04E04)
- Angel 'I Fall to Pieces' (S01E04)
- Buffy 'Beer Bad' (S04E05)
- Angel 'A Room With A View' (S01E05)
- Buffy 'Wild at Heart' (S04E06)
- Angel 'Sense and Sensitivity' (S01E06)
- Buffy 'The Initiative' (S04E07)
- Angel 'The Bachelor Party' (S01E07)
- Buffy 'Pangs' (S04E08)
- Angel 'I Will Remember You' (S01E08)
- Buffy 'Something Blue' (S04E09)
- Angel 'Hero' (S01E09)
- Buffy 'Hush' (S04E10)
- Angel 'Parting Gifts' (S01E10)
- Buffy 'Doomed' (S04E11)
- Angel 'Somnambulist' (S01E11)
- Buffy 'A New Man' (S04E12)
- Angel 'Expecting' (S01E12)
- Buffy 'The I in Team' (S04E13)
- Angel 'She' (S01E13)
- Buffy 'Goodbye Iowa' (S04E14)
- Angel 'I've Got You Under My Skin' (S01E14)
- Buffy 'This Year's Girl' (S04E15)
- Angel 'The Prodigal' (S01E15)
- Buffy 'Who Am I?' (S04E16)
- Angel 'The Ring' (S01E16)
- Buffy 'Superstar' (S04E17)
- Angel 'Eternity' (S01E17)
- Buffy 'Where the Wild Things Are' (S04E18)
- Angel 'Five By Five' (S01E18)
- Buffy 'New Moon Rising' (S04E19)
- Angel 'Sanctuary' (S01E19)
- Buffy 'The Yoko Factor' (S04E20)
- Angel 'War Zone' (S01E20)
- Buffy 'Primeval' (S04E21)
- Angel 'Blind Date' (S01E21)
- Buffy 'Restless' (S04E22)
- Angel 'To Shanshu in L.A.' (S01E22)
Buffy season 5 & Angel season 2
- Buffy 'Buffy Vs Dracula' (S05E01)
- Angel 'Judgment' (S02E01)
- Buffy 'Real Me' (S05E02)
- Angel 'Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been' (S02E02)
- Buffy 'The Replacement' (S05E03)
- Angel 'First Impressions' (S02E03)
- Buffy 'Out of My Mind' (S05E04)
- Angel 'Untouched' (S02E04)
- Buffy 'No Place Like Home' (S05E05)
- Angel 'Dear Boy' (S02E05)
- Buffy 'Family' (S05E06)
- Angel 'Guise Will Be Guise' (S02E06)
- Buffy 'Fool For Love' (S05E07)
- Angel 'Darla' (S02E07)
- Buffy 'Shadow' (S05E08)
- Angel 'The Shroud of Rahmon' (S02E08)
- Buffy 'Listening to Fear' (S05E09)
- Angel 'The Trial' (S02E09)
- Buffy 'Into the Woods' (S05E10)
- Angel 'Reunion' (S02E10)
- Buffy 'Triangle' (S05E11)
- Angel 'Redefinition' (S02E11)
- Buffy 'Checkpoint' (S05E12)
- Angel 'Blood Money' (S02E12)
- Buffy 'Blood Ties' (S05E13)
- Angel 'Happy Anniversary' (S02E13)
- Buffy 'Crush' (S05E14)
- Angel 'The Thin Dead Line' (S02E14)
- Buffy 'I Was Made To Love You' (S05E15)
- Angel 'Reprise' (S02E15)
- Buffy 'The Body' (S05E16)
- Angel 'Epiphany' (S02E16)
- Buffy 'Forever' (S05E17)
- Angel 'Disharmony' (S02E17)
- Buffy 'Intervention' (S05E18)
- Angel 'Dead End' (S02E18)
- Buffy 'Tough Love' (S05E19)
- Angel 'Belonging' (S02E19)
- Buffy 'Spiral' (S05E20)
- Angel 'Over the Rainbow' (S02E20)
- Buffy 'The Weight of the World' (S05E21)
- Angel 'Through the Looking Glass' (S02E21)
- Buffy 'The Gift' (S05E22)
- Angel 'There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb' (S02E22)
Buffy season 6 & Angel season 3
- Angel 'Heartthrob' (S03E01)
- Angel 'That Vision Thing' (S03E02)
- Angel 'That Old Gang of Mine' (S03E03)
- Buffy 'Bargaining Part One' (S06E01)
- Buffy 'Bargaining Part Two' (S06E02)
- Buffy 'After Life' (S06E03)
- Angel 'Carpe Noctem' (S03E04)
- Buffy 'Flooded' (S06E04)
- Buffy 'Life Serial' (S06E05)
- Angel 'Fredless' (S03E05)
- Buffy 'All The Way' (S06E06)
- Angel 'Billy' (S03E06)
- Buffy 'Once More With Feeling' (S06E07)
- Angel 'Offspring' (S03E07)
- Buffy 'Tabula Rasa' (S06E08)
- Angel 'Quickening' (S03E08)
- Buffy 'Smashed' (S06E09)
- Angel 'Lullaby' (S03E09)
- Buffy 'Wrecked' (S06E10)
- Angel 'Dad' (S03E10)
- Buffy 'Gone' (S06E11)
- Angel 'Birthday' (S03E11)
- Buffy 'Doublemeat Palace' (S06E12)
- Angel 'Provider' (S03E12)
- Buffy 'Dead Things' (S06E13)
- Angel 'Waiting In the Wings' (S03E13)
- Buffy 'Older and Far Away' (S06E14)
- Angel 'Couplet' (S03E14)
- Buffy 'As You Were' (S06E15)
- Angel 'Loyalty' (S03E15)
- Buffy 'Hell's Bells' (S06E16)
- Angel 'Sleep Tight' (S03E16)
- Buffy 'Normal Again' (S06E17)
- Angel 'Forgiving' (S03E17)
- Buffy 'Entropy' (S06E18)
- Angel 'Double or Nothing' (S03E18)
- Buffy 'Seeing Red' (S06E19)
- Angel 'The Price' (S03E19)
- Buffy 'Villains' (S06E20)
- Angel 'A New World' (S03E20)
- Buffy 'Two To Go' (S06E21)
- Angel 'Benediction' (S03E21)
- Buffy 'Grave' (S06E22)
- Angel 'Tomorrow' (S03E22)
Buffy season 7 & Angel season 4
- Buffy 'Lessons' (S07E01)
- Buffy 'Beneath You' (S07E02)
- Angel 'Deep Down' (S04E01)
- Buffy 'Same Time, Same Place' (S07E03)
- Angel 'Ground State' (S04E02)
- Buffy 'Help' (S07E04)
- Angel 'The House Always Wins' (S04E03)
- Buffy 'Selfless' (S07E05)
- Angel 'Slouching Toward Bethlehem' (S04E04)
- Buffy 'Him' (S07E06)
- Angel 'Supersymmetry' (S04E05)
- Buffy 'Conversations With Dead People' (S07E07)
- Angel 'Spin the Bottle' (S04E06)
- Buffy 'Sleeper' (S07E08)
- Buffy 'Never Leave Me' (S07E09)
- Buffy 'Bring On the Night' (S07E10)
- Angel 'Apocalypse, Nowish' (S04E07)
mid-season breaks for both shows
Firefly
(this way you meet Fillion and Torres before they show up as Caleb and Jasmine)
- Angel 'Habeas Corpses' (S04E08)
- Angel 'Long Day's Journey' (S04E09)
- Angel 'Awakening' (S04E10)
- Buffy 'Showtime' (S07E11)
- Buffy 'Potential' (S07E12)
- Angel 'Souless' (S04E11)
- Buffy 'The Killer in Me' (S07E13)
- Angel 'Calvary' (S04E12)
- Buffy 'First Date' (S07E14)
- Buffy 'Get It Done' (S07E15)
- Angel 'Salvage' (S04E13)
- Buffy 'Storyteller' (S07E16)
- Angel 'Release' (S04E14)
- Buffy 'Lies My Parents Told Me' (S07E17)
- Angel 'Orpheus' (S04E15)
- Buffy 'Dirty Girls' (S07E18)
- Angel 'Players' (S04E16)
- Angel 'Inside Out' (S04E17)
- Buffy 'Empty Places' (S07E19)
- Angel 'Shiny Happy People' (S04E18)
- Angel 'The Magic Bullet' (S04E19)
- Buffy 'Touched' (S07E20)
- Angel 'Sacrifice' (S04E20)
- Angel 'Peace Out' (S04E21)
- Angel 'Home' (S04E22)
- Buffy 'End of Days' (S07E21)
- Buffy 'Chosen' (S07E22)
and then the final (and most wonderful) season of Angel...