Buffy V.s Dark Angel (1 Viewer)

[LanieParker]

Well it's that time again folks. Help me figure out which one I need to get into.

I've really been dying to try Buffy. I hear such great things about it. I've seen a few episodes here and there. Is this a series worth investing in?

Then I was told that Dark Angel was better than Buffy and that I should get this one over Buffy. I know absolutely nothing about this show and I haven't seen one episode of it. Any good?

 

[Cory B]

I'd definitely go with Buffy. The first three seasons are some of my favorite seasons of television. And while I personally think it goes downhill from there, it is still better than most shows, Dark Angel definitely included.

While I've watched both seasons of Dark Angel, and I love Jessica Alba, I'd actually probably prefer to watch it muted. When it was originally broadcast, I could not watch past the line "You work that dress girl!" in the pilot. Dark Angel has some okay arcs over its two-year run, but the fact that they are never resolved was a bit of a disappointment to me...

 

[Eve Brown]

I love Dark Angel and have both seasons on dvd. I would pick it first because its shorter (2 seasons)then Buffy (7 seasons). I try to catch buffy when its on reruns on weekends since i don't have cable. Try watching some Buffy reruns first before investing into it. I want to get Buffy dvds eventually so i can watch in order since i sometimes can't catch it. But there are other tv dvds that are a bigger piority for me right now.

 

[James D]

I liked Dark Angel, but for me, Buffy is much better. Dark Angel took a big slide in Season 2 while Buffy Season 2 and Season 3 are great. I do agree with Eve, Dark Angel is a much cheaper proposition because of the short series run. Interesting trivia, Dark Angel was cancelled because Fox wanted to use their budget to produce Firefly and couldn't afford to do both.

 

[Rob Gardiner]

Buffy all the way. A friend of mine turned me on to this show a couple weeks ago and I'm tearing through the box sets. It's a little bit X-FILES and a little bit HARRY POTTER but with a high school setting. The trappings of gothic horror are used as a metaphor for the horror of being a teenager & the horror of being in high school. Great stuff.

 

[David_Blackwell]

I love Dark Angel. Buffy has it's up and downs. Buffy doesn't really start to shine as a show until the middle of season 2. I'm not a big fan of early Buffy. Season 3 is a little bumpy until Faith (Eliza Dushku) shows up. It seems until season 7, Buffy take s a few episodes to warm up for each season.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Buffy is much better. Go with that and then move on to Angel. You won't be sorry.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Buffy is actually good, whereas Dark Angel has annoying and useless supporting characters, a poorly-thought-out fictional world, and some of the most annoying "40-year-old men trying to write cool 18-year-old girl" dialogue known to man.

As to Buffy being worth investing in, yes. It hits its peak around seasons 2-4 and is arguably a disaster during years 6 and 7, but its peak years are high-quality stuff, and its spinoff Angel is, at times, arguably even better.

 

[Zen Butler]

Jason, great point. Imagine the cringe factor watching Dark Angel in a few years. The writers dated the series.

"Are you a playa playa from the Himilaya?" I mean, please.

A pretty good show that could have been great with better writing.

Buffy, on the other hand, started with the hip dialog but calmed it a bit and opted for a more original approach. It won't really date because nobody talks like that. The supporting characters are also solidly written, giving the show way more depth than Dark Angel.

I think a Buffy vs. Angel thread would be a closer bout.

 

[Eddy-C]

I like both shows, but in the long term? You'll appreciate the Buffy boxes more than Dark Angel. Both shows get a bit "eh" towards their end, but the difference is that Buffy stays good for 5 years while Dark Angel gets "umm.." in only its 2nd year. Plus Buffy always had better writing. The only advantage I'd give Dark Angel over Buffy is that it has better SFX than Buffy does in its first season, but then Buffy premiered years before Dark Angel showed up for the "girl hero" train.

 

[Joe6pack99]

Never saw Dark Angel but i hear it is ok. Buffy is good and definitely worth a shot, give it to the end of season 2. By then if you are not hooked then don't bother with the rest of the series. On a side note I love Buffy and agree with some earlier posts once you finish go to Angel as i also believe it surpassed Buffy. Its definitely a darker show with long story arcs.

 

[Ray H]

I saw the first season of Dark Angel. The pilot didn't impress me but I kept watching just because James Cameron was involved and Jessica Alba is purtty , but I was disappointed with the show. It just never took off for me. Then they brought in some wacky mutant plot in Season 2, I think. I kept watching for a few episodes, but it soon lost me.

I'd definitely go with Buffy. It's a terrific show and though its first season is usually just "monster of the week" affair, it's fun and there are definitely some great episodes in it. The second and third season are excellent. I can't comment on seasons 4-6 though. I've been on/off with them but I'm currently watching them on cable (FX shows it on weekdays).

Also, if you get into Buffy, definitely check out its spinoff, Angel. It's an excellent show, especially season 3.

 

[MaraKM]

As far as Buffy vs. Angel...I see them as so closely intertwined that the question of which is better or worse seems moot. (Not meant as a slam to those with a preference, just that in my brain they're the same show, and I can't imagine watching one and not the other.) So, I agree, if you get hooked on Buffy, you're going to want to watch Angel too. But, for continuity, you're going to want to start Angel Season 1 when you start Buffy Season 4

 

[Daryl Stovall]

Buffy vs. Dark Angel? Ain't no contest. Buffy imho was one of the best written programs ever to grace TV. The only thing Dark Angel had going for it was that hottie Lady Jessica and that's strictly from a randy hetero-sexual male point of view.

 

[Julia*D]

Well, I have Dark Angel season 1 and up to Season 6 of Buffy on DVD... But I'd go with Buffy for sure, rather than Dark Angel. While Buffy is going to be a bigger investment if you like it, it has a much higher quality of writing. Also, the cast is fantastic and the show just continues to pick up speed as the seasons roll on. I like Dark Angel enough (well season one) but it's more of a fluff show compared to Buffy.

And... if you like Buffy a lot, then you can always continue on with the Whedonverse, and pick up Angel and Firefly (my personal favorite of them all.)

Let us know what you end up getting!

 

[Brad Grenz]

Dark Angel is a joke. I'd tell you Buffy is a thousand times the show Dark Angel is, but the product of any number when multiplied by zero is zero... Cameron just isn't talented enough to sustain a concept mostly lifted from better writers for as long as is neccissary for a series. This is particularly evident when you see the show devolved into sub-syndicated quality mutant idiocy in the second season.

 

[LanieParker]

Wow...tell me how you guys really feel! lol. Thanks for all the responses. You guys always come through for me in this forum.

I must say I am definitely going the Buffy route!

 

[Pete Battista]

Hey... Looks like I am a little late to the party here... but I did want to say I think you are making the right choice too...

I personally enjoy both shows... but Buffy is definitely the better of the two... and as others said you may want to consider getting into Angel once you get to season 4 of Buffy.

 

[Kai Zas]

Probably pointless by now, but I'm gonna make my vote for Buffy.

It is said that the final seasons aren't up to par with the first three, but don't worry about it. There's still plenty of decent writing left and by the time you get there you'll be so addicted that you won't mind there are a few "lame" stories in there. It's ALWAYS interwoven with Whedons soapy goodness that makes you watch "just one more" after midnight.

Get ready for a huge investment, though. After you finish with Buffy, you'll certainly want to move on to Angel, which is equally great, if not better. And, as stated before, there's always desert in the form of Firefly. And yes, you'll be saving the best for last.

(Soon after you'll be browsing the web to get your hands on Joss's Fray, a comic about a slayer in the future. And, ofcourse, you'll be reading Astonishing X-Men too. You'll be checking www.whedonesque.com at least twice a day. That's what happend to me.)

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Dark Angel had SOOOO much potential, but just horrible execution.

Buffy started off a little slow, but some of the best parts of the series were there from the beginning.