There are some things in life you simply can’t forget: the first time you fell in love, the first time you had your heart broken, and the first time you became a parent, to name just a few. Then, nestled right up there with all the other unforgettable life moments, is the very first time you watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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For me, it was early in life. I was maybe eight or nine years old. “Hush” from season 4 was playing on the family TV. Determined to disobey my mom’s orders, I tip-toed behind the couch to sneak a peek. One eye poking over the top, I caught a glimpse of the smiling, levitating Gentlemen gliding down the empty streets of Sunnydale, their manic minions hobbling in straightjackets beside them. 

Thus, an obsession was born. Over the next decade or so, I binged every season of Buffy multiple times over (don’t ask me to pick a favorite). I bought the complete DVD sets, geeked out over behind-the-scenes footage, memorized entire scripts — I even forced my reluctant brother to watch the musical episode with me… on repeat. To this day, the dancing demons in “Once More With Feeling” are his favorite. 

When Angel came along, I did the same thing, although I’m guilty of re-watching it just a few dozen times less than its predecessor. Buffy was the lifeline to which I clung during all the rough patches of adolescence. Buffy’s pep talks buoyed me when I felt like giving up, her triumphs were jolts of encouragement to keep me going, she and the Scooby Gang were like my personal friends; they fought their demons, but also mine.

Essentially, what I’m trying to say is I know a thing or two about how to watch Buffy and Angel. And let me tell you, this watch-order guide is the real deal. Whether you’re a first-time viewer interested in learning what the fuss is all about, or you’re a lifelong fan in the mood for the ultimate re-watch, we’ve, well, got you covered. 

Thanks to Reddit user u/vichan, who compiled a handy-dandy guide to rival all watch-order guides, you now have the ability to watch Buffy and Angel in chronological order as it was lived by the characters themselves. Be warned: this is not your mama’s watch-order guide. This will have your head spinning, your heart racing, and your blood pumping, because nothing about Buffy’s life — or Angel’s — is ordinary.

As a final note, I would like to point out that I, too, have embarked on this watch-order guide (yes, really). So believe me when I say I can speak to its effectiveness. So, without further ado, let’s get started. 

P.S. One thing u/vichan points out that’s very important (shout out to you u/vichan, you’re the real MVP), is that certain episode names are in boldface type for a reason. These are ones that absolutely need to be watched in the order listed. Network dramas are infamous for containing filler episodes (“Beer Bad” as an example for Buffy, “She” as an example for Angel), but these bolded episodes are not one of them. Plus the emotional context therein directly pertains to Buffy’s and Angel’s storyline. Skip at your own risk.  

P.P.S. A lot of watch order guides are simply lists of episodes that jump back and forth between shows. This isn’t that. You’ll encounter that sometimes (typically among the bolded episodes), but you’ll also see a stack of three or four Buffy or Angel episodes lumped together. That is done with intention, as it provides the best emotional impact while also maintaining the emotional throughline between shows. 

Buffy seasons 1 – 3

Congratulations, you’ve begun your journey! I hope you’re ready. Seasons 1 through 3 of Buffy can be watched straight through at your leisure. Angel wasn’t a thing yet, and his life in Los Angeles is still a night of pure pleasure and resurrected chaos away. These are the golden years of Buffy, so pour yourself a drink, kick up your feet, and enjoy watching the inception of the show that changed network television forever. 

Buffy season 4 / Angel season 1

All right, here’s where the fun begins. Season 4 of Buffy was a turning point for the show. The slayer and her Scooby Gang are no longer students roaming the hell-mouthed halls of Sunnydale High. Their world has broadened and so, too, have their problems. Spike is bumped up to series regular, Riley Finn is introduced, and Willow steps into her power as the goddess she eventually becomes. Plus, there’s the whole government initiative thing. 

As for Angel, he’s still trying to figure out life in Los Angeles. Buffy weighs heavily on his mind, and these two seasons feature the highest proportion of crossover. At this point, Angel wasn’t a surefire success for The WB, so Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy and members of the Scooby Gang are sprinkled throughout to elevate the show in the eye of its then-new fanbase. Hence all the bolded episodes. 

• Buffy 4.1 — “The Freshman”
• Angel 1.1 — “City of…”
• Buffy 4.2: “Living Conditions”
• Angel 1.2: “Lonely Hearts”
• Buffy 4.3: “The Harsh Light Of Day”
• Angel 1.3: “In The Dark”
• Buffy 4.4: “Fear Itself”
• Angel 1.4: “I Fall to Pieces”
• Buffy 4.5: “Beer Bad”
• Angel 1.5: “RM W/A VU”
• Buffy 4.6: “Wild at Heart”
• Angel 1.6: “Sense and Sensitivity”
• Buffy 4.7: “The Initiative”
• Angel 1.7: “The Bachelor Party”
• Buffy 4.8: “Pangs”
• Angel 1.8: “I Will Remember You”
• Buffy 4.9: “Something Blue”
• Angel 1.9: “Hero”
• Buffy 4.10: “Hush”
• Buffy 4.11: “Doomed”
• Angel 1.10: “Parting Gifts”
• Angel 1.11: “Somnambulist”
• Buffy 4.12: “A New Man”
• Angel 1.12: “Expecting”
• Angel 1.13: “She”
• Buffy 4.13: “The I In Team”
• Buffy 4.14: “Goodbye Iowa”
• Angel 1.14: “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
• Angel 1.15: “The Prodigal”
• Buffy 4.15: “This Year’s Girl”
• Buffy 4.16: “Who Are You?”
• Angel 1.16: “The Ring”
• Buffy 4.17: “Superstar”
• Angel 1.17: “Eternity”
• Buffy 4.18: “Where the Wild Things Are”
• Buffy 4.19: “New Moon Rising”
• Angel 1.18: “Five by Five”
• Angel 1.19: “Sanctuary”
• Buffy 4.20: “The Yoko Factor”
• Angel 1.20: “War Zone”
• Angel 1.21: “Blind Date”
• Buffy 4.21: “Primeval”
• Buffy 4.22: “Restless”
• Angel 1.22: “To Shanshu in LA”

Buffy season 5 / Angel season 2

At this point, Angel had established a name for itself on The WB and no longer relied on Buffy to keep its storyline afloat, or crossover episodes to keep its fans engaged. Now cushioned by a crew of his own, Angel seeks a new method of redemption as Wolfram & Hart conjure familiar faces to strike him down. Meanwhile, Buffy is battling her most powerful opponent yet in Sunnydale. Dawn is now here and the slayer and her Scooby Gang must do everything in their power to keep Dawn out of Glory’s grasp. These two seasons feature two of the most haunting episodes of each series: when Buffy makes the ultimate sacrifice, and when Angel learns about it. (Not to mention “The Body”).

• Angel 2.1: “Judgment”
• Buffy 5.1: “Buffy vs. Dracula”
• Angel 2.2: “Are You Now or Have You Ever Been”
• Buffy 5.2: “Real Me”
• Angel 2.3: “First Impressions”
• Buffy 5.3: “The Replacement”
• Angel 2.4: “Untouched”
• Buffy 5.4: “Out of My Mind”
• Angel 2.5: “Dear Boy”
• Buffy 5.5: “No Place Like Home”
• Angel 2.6: “Guise Will Be Guise”
• Buffy 5.6: “Family”
• Angel 2.7: “Darla”
• Buffy 5.7: “Fool for Love”
• Angel 2.8: “The Shroud of Rahmon”
• Buffy 5.8: “Shadow”
• Angel 2.9: “The Trial”
• Buffy 5.9: “Listening to Fear”
• Angel 2.10: “Reunion”
• Buffy 5.10: “Into the Woods”
• Angel 2.11: “Redefinition”
• Buffy 5.11: “Triangle”
• Angel 2.12: “Blood Money”
• Buffy 5.12: “Checkpoint”
• Angel 2.13: “Happy Anniversary”
• Buffy 5.13: “Blood Ties”
• Angel 2.14: “The Thin Dead Line”
• Angel 2.15: “Reprise”
• Angel 2.16: “Epiphany”
• Buffy 5.14: “Crush”
• Angel 2.17: “Disharmony”
• Buffy 5.15: “I Was Made to Love You”
• Buffy 5.16: “The Body”
• Buffy 5.17: “Forever”
• Angel 2.18: “Dead End”
• Buffy 5.18: “Intervention”
• Angel 2.19: “Belonging”
• Buffy 5.19: “Tough Love”
• Buffy 5.20: “Spiral”
• Buffy 5.21: “The Weight of the World”
• Buffy 5.22: “The Gift”
• Angel 2.20: “Over the Rainbow”
• Angel 2.21: “Through the Looking Glass”
• Angel 2.22: “There’s No Place Like Plrtz Glrb”

Buffy season 6 / Angel season 3

Season 6 of Buffy and season 3 of Angel were pivotal parts of both show’s history. Buffy was now back, this time on the UPN, while Angel was catching its stride on the WB. Because they now operated on two different networks, there were no crossovers to speak of here. The bolded episodes are merely markers of important emotional beats that faintly tie into one another. Nevertheless, season 6 and season 3 are some of the best of both series, at least in my humble opinion. Plus, separation makes the heart grow fonder; when the next seasons arrive, the nostalgia is cracked up to a 10.

• Angel 3.1: “Heartthrob”
• Buffy 6.1: “Bargaining: Part 1”
• Buffy 6.2: “Bargaining: Part 2”
• Angel 3.2: “That Vision Thing”
• Buffy 6.3: “After Life”
• Angel 3.3: “That Old Gang of Mine”
• Angel 3.4: “Carpe Noctem”
• Buffy 6.4: “Flooded”
• Angel 3.5: “Fredless”
• Buffy 6.5: “Life Serial”
• Angel 3.6: “Billy”
• Buffy 6.6: “All the Way”
• Angel 3.7: “Offspring”
• Buffy 6.7: “Once More, with Feeling”
• Buffy 6.8: “Tabula Rasa”
• Angel 3.8: “Quickening”
• Angel 3.9: “Lullaby”
• Buffy 6.9: “Smashed”
• Buffy 6.10: “Wrecked”
• Angel 3.10: “Dad”
• Buffy 6.11: “Gone”
• Angel 3.11: “Birthday”
• Buffy 6.12: “Doublemeat Palace”
• Angel 3.12: “Provider”
• Buffy 6.13: “Dead Things”
• Angel 3.13: “Waiting in the Wings”
• Angel 3.14: “Couplet”
• Buffy 6.14: “Older and Far Away”
• Angel 3.15: “Loyalty”
• Angel 3.16: “Sleep Tight”
• Buffy 6.15: “As You Were”
• Angel 3.17: “Forgiving”
• Buffy 6.16: “Hell’s Bells”
• Angel 3.18: “Double or Nothing”
• Buffy 6.17: “Normal Again”
• Angel 3.19: “The Price”
• Angel 3.20: “A New World”
• Buffy 6.18: “Entropy”
• Angel 3.21: “Benediction”
• Angel 3.22: “Tomorrow”
• Buffy 6.19: “Seeing Red”
• Buffy 6.20: “Villains”
• Buffy 6.21: “Two to Go”
• Buffy 6.22: “Grave”

Buffy season 7 / Angel season 4

Here we are, at the end of Buffy’s journey. These two seasons are so much fun because they contain apocalyptic parallels. As noted in the Reddit thread, Angel’s “Spin the Bottle” and Buffy’s “Conversations with Dead People” are placed back-to-back because each kicks off their shows’ respective apocalypses (apocalyi?). Then, in the final episodes, we get a few long-awaited crossovers, including Willow transporting Faith from Angel to Buffy, and Angel’s words of wisdom to Buffyin “Chosen,” as well his parting gift mined from the jewelry box of Elizabeth Taylor (iykyk). This is the beginning of the end, dear reader. Take your time and enjoy it while you can. 

• Angel 4.1: “Deep Down”
• Buffy 7.1: “Lessons”
• Buffy 7.2: “Beneath You”
• Angel 4.2: “Ground State”
• Buffy 7.3: “Same Time, Same Place”
• Angel 4.3: “The House Always Wins”
• Angel 4.4: “Slouching Toward Bethlehem”
• Buffy 7.4: “Help”
• Angel 4.5: “Supersymmetry”
• Buffy 7.5: “Selfless”
• Buffy 7.6: “Him”
• Angel 4.6: “Spin the Bottle”
• Buffy 7.7: “Conversations with Dead People”
• Buffy 7.8: “Sleeper”
• Buffy 7.9: “Never Leave Me”
• Angel 4.7: “Apocalypse, Nowish”
• Angel 4.8: “Habeas Corpses”
• Buffy 7.10: “Bring on the Night”
• Buffy 7.11: “Showtime”
• Angel 4.9: “Long Day’s Journey”
• Angel 4.10: “Awakening”
• Angel 4.11: “Soulless”
• Buffy 7.12: “Potential”
• Buffy 7.13: “The Killer in Me”
• Buffy 7.14: “First Date”
• Angel 4.12: “Calvary”
• Buffy 7.15: “Get It Done”
• Buffy 7.16: “Storyteller”
• Angel 4.13: “Salvage”
• Angel 4.14: “Release”
• Buffy 7.17: “Lies My Parents Told Me”
• Angel 4.15: “Orpheus”
• Angel 4.16: “Players”
• Angel 4.17: “Inside Out”
• Buffy 7.18: “Dirty Girls”
• Angel 4.18: “Shiny Happy People”
• Angel 4.19: “The Magic Bullet”
• Buffy 7.19: “Empty Places”
• Angel 4.20: “Sacrifice”
• Angel 4.21: “Peace Out”
• Angel 4.22: “Home”
• Buffy 7.20: “Touched”
• Buffy 7.21: “End of Days”
• Buffy 7.22: “Chosen”

Angel season 5 / Angel: After the Fall / Buffy Season 8 (The Long Way Home)

You did it! You made it to the end. Well, sort of. You still have season 5 of Angel to go, and what a season it is. Sunnydale is now gone, potential slayers all around the world are waking up to their power, and Angel is gearing up for the biggest battle of his lifetime. Sit back and relax, dear reader. You’ll never be able to do this watch order for the first time again. Enjoy it while you can. 

As you’ll notice, Angel and Buffy’s storylines don’t end here. They both continue in the form of comics created, written, and plotted by Joss Whedon. And yes, they’re canon.

After Angel season 5, you can jump into Angel: After the Fall. The limited series contains 17 issues and includes an ongoing spin-off series that’s still in the works today. When the comic begins, Los Angeles is in the throes of Hell — literally. As you can imagine, the battle in the season 5 finale didn’t just wrap up with a pretty bow. The aftermath has had lasting repercussions on the city of Los Angeles, and Angel has made it his mission to fix it.

As for Buffy, her storyline continues in The Long Way Home, which is the first comic in the four-part Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 comic series. There are now thousands of slayers all around the world, and 500 of them are working directly with Buffy, Willow, and Xander to fight the forces of darkness.

And that concludes our time together. It’s been a wild ride, wouldn’t you say? If you weren’t a Buffy and Angel fan before, you’re bound to be now. I hope you enjoy what is bound to take up the next several months to a year of your life. That’s time well spent, if you ask me.