The fourth season of the television series ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'', the spin-off of ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'', premiered on October 6, 2002, on

The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...

and concluded its 22-episode season on May 7, 2003. The season aired in a new timeslot, Sundays at 9:00 pm ET, and then relocated to Wednesdays at 9:00 pm ET, beginning with "

Habeas Corpses The fourth season of the television series ''Angel'', the spin-off of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', premiered on October 6, 2002, on The WB and concluded its 22-episode season on May 7, 2003. The season aired in a new timeslot, Sundays at 9:00 pm ...

Cast and characters

Main cast

David Boreanaz David Paul Boreanaz (; born May 16, 1969) is an American actor, television producer, and director known for playing the roles of vampire-turned-private investigator Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Angel on The WB/UPN supernatural fiction, supe ...

Charisma Carpenter Charisma Carpenter (born July 23, 1970) is an American actress. She played Cordelia Chase in the supernatural drama series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–1999) and its spin-off series ''Angel'' (1999–2004). She also starred as Kyra i ...

Cordelia Chase Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''; she also appeared on ''Buffy's'' spin-off series, ''Angel''. Portrayed by Charisma Carpenter, the character appears as a series ...

* J. August Richards as Charles Gunn *

Amy Acker Amy Louise Acker (born December 5, 1976) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Winifred Burkle and Illyria (Angel), Illyria on the supernatural drama series ''Angel (1999 TV series), Angel'' (2001–2004), as Kelly Peyton on ...

as Winifred "Fred" Burkle *

Vincent Kartheiser Vincent Paul Kartheiser (born May 5, 1979) is an American actor. He gained acclaim for his role as Pete Campbell on the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' from 2007 to 2015. He had starring roles in films such as ''Alaska'' (1996), '' Masterminds'' ( ...

as Connor *

Andy Hallett Andrew Alcott Hallett (August 4, 1975 – March 29, 2009) was an American actor and singer who became known from playing the part of Lorne in the television series ''Angel'' (2000–2004). He used his singing talents often on the show, and ...

as Lorne *

Alexis Denisof Alexis Denisof (born February 25, 1966) is an American actor, primarily known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and its spin-off ''Angel''. He also had a recurring role on ''How I Met Your Moth ...

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (also spelled Wyndam-Price and Wyndham-Price) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel (1999 TV series), Angel''. Played by Alexis Denisof, Wesley first ...

Recurring cast

Stephanie Romanov Stephanie A. Romanov (born January 23, 1969) is an American former model and actress, best known for playing Lilah Morgan on ''Angel''. Life and career Romanov was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. She first began modeling in Europe and was discovered ...

Lilah Morgan This article lists the major and recurring fictional characters created by Joss Whedon and the writers of Mutant Enemy for the television program, ''Angel''. For a more in-depth look at some of the minor characters on the show, please see the ...

Vladimir Kulich Vladimír Kulich (born 14 July 1956) is a Czech-Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Buliwyf in the film ''The 13th Warrior'', Tiberius in the film ''Ironclad'', Erik in the television series ''Vikings'', as well as the voice of Ulfri ...

The Beast The Beast may refer to: Religion * The Beast (Revelation), one of three beasts described in the New Testament ''Book of Revelation'' Fictional characters * The Beast, imaginary monster in William Golding's novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954) * ...

Gina Torres Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. Her starring roles include Zoe Washburne in the science fiction series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its feature film sequel '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jessica Pearson in the legal dr ...

Jasmine Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wid ...

Alexa Davalos Alexa Davalos Dunas (born May 28, 1982) is an American actress. Her early role as Gwen Raiden on the fourth season of the TV series ''Angel'' (2002–03) was followed by other television roles and some Hollywood films, including '' The Chronic ...

Gwen Raiden This article features minor fictional characters who appear as guest stars on the television program ''Angel'', ordered alphabetically. For the show's main characters, please see the article list of ''Angel'' characters. A Alonna Gunn Alonna ...

Eliza Dushku Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American former actress. Dushku starred as Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Faith in the supernatural Drama (film and television), drama series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1998–2003) an ...

Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

Daniel Dae Kim Daniel Dae Kim (born August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his many roles in network television and theater. In 2025, ''Time'' magazine listed him as one of the world's 100 most influential people. On television, he portray ...

Gavin Park This article features minor fictional characters who appear as guest stars on the television program ''Angel'', ordered alphabetically. For the show's main characters, please see the article list of ''Angel'' characters. A Alonna Gunn Alonna ...

Guest cast

Julie Benz Julie Benz (born May 1, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Darla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Darla on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel (1999 TV series), Angel'' (1997–2004), and as Rita Bennett on ''Dexter (TV s ...

Darla Darla is a female given name of English origin which is a variant of Darlene. Darla means “Darling” Darla may refer to: People * Darla K. Anderson (), American film producer * Darla Hood (1931–1979), American child actress, best known for ...

David Denman David Denman (born July 25, 1973) is an American actor. He made his film debut in '' The Replacements'' (2000) before his breakout role as Roy Anderson on the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2008; 2011–2012), which earned him a Screen Actors ...

Skip Skip or Skips may refer to: Acronyms * SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene * Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol * SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aiding ...

Alyson Hannigan Allison Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974), known professionally as Alyson Hannigan, is an American actress and television presenter. She began her film career with supporting roles in the comedy films '' Impure Thoughts'' (1986) and '' My Step ...

Willow Rosenberg Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan. Willow plays an integra ...

Laurel Holloman Laurel Lisa Holloman is an American painter and actress. She is best known for playing Tina Kennard in ''The L Word''. Early life Holloman is the youngest child in her family. She has two older brothers. She graduated from Saint Mary's Schoo ...

as Justine Cooper *

John Rubinstein John Rubinstein (born December 8, 1946) is an American actor, composer and director. Early life Rubinstein is the son of Polish parents. His mother, Aniela (née Młynarska), a dancer and writer, was a Roman Catholic native of Warsaw, the da ...

Linwood Murrow This article features minor fictional characters who appear as guest stars on the television program ''Angel'', ordered alphabetically. For the show's main characters, please see the article list of ''Angel'' characters. A Alonna Gunn Alonna ...

Jonathan M. Woodward Jonathan M. Woodward is an American actor known for his roles in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Angel'', and ''Firefly.'' Early life and education Woodward is the younger of two sons of an architect and a literacy teacher. Career Woodw ...

as Knox

Crew

Series creator

Joss Whedon Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon ( ; born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer' ...

remained as the sole executive producer of the show after

David Greenwalt David Greenwalt (born October 16, 1949) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He was the co-executive producer of the TV series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and co-creator of its spinoff, '' Angel''. He is also co-creator of the ...

left at the end of season three to produce the ABC series ''

Miracles A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

'' after his contract with 20th Century Fox was up. He stayed on as a consulting producer for the remainder of the series. At the start of the season,

David Simkins David Simkins is an American screenwriter and television producer. His first produced screenplay was for the film ''Adventures in Babysitting'' in 1987. He has written for and produced television shows such as ''Charmed'', '' Blade: The Series'' ...

was made

showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...

and executive producer, but after three months, he left the show due to "creative differences" and is not credited in any episodes.

Jeffrey Bell Jeffrey Jackson Bell is an American writer and producer best known for his work on television. He began his career writing for ''The X-Files'', where he stayed for three seasons, then became a writer/director/producer on ''Angel'', becoming its ...

was promoted to co-executive producer and assumed the role of showrunner for the season.

Tim Minear Timothy P. Minear (; born October 29, 1963) is an American screenwriter and director. He has been nominated for four Emmy Awards (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017) for his role as an executive producer on ''American Horror Story'' and ''Feud''. Life and ...

also left the series to run Whedon's new series ''

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

'' but, like Greenwalt, stayed on as a consulting producer, and wrote and directed the season finale "

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

". Whedon would write and direct only one episode of the season, "

Spin the Bottle Spin the bottle is a kissing game, kissing party game stereotypically played by teenagers. The game was very popular among teenagers during the second half of the 20th century because it fostered "sexual" interactions between boys and girls. It ...

", because of his commitments to the first season of ''Firefly'' and the final season of ''

''. Steven S. DeKnight, who had written for ''Buffy'' during seasons five and six, moved over to ''Angel'' where he stayed for the remainder of the show's run. He wrote or co-wrote six episodes of the season, including the season premiere and also directed his debut episode; "

Inside Out Inside Out may refer to: * Backwards or inverse Books * '' Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'', by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason * ''Inside Out'', Christian book by Larry Crabb * ''Inside Out'', espionage thriller by Barry Eisler * ...

". ''Buffy'' writer-producer

David Fury David Fury is an American television writer, producer, actor and director. Career He is well known for his work on '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', '' Angel'', '' Lost'', '' 24'', '' Fringe,'' '' Tyrant'' and '' The Tick''. Fury was a co-exe ...

joined as a consulting producer (taking over

Marti Noxon Martha Mills Noxon (born August 25, 1964) is an American television and film writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her work as a screenwriter and executive producer on the supernatural drama series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' ( ...

's role) and ended up writing four episodes.

Mere Smith Meredyth (Mere) Smith is an American television script-writer who has been described as a key writer of the series ''Angel''. She was also the executive story editor and script coordinator for 66 episodes from 1999 to 2003. While living in Bro ...

was promoted to executive story editor and wrote or co-wrote four episodes.

Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain are American television screenwriters and producers, mostly working together as partners. They have also written two young adult fiction novels together. Craft and Fain are from Kansas City, Missouri, and wrote thei ...

joined the show as staff writers and wrote or co-wrote five episodes. ''Firefly'' writer

Ben Edlund Ben Edlund (; born September 20, 1968) is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, television producer, and television director. He is best known as the creator of the satirical superhero character the Tick. Background Edlund was born and raised in ...

was hired as a producer towards the end of the season, following the cancellation of ''Firefly''.

Episodes

Reception

The fourth season was nominated for five

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

s – Best Network Television Series, Best Actress in a Television Series (

), Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (

), Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series (

), and

won for Best Actor in a Television Series. The season was also nominated for four

Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

s – David Boreanaz for Best Actor – Television Series Drama,

for Best Supporting Actor – Television Series Drama, and Amy Acker and

both for Best Supporting Actress – Television Series Drama. The Futon Critic named "

" the 33rd best episode of 2002 and "

Peace Out "Peace Out" is the 21st episode of the fourth season of the American television series '' Angel''. Plot synopsis The gang, minus Angel, are fighting Connor and his band of Jasminites in the mantis demons lair. Angel and the blue orb are in ...

" the 25th best episode of 2003. The fourth season averaged 3.7 million viewers, slightly lower than the seventh and final season of ''Buffy''.

DVD release

''Angel'': The Complete Fourth Season was released on DVD in region 1 on September 7, 2004 and in region 2 on April 1, 2004. The DVD includes all 22 episodes on 6 discs presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Special features on the DVD include seven commentary tracks—"The House Always Wins" by writer

and actor

; "Spin the Bottle" by writer/director

and actor

; "Apocalypse, Nowish" by writer Steven S. DeKnight and director

Vern Gillum Vern Gillum is an American television director. After attending California School of Fine Arts and graduating from Art Center School in Los Angeles, He went into advertising at McCann Erickson, LA/NY. Assc. Creative Director, Director of West ...

; "Orpheus" by co-executive producer

and director

Terrence O'Hara Terrence O'Hara (December 25, 1945 – December 5, 2022) was an American film and television director and actor. He worked on ''Smallville'', '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''Voyagers!'', ''NCIS'', and other programs. He was married to tel ...

; "Inside Out" by writer/director Steven S. DeKnight; "The Magic Bullet" by writer/director Jeffrey Bell; and "Home" by writer/director

. Featurettes include, "''Angel'' and the Apocalypse", which details how they depicted the apocalypse on the show; "Unplugged: Season 4 Outtakes", a series of outtakes from the season; "Last Looks: The Hyperion Hotel", a set tour of the Hyperion Hotel; "Fatal Beauty and the Beast", a look at the villains of the season; "Malice in Wonderland: Wolfram & Hart", a look at the law firm and its importance in the show; and "Prophecies: Season 4 Overview", a summary of the season featuring interviews with cast and crew members.

References

External links

* Angel (1999 TV series) 2002 American television seasons 2003 American television seasons {{DEFAULTSORT:Angel Season 4