Editing Angel (1999 TV series) (section)

===Cancellation===
On February 14, 2004, the [[WB Network]] announced that ''Angel'' would not be brought back for a sixth season. The one-paragraph statement indicated that the news, which had been reported by an [[web site|Internet site]] the previous day, had been leaked well before the network intended to make its announcement.<ref>{{cite web |author1=KJB |title=Breaking News: Angel to End After 5 Seasons UPDATED |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/02/14/breaking-news-angel-to-end-after-5-seasons-updated |website=IGN |access-date=May 13, 2022 |date=February 14, 2004}}</ref> Joss Whedon posted a message on a popular fan site, The Bronze: Beta, in which he expressed his dismay and surprise, saying he was "heartbroken"<ref>Whedon, Joss, [http://www.bronzebeta.com/Archive/Joss/Joss20040214.htm Online post] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180643/http://www.bronzebeta.com/Archive/Joss/Joss20040214.htm |date=March 3, 2016 }}, ''Bronzebeta'' (February 14, 2004). Archived version.</ref> and described the situation as "Healthy Guy Falls Dead From Heart Attack."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2004/05/21/why-buffy-angel-creator-ditching-tv |title=Why the ''Buffy,'' ''Angel'' creator is ditching TV.|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |last=Jensen |first=Jeff |date=May 21, 2004 |access-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014023413/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,637917,00.html |archive-date=October 14, 2007}}</ref> Fan reaction was to organize letter-writing campaigns, online petitions, blood and food drives, advertisements in trade magazines and via mobile billboards, and attempts to lobby other networks. [[UPN]] was a favorite target, as it had already picked up ''Buffy'', but the network declined.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/03/04/ign-filmforce-exclusive-angel-producers-confirm-upn-decision |title=IGN FilmForce Exclusive: Angel Producers Confirm UPN Decision |website=IGN |date=March 3, 2004 |access-date=February 28, 2024}}</ref> Outrage for the cancellation focused on [[Jordan Levin]], WB's Head of Entertainment. It was the second highest-rated program to be canceled on the WB.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whedon.info/A-Brief-History-of-Mutant-Enemy.html|title=A Brief History of Mutant Enemy|publisher=Whedon.info|date=May 24, 2004|access-date=May 17, 2011}}</ref>

Head writer David Fury "guaranteed" that if Joss Whedon had not requested an early renewal, ''Angel'' would have been back for a Season 6, saying Whedon's request for an early pick-up decision put Levin in a corner, forcing him to cancel the show, adding simply waiting would have gotten the show renewed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mikejozic.com/buffyweek6.html |title=MEANWHILE Interviews... Buffy Post Mortem |publisher=Mikejozic.com |date=September 2004 |access-date=June 16, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100511081943/http://www.mikejozic.com/buffyweek6.html| archive-date= May 11, 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status=live}}</ref> Marsters made a similar statement, saying cancellation took the cast and production staff "completely by surprise".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/james-marsters-on-dudes-dragons-the-end-of-angel-an-1798246497 |title=James Marsters on Dudes & Dragons, the end of Angel, and having fun with John Barrowman |work=The A.V. Club |first=Will |last=Harris |date=April 10, 2016 |access-date=May 13, 2022}}</ref> He said in 2021 that Spike's addition to the show prevented cancellation after four seasons, although his request for a salary equal to what he was paid on ''Buffy'' caused Whedon to remove Carpenter from the main cast.<ref name="ioy20210930">{{Cite podcast |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4VyMNLJYxs |title=The CHARISMA CARPENTER Side Effects of JAMES MARSTERS Taking a Role in Angel  |website=Inside of You |publisher=YouTube |last=Marsters |first=James |date=2021-09-30 |access-date=2023-04-15}}</ref>

''Angel'''s final episode, "[[Not Fade Away (Angel episode)|Not Fade Away]]", aired on the WB on May 19, 2004. The ambiguous final moments left some fans hoping for the continuation of ''Angel'' and the Buffyverse in the future - hopes that came to fruition in November 2007 with the publication of the first issue of the [[comic book]] series ''[[Angel: After the Fall]]''. The series is [[Joss Whedon]]'s official continuation of the ''Angel'' television series and follows in the footsteps of the comic book ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight]]'', whose first issue was published in March 2007.