Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The atmosphere of the show was darker, and at brief periods it performed better in the U.S. Nielsen Ratings than its parent series, though Buffy's highest ratings records in season 2 and 3 still topped any of Angel's seasons ratings.[1] The series was created by Buffy's creator, Joss Whedon in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999. Like Buffy, it was produced by Whedon's production company, Mutant Enemy.