Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Nicholas Brendon has openly criticized Angel and David Boreanaz, but he's got the spin-off figured all wrong. When interviewed for the book Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts, Xander actor Nicholas Brendon spoke about Angel and David Boreanaz, and he had very little praise for his former co-star or his successful spin-off. The legacy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been tarnished by allegations against its creator Joss Whedon, but Brendon's comments only further add to the behind-the-scenes drama.
"It was weird that Angel got a spin-off. Because how does the most boring character in TV history get a spin-off?", Brendon told author Evan Ross Katz. "Why don’t we break down Angel? Uh, no, there’s nothing to break down. It’s just a brooding little guy. Angel, in my opinion, is worse than those Twilight f–ckers. I’m not sure if I’m talking about David or Angel at this point now." The comments are very much in line with the alleged friction between the two actors, who fans have speculated were on less than friendly terms.
However, while Brendon's role as Xander Harris on Buffy the Vampire Slayer was unforgettable, his thoughts on Angel have the spin-off pegged all wrong. From his comments, it seems that Brendon has very little knowledge of Angel itself, as his comments about there being "nothing to break down" couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, Angel is regularly cited as having improved upon not only its titular character from his time on Buffy, but also a number of minor and supporting characters that also had roles on the spin-off.
While Angel hasn't gone without its share of criticism, it has stood the test of time as a successful spin-off thanks to its willingness to further explore its characters. Angel takes a number of characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and develops them, making for a satisfying (and distinctly different) narrative from the original show. This is widely considered the biggest thing that Angel did better than Buffy, making the apparent basis of Brendon's criticism's all wrong.
The uninformed nature of Brendon's comments makes it seem as though they perhaps come from a place of resentment. While Angel is dark and brooding, there's far more to the character than that, and it's something that Angel actually developed far better than Buffy itself did. This makes Brendon's criticisms contradictory, as the character with very little to break down was the one that existed before the spin-off, and Angel actually fixed that issue, validating the necessity of the character having his own show.
While it's unclear if there's genuine bad blood between the actors of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Xander and Angel, Brendon's comments certainly seem to indicate that he's harboring either jealousy or resentment for his one-time co-star David Boreanaz. He's now made his disdain for Boreanaz and Angel all too clear, but his actual criticism of the show is seemingly unfounded. After all, Angel's success almost rivals Buffy the Vampire Slayer's own, making Brendon's remarks seem as baseless as they do bitter.