When Buffy and Angel came out (the RPGs rather than the series), I considered these to be extremely poor choices for role-playing settings. Not due to any great flaw in the backdrop, but rather due to the nature of the central character. Up until the last episode of Buffy, there could only ever be one slayer (actually 2, but let's not get into that). Similarly, Angel was unique, a vampire with a soul. Can't have more than one of those...
However, the other problem with the setting is that the shows focus on a central character, aided and abetted by a group of lesser characters. Although the other characters were given some time in the spotlight, they were always secondary to the star of the show. This, of course, really sucks in a roleplaying game - why would want to play a secondary character in a game dedicated to someone else's character?
Now, I haven't read either Buffy or Angel. I'm not particularly inclined to do so either. Therefore, it is entirely possible that they've found a means to solve the problem described above.
(Another parallel is the difference between the original Star Trek and the Next Generation. In the original series, it was very much the Kirk/Spock/McCoy show, with the other characters very much in secondary roles. The Next Generation was more evenly balanced, with lots of episodes focussing on Troi, Geordi, Crusher (either), Worf, and so on. As a consequence, Next Generation would make a better role-playing game - unless you have 3 players - but the original series also translates better to film, where you cannot support seven main characters, but can support two or three.)
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