Review of Cherub

Any good parody is made not out of hate, but rather out of an extreme love for the original. With this in mind, Scott O. was inspired to create a continuation of Angel – and a kind of homage to director Joss Whedon – when the television series went off the air in 2004. He gathered a group of highly competent fringe actors and crew members and – shooting over just six days on a soundstage in Seattle – created Season One of Cherub. Every episode is written and directed by Scott himself. Debuting on February 2, 2006, the series ended two seasons, 25 episodes, and a handful of featurettes later on September 25, 2006.

Whereas Angel was the “vampire with a soul,” Cherub (Basil Harris) is the “vampire with cursed bunny slippers” that force him to be courteous. Many of the original characters are still in place, but in different forms, and Buffy even makes appearances as Muffy the chiropractor.

Each episode features a new dilemma for Cherub, as he attempts to solve mysteries while battling his nemesis, Johnny Mildly-Irritating (Paul Gude). While nothing ever seems to get resolved in the 5-10 minute weekly episodes, the cast has a fantastic time with the witty Angel references and ludicrous situations, creating a substantial following among Angel lovers and haters alike. The site also contains a Flickr gallery, a blog that acts as a Production Diary, and a DVD you can purchase, so you can watch all the action in higher-quality on your screens at home.

For some behind the scenes footage, check out some of the featurettes – there’s a blooper reel, a “how’d they do it” special effects video, and a peek behind the scenes. Or if you’d like to hear Scott O. sound off on his own work, watch some of the episodes with director commentary.