Im gonna try out Angel on Netflix
Is Buffy a waste of time? I never watched either
Buffy's not a waste of time, per se... it's just that it really is a "Sign of the Times" show.
Hell, Buffy CREATED it's lane as far as witty dialogue, TV Team ensembles, Season spanning story arcs, swift mood changes to keep the viewer off balance and "anyone can die at any time" type scenarios go.
The only TV show I can say is more of a modern forerunner than Buffy the Vampire Slayer goes is the short lived show Profit, which set the tone for every "Bad guy is the star" show you've seen on TV since The Sopranoes and The Shield came out.
Only problem is, Buffy is SUCH a forerunner and prototype for a LOT of tropes that you've gotten used to that it seems old and dated.
The fact that the show was started in the mid 90s before higher quality filming techniques came about doesn't make it any easier.
If you're not a bit older and can appreciate things from that 90s+ time frame, a lot of it will make you more

than

.
But even then it has it's timeless high spots.
Do yourself a favor and start from Season 2, though. You won't be missing much.