Let us put the original UK Being Human out of our minds. Not because it's not brilliant, but because it just doesn't matter. The Canadian adaptation of the series, which premieres in the US and Canada on January 17, is brilliant on its own merits. I thoroughly enjoyed the first three episodes of the series I was treated to, and was hooked enough to make the show a regular fixture of my television-watching week. And, when you notice just how finicky I've been with new midseason shows, you'll realize that's saying quite a lot.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the premise of Being Human, I have to admit it sounds rather gimmicky: a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost share an apartment. Sounds like the sitcom answer to True Blood, doesn't it? Thankfully, Being Human is nothing of the sort; the show is a healthy mix of comedic lightness and dramatic weight that it avoids falling into the gimmicky ditch dug by its premise.
The characters are, of course, the emotional center of the show, and they all do a fairly good job. Sam Witwer will probably end up being the face of the series for his role as the vampire Aiden. He seems like a fairly shallow character until the end of the second episode, where he (and the audience) are dealt a pretty solid punch that proves the character is one that will only prove to expand as time goes on. There's Sam Huntington as the werewolf Josh, who is essentially the comic relief of the series. Occasionally his antics grow stale, but he has some major character building in the first two episodes that makes any of his 'comedic' missteps forgivable. Easily the most solid character is Meaghan Rath's Sally, the ghost who haunts the apartment she shares with Aiden and Josh. She's truly the saddest character, and the juxtaposition of her bubbly exterior with her obviously frail emotional state is one of the most watchable things about the series. Sally really gets a chance to shine in the third episode of the series.
And let us not forget Mark Pellegrino (Jacob from LOST) who portrays the vampire leader Bishop. Bishop is one of the few antagonists of the show, but he's a sympathetic character; Pellegrino plays him as a sad figure who's simply just trying to help. The character's entire dilemma is whether or not this is a facade or not, but it's fun to try and unravel his motives.
The storyline itself is wrought with emotional peril, as one would expect. There's a look into the morals of being a "monster," which the three believe themselves to be. There are some absolutely tense cliffhangers to ensure you tune in from week to week. There are deaths, of course, but even the death of a minor character feels entirely draining -- which is strange, considering the character in question only sticks around for two episodes. As I said before, there's good characterization here.
I'll be reviewing the episodes individually as they air, but for now, I'm going to give the series a B+.
Being Human premieres Monday, January 17, on SyFy in the US and on Space in Canada.
I really looking forward to this show,
I'm a big fan of the original series and i can't wait to watch this one
I liked the premise of the original show but absolutely hated everything else about it, from the casting to the execution to the writing. (I know I'm in the minority, but I'm entitled to my opinion!) I hope I like the American version better. At the very least Mark Pellegrino is more menacing than the goofy villain of the British show.
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