In the US: Mondays, 9/8c, SyFy
In Canada: Mondays, 10E/P, Space
So we’re three episodes into the Canadian/US version of Being Human and things have started to get quite a bit better. Episode one was largely a retread of the original UK pilot, but diluted, made more obvious and more cliched, with largely poorer acting. Episode two continued in the same vein, being a mix of pilot and the original first episode.
However, episode three saw a first blow for true originality in the show. While its b-plot was largely a retread of the "Mitchell invites everyone to meet the neighbours" episode, we got a new a-plot about an adult who had seen vampire Aidan kill his father when he was a child and is now a cop. Aidan, who is largely the focus of the show, then has to decide how to deal with the situation – does he sort it out himself or leave vampire boss Bishop to sort it out for him? Suffice it to say, there is an unhappy ending to this.
Where Being Human (US) differentiates itself here is by tapping into far more vampire lore than the British original. Unlike the British blood addicts, these vampires have super speed, super strength and they can influence people’s minds – even wiping their memories if necessary. Which does at least make the whole "being human" thing a little harder than "where am I going to get my blood fix today?"
Werewolf Josh also gets to man up in this episode, something I thought had gone missing from the pilot episode, and ghost Sally gets to have some fun with an 80s ghost (yes, another thread from the original). The actress who plays Sally is by far the weakest link here and it’s hard to actually like her character she’s so charisma-free.
The show suffers from a few other problems as well: Bishop (Mark Pellegrino)’s strange hair colour; a general blanding of things; and a lack of depth. However, provided Being Human (US) continues to plot its own path while steering away from the standard vampire cliches, it should actually prove a watchable series in its own right. It might never be as good as the original, but it’ll still be better than the average SyFy series.
Carusometer rating: 3
Rob’s prediction: Should run for at least a couple of seasons