Watcher's Council: "Being Human"

The bad news is that the series I was reviewing prior, Demons, was so completely rubbish that I couldn't bare to watch another second of it. I thought about devoting an entire post about that very fact but concluded, ultimately that by saying every character was totally insipid, the writing completely cliche, and that the show itself was best summed up by the constant appearance of the lead character's cheesy, emo hoodies I would have really said all that needed saying.

The good news is that, whilst running screaming into the night from the horror that was ITV, I stumbled upon an absolutely brilliant show called Being Human. It's just finished it's six episode run and, having watched it all, I can safely say that it is without question one of the best series I have seen in lo these many years and that, without question, it would be enjoyable to any fan of Buffy or Angel.

When I first heard the pitch for Being Human (A ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf live in a flat together) I assumed it was comedy, intentional or not. Still, with a belly full of courage and many grains of salt at the ready, I hunkered down to watch the premiere episode. BBC Three's new drama (and it is a drama) is the latest in a trend of shows and films that involve elements of the supernatural. It almost never made it to series but, thanks to some journalistic handy work and three thousand signatures, it's now done with series one and already greenlit for a series two.



Much like Buffy we see the juxtaposition between the Human world and the realm of all things not. The philosophical question of whom the real monsters are is spread out nicely throughout the series. The three protagonists struggle to find their place is subtle when it need be and yet knows exactly when to take the chance at being big and dramatic.

As much as I want to detail and analyze every angle of this show, I honestly think it's best to say that it's very much worth your time and to not spoil a blessed thing. If you live anywhere in the UK you can watch it in it's entirety on BBC iPlayer. If not then you'll have to get it by less conventional means. Either way, it's a must watch for anyone feeling lost in a Buffyless world. Also have a go a the website where there's a blog and lots of behind the scenes video. Hopefully someone will be smart enough to bring this series stateside as is and not as yet another failed remake. I'm looking at you, just canceled Life on Mars.