BBC Three
Being Human brings you what you never knew you always wanted – The Real World with supernatural creatures. Who doesn’t want roommate drama escalating into murder, werewolf transformations, or ghostly lights flickering on and off? This series offers a smart take on the supernatural craze and delivers really great character development.
Annie Sawyer (Lenora Crichlow) is just a sweet-as-pie ingénue until her fiancé murders her. Now, she’s doomed to spend eternity in a sensible sweater-dress and jammies in her former dream house. Enter George Sands (Russell Tovey) and John Mitchell (Aiden Turner) two men who can see her because they are a werewolf and vampire, respectively. They decide to live together and try to be human…get it?
The series uses the supernatural as a metaphor for real life. John the vampire is addicted to sex and blood. George the werewolf second-guesses himself and his identity so he doesn’t live up to his potential. Annie puts everyone ahead of herself and needs to find her individuality. The series also expands to include George’s girlfriend Nina (Sinead Keenan) who has to deal with changes of her own.
The show shifts the focus from the supernatural to the human concerns. It’s like Twilight or Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a Downton Abbey makeover. The adventure and fantasy take second place to the relationships.
The actors are also really amazing. Crichlow is instantly lovable and can be both fun and sweet but also edgy as a perky poltergeist. Tovey manages to be nerdy and anal retentive but dead sexy, no pun intended. He’s ripped and not afraid to run around naked, pre- and post-transformation. Turner channels his inner-rock-god as the guy you know you shouldn’t like but you do.
The four series of Being Human are available on Netflix as well as two seasons of the SyFy Channel’s American adaptation.
