*Potential Spoilers*

So let’s just get this out of the way in the interest of full disclosure: yes I’m American, and no I haven’t yet seen more than a random episode of the original Being Human. So unfortunately, I won’t be able to do the kind of in-depth dissection of every single line or every single blink of an eye from the actors in the production. That all being said, I was really impressed with the premiere episode of the American rendition of the series about a werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost all living under the same roof.

The series opens with the werewolf but I’m going to start with the vampire, Aidan. He embodies the tortured creature that the Angels   and the Bill Comptons have shown before in their respective fictional worlds – a vampire who wishes to fight his killer’s nature and live a decent existence. Except, you know, when the need to feed is just too strong and dates wind up dead by morning. Sam Witwer has more than enough charisma to pull off the role and he’s shown glimmers of being able to switch from charming to deadly threat in a flash. In the premiere there are little nods to Aidan’s past with a vampire called Bishop – a vampire played with delicious subtle menace by Mark (hey it’s that guy!) Pellegrino. It’s apparently going to be Bishop’s goal to bring Aidan back into the fold’ so that he has him back by his side while they commit atrocious acts of evil. (For example, two vampires walk into a wedding. That’s not a corny set-up for a joke that’s the start of a brutal massacre that continues to haunt Aidan even now thanks to a nifty flashback sequence).

On the other side of the coin we have Josh, a somewhat dorky, self-conscious werewolf who works with Aidan at a local hospital. He’s struggling with his own curse and the consequences therein. Those range from late-night deer snacks to being forced to saunter back home in whatever the closest laundry clothesline will provide. He and Aidan decide to get the place together as a kind of supernatural half-way house so that they can reinforce their shared efforts to just ‘be human.’

After they get the place it turns out that they’ve got another paranormal being residing with them in the form of Sally (Meaghan Rath), the ghost who’s trapped in the place that was once her home. She can’t touch anything or anyone without phasing through them,and yet she can hopefully find connection with the two creatures who are certainly anything but average (they are also sadly not a couple despite what previous tenant Danny, also Sally’s ex , presumed upon showing the place to them.)

The set-up brings with it only a few supporting characters so as not to overload the proceedings when it’s necessary to get to know the three leads. The series also has a really nice color palette of muted tones and dark grays that allow for more vibrant colors to truly pop, for example in an eye-catching moment with Aidan against a backdrop of a wall plastered with gig flyers and other posters. Also, the humor is something you’d find in a more ‘traditional’ drama in that it doesn’t rely at all on just jokes about what the three characters are, (only one Twilight joke for example). On their own, the three actors slip right into their characters but what’s going to become essential within coming episodes is seeing how their chemistry is as a unit. Witwer and Huntington definitely have a nice, believable friendship on-screen that’s going to have no choice but to gain more animosity based upon an act that Aidan perpetrates which will eventually come to light. The story threads that have been started in the pilot episode are definitely tantalizing enough in their teasing to require you to tune in next week.