Genre: Sci-Fi | Horror | Drama

Creators: Anna Fricke and Jeremy Carver, based on the original UK version by Toby Whithouse

Directors: Paolo Barzman, Adam Kane, Charles Binamé, Erik Canuel, Jeremiah S. Chechik, Jerry Ciccoritti

Cast: Sam Witwer, Sam Huntington, Meaghan Rath, Mark Pellegrino

Summary:

For three roommates, being human is harder than it looks… Vampires, werewolves and the supernatural collide in the first season of this Syfy smash series that mixes True Blood with The Vampire Diaries.

From the creative team behind Pillars of the Earth, The Mentalist, and Heroes, Being Human is Syfy’s reimagining of the acclaimed UK series created by Toby Whithouse and starring Sam Witwer (Smallville, Battlestar Galactica), Meaghan Rath (The Assistants), Sam Huntington (Cavemen, Superman Returns) and Mark Pellegrino (Lost, Supernatural).

Being Human: The Complete First Season series follows three paranormal, 20-something roommates living in Boston – vampire “Aidan” (Witwer), werewolf “Josh” (Huntington) and ghost “Sally” (Rath) – as they struggle to hid e their dark secrets from the world, while helping each other navigate the complexities of living double lives and trying to be human. Mark Pellegrino plays Aidan’s charismatic but menacing vampire mentor “Bishop.” The network’s most successful winter scripted series launch in over five years, Being Human returns January 2012 on Syfy for Season 2.

When the original UK series was first envisioned by Toby Whithouse, the three roommates weren’t supernatural; they were just twenty-somethings. But in working out the details he realized that the characteristics of each of the principal characters would fit perfectly into the skins, as it were, of a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost. It was a brilliant move; it added a huge element that nicely balanced out the potential whininess with an actual issue, as opposed to the perceived issues of this kind of drama. Sure you’re lonely, but imagine if you were a ghost who couldn’t leave the house. Right, you’re awkward around potential love interests, but what if you also had this secret of turning into a monster one night a month? Okay, you’re addicted, but what if satisfying your addiction meant you might kill someone? Oh, and even if you kick the habit, you’re immortal, so good luck sticking with it, especially since your old gang of addicts keeps trying to get you back.

The first two seasons of the original UK version were absolutely terrific. It was dark and brooding but always with at least one ray of hope tossed in, and often that hope was found in the roommates’’ support of each other. It never got too angsty, because of the horror aspect. Set in Bristol, it was made to feel very small-town, somewhat insular and therefore quiet and even cozy. You can imagine the, forgive me, horror of fans of the UK version when we first heard that Syfy was planning on making a US version of the show. And it would be set in Boston! As you can imagine, the cries of “NO!!!” and “WHY?” were deafening.

Those who were able to approach it with an open mind, however, were rewarded, as were the new viewers who had never seen the UK version. The Syfy version of Being Human is excellent. It has a lighter look – literally – and a distinctly American feel, but in the best way. It’s a little more direct, a little more action-oriented, a little more snarky. The lead actors were advised to not watch much if any of the original series, so that their performances wouldn’t be affected, and that has paid off. Each of the American characters is reflective of the original UK characters but is in no way a copy. Even the names have been changed, though the US vampire sharing the same first name as the UK actor who plays the UK vampire can sometimes be a little confusing when one is reading an online discussion about the two series.

What was really brilliant about the Syfy series, however, is the way they adapted the story lines of the UK series. Season 1 of the Syfy series was 13 episodes long, compared to the UK series’ 6 episodes for season 1 and eight each for seasons 2 and 3. What the Syfy series did in its first season was to adapt storylines from all three of the UK seasons. Sometimes the copying was near-exact; other times it was tweaked, still other times the US version took a sharp turn from the original story, and finally it added entirely new story lines. The beauty of this was that fans of the original series would never know for sure what would happen in the new series.

Season 3 of the UK series actually aired at the same time as season 1 of the US series, and the timing made one believe that the US writers were aware of UK season 3 storylines even to the point of knowing exactly when plot points would occur, because there were certain things that came up in the UK season that came up in the US season within a week. Again, however, sometimes the stories were the same, other times they took a totally different turn.

Now, for those of you who already know and love the Syfy Being Human season 1, you’ll want to know about the bonus features. Disappointingly, there are no episode commentaries. Here’s what you do get:

The Making of Being Human: This is one of the most extensive “making of” features I’ve ever seen in a series. This is due in part to the fact that many “chapters” of this feature would, in other series sets, be separate features. Regardless, this is a really wonderful feature. It’s a great introduction to the series if you’re new,  but has lots of behind-the-scenes info if you’re a seasoned veteran, plenty to keep you interested and entertained. I knew most of the info already but still really enjoyed it. They talk about the origins, about the US vs. UK versions, about visual and makeup effects, about the philosophy of the supernatural genre in general; basically everything about the show that you might want to know.

“What Would You Choose” Featurette: A much shorter version of what it’s like to be each of the characters.

Additional Interviews with Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath and Sam Huntington: Interviews during a press line; fun interactions with each other and the press.

Being Human at San Diego Comic-Con: Video of the 2011 panel, comprised of showrunner/writers Jeremy Carver and Anna Fricke, as well as Sam Witwer, Sam Huntington and Meaghan Rath. Some discussion of season one and the upcoming season two, not really spoilery of the upcoming season. One thing you may not realize if you’ve never attended a Comic-Con panel and subsequently watched the video: it might appear that they aren’t getting good audience reaction to any of their comments or humor, but trust me they are; audience reactions are usually too far away from the microphones to be picked up by the audio track.

The packaging is the standard box-in-a-slipcover, so nothing special but it will easily fit on your shelf with the rest of your BD/DVD collection. I was happy to see that the box set has the episodes identified by disc and each episode name is accompanied by a short summary and it’s all printed on the inside cover flap of the box, so no loose paper thing to lose. No identification of episodes on the discs themselves, but as I’m a big fan of prolonging the life of a disc by keeping it put away in the box when not in use, that’s not a vital thing.

And here are the specifics of the Blu-ray and DVD sets. There are no differences in content between the two:

• Format: Box set, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: (BD) 1080p High Definition 1.78:1/(DVD) 16 x 9 (1.78:1)
• Audio: (BD) DTS-HS Master Audio/(DVD) 5.1 Surround Sound
• Number of discs: 4 (13 episodes)
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Entertainment One
• DVD Release Date: November 15, 2011
• Run Time: 572 minutes + extras

Long story short, if you’ve never seen this series, definitely get this season one set. If you’ve seen the UK version and were wary of the US version, have no fear, and get this set. If you’ve never seen the series in any version, if you’re a fan of good character development with a healthy dose of the supernatural and a terrific ensemble of likeable characters with good chemistry, get this set. It’s an excellent series, so that gets full marks. The packaging is fine but not super-special; the “making of” feature is terrific but the lack of commentaries and anything else to make it stand out keeps it from getting the highest score.

I give Being Human: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray) Four out of Five Stars.

 

 

Pick up your copy of Being Human: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray or DVD at Amazon!
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