Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Ever since “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” ended its incredible run several years ago, I’ve been missing a good supernatural show to add to my viewing lineup. I never really got into “Angel,” skipped “Supernatural” and have missed the bus on “True Blood.” Sure, there was “Reaper,” but that never quite tapped into its dark side. But now, I just might have found something to scratch that spine-tingling itch: “Being Human” on BBC America.

The show deftly blends bloody thrills, a dark mythology and witty, funny banter in a way I haven’t seen since “Buffy.” The series revolves around three roommates: one’s a vampire, one’s a werewolf and one’s a ghost. Only – more shades of “Buffy” – they’re all good-hearted people who don’t want to be monsters.

There’s Mitchell, who’s been a vampire since World War I and is trying — mostly unsuccessfully — to kick his his blood-sucking habit. He’s dark and brooding, in the Angel mold, with serious self-control issues. There’s George, the nice guy who was mauled by a werewolf while on vacation in Scotland, who now undergoes an agonizing transformation once a month. And there’s Annie, a sweet soul who inhabits the house where she died in an accident (Hmmm, or was it?).

They come together to form a surprisingly interesting group of friends with great chemistry. On one hand there’s the three lost souls dealing with some pretty heavy issues — life and death, grief and guilt, base instincts and morality. But there’s also the comedy of mundane everyday life, and the show finds a really good balance between light and dark (in one instance, George is frantically running through a forest, looking for a deserted spot to transform where he won’t hurt anyone – only to find time and time again that the forest isn’t nearly as deserted as it looks). It all comes together for compelling television — characters you care about, in a world with mysterious and intriguing mythologies, dealing with life-and-death situations that come with serious consequences. And who also like to hoist a pint and snog a hot nurse (or just pine over their ex) in their off-hours.

There’s some interesting tweaking of the mythology. In the series’ world, vampires aren’t affected by sunlight or crosses, and their compulsion for blood is more of an addiction than necessary for survival (Mitchell seems to get by fine on beer and pizza). And some people can see typically invisible ghosts. There are good villains too: a foreboding vampire/police officer who seems to be hatching a plan to destroy humanity; a sexy, newly sired vamp who has a fresh lust for blood as she struts around in miniskirt and boots; and a mysterious man in a fedora who seems to be following George (we’ll apparently see more of this guy this week).

My one big complaint lies with BBC America, and I’m not even sure if it’s their doing or if all will be explained later. But the series premiere seemed to start in the middle of the story. No explanation as to how the three met or discovered what the others are, or why some people can see Annie and others can’t (there’s a line of explanation in the teaser that’s not in the episode). It’s not enough to disrupt the enjoyment of the story, but it was jarring enough to make me notice, and wonder if the network had trimmed a few scenes to make room for commercials. BBC America does that with a lot of their shows, and it drives me nuts. (I don’t even bother watching “MI-5″ on TV; I wait for the DVDs because too much crucial information is cut out.)

If you missed the premiere last weekend, it’ll be re-aired twice on Saturday preceding the new episode (5 p.m and 8 p.m. for Episode 1, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. for Episode 2). It’s well worth checking out.