Dichen Lachman

’Being Human’ First Look: ’Dollhouse’ Star Dichen Lachman Wreaks Havoc for Aidan

The Hollywood Reporter has the exclusive first look of Lachman (see above) as vampire royal Suren, who is revealed to have a complicated past with fellow bloodsucker Aidan (Sam Witwer). Her unexpected return causes Aidan and Boston’s vampire society to go into disarray.

Executive producer Jeremy Carver emphasized the importance of maintaining the series’ focus on the three leads Aidan, Sally and Josh (Witwer, Meaghan Rath and Sam Huntington, respectively), but acknowledged that as it progresses, the Being Human world must expand.

"We’re always looking to expand to deepen their respective monster worlds," Carver tells THR, "which we’ve done in spades this year."

Carver spoke in more detail about Lachman’s role ("the seeds of the character were put in place last season amongst the writers," he says) and what her presence means for Aidan especially.

"She’s been away for a very long time and her reappearance on the scene, for Aidan — a guy who is always trying desperately to divorce himself from vampires and vampire-ism — she’s the worst temptation to come down the pike," he says. "Part of it is the romantic past that they share."

But when viewers first see Lachman, it may be a shock to the system, though the image above takes place following her reveal. "You’ve got this incredibly beautiful actress who commands the screen and when you’re introduced to her, she’s all but unrecognizable and that plays very much into the old past she has and it speaks directly to her troubled nature," Carver explains.

Flashbacks to the 1930s will "unpack this explosive history between Aidan and Suren," Carver teases, adding that the pair’s past entanglements will be "explored in great detail." "Past events are very much exploding into the present now," he reveals.

Season 2 will see the three main characters inching closer to darkness.

"Each, in their own way, are heading down a dark path of temptation, which ultimately for them is a valiant but almost desperate struggle to become more human," Carver says. "But in their attempt, they’re becoming more and more monstrous."

Being Human premieres Monday, Jan. 16 at 9 p.m. on Syfy.