SyFy to Americanize Being Human

[EricMontreal22]

I love the British show but have no real hopes for this...

It looks like the SyFy channel is planning on an American version of the hit BBC Show Being Human

"The BBC's clever 20-something show Being Human, about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost who end up as roommates, is the latest British series to get an Americanized version. Syfy has ordered 13 episodes of the new series, which it plans to launch in the summer or fall or 2010 as a companion to its show Sanctuary (which also features a vampire and a werewolf)."

Source: http://scifiwire.com/2009/10/syfy-plans-an-american-ve.php

[DRW50]

The only "SyFy" shows I have seen recently were the very self-important, ponderous stuff like BSG/Caprica/the new Stargate, where they are so impressed with themselves everyone is supposed to go along.

I won't be surprised if this Being Human is along the same lines. The BBC show is also a bit full of itself, although I like Russell Tovey.

[EricMontreal22]

Well it's created by one of the writers of Torchwood, so I'm not surprised you're not a fan This season I was worried was a bit too dark from the get go, but it's had some amazing moments (like he scene where Annie almost gets sucked into the door portal--all done to a waltz from Swan Lake no less!) If it's to be a companion show to Sanctuary it probably will be less selfimportant than BSGallactica--I haven't watched much of Sanctuary, but it's a bitlighter.

[DRW50]

The writers of Torchwood have done a lot of different shows, good and bad. It's more the wandering tone which makes me pause, although I guess that was also true of Torchwood (I actually preferred Torchwood when the tone wasn't fixed -- the show does not work as endless, hollow misery). I think it's one of those shows which probably wants to be dark but the cast members, especially the vampire, aren't quite up to that type of performing. I'm not sure if the writers are either. I haven't seen the second season yet but I've heard people criticize some of the attempts at overly serious stories, especially the Vampires Anonymous one.

SyFy as a network doesn't seem capable of producing strong quality programs. BSG was one of those shows like The Sopranos which started out on a good note and then were fortunate enough to get to coast through a last few meandering years based on goodwill, hype, and critics who love to show everyone how brilliant and above it all they are.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah I have to say I never really warmed to BSG.

I've seen every episode of this season except the one that aired tonight, and have no idea what Vampries Anonymous story you mean... But Idid feel that it startedoff very dark, whereas I appreciated that last year it was largely light until the last few episodes--that said I like thecharacters enough that I still enjoy it and it has had a couple of masterful sudden unexpected twists.

[Juliajms]

I think it depends on your expectations. I go in with lower expectations than I would have for

the networks or bigger budget cable stations. Sanctuary doesn't work for me because none of the characters engaged me. I do like Eureka though. I like the characters and the stories are usually light enough to be a fun diversion. BSG was good enough to make me want to watch the whole series, but I didn't love it. So far I do like Caprica. It's not perfect, but there are some really good actors involved and the story is interesting enough that I want to see where it goes.

[DRW50]

I think Eureka is OK. I preferred the shows they did like that in the past, which didn't take themselves seriously, like Invisible Man, the Chronicle, some of Farscape (I stopped midway through), and others I'm forgetting. It's their dramas which I have more of an issue with, and since much of the TV press spent years talking about how superior BSG was and how it should be a bigger show and why didn't it get ten dozen awards, I hold their dramas up to a higher standard than I would have when the channel wasn't so eager to be in the big leagues.

[Sylph]

Has SyFy shown Babylon 5? I can't remember. I remember it was on PTEN, then TNT.

[EricMontreal22]

Don't think so. I know that when TNT halted production on its spin off series, Crusade, before the premier even happened, The Sci Fi Channel (before its idiotic new branding SyFy:P) tried to pick it up with no success due to lack of funds.

[marceline]

Here's a thought: maybe they'd be better off "Britishizing" some American shows. Americanizing a show usually means:

• the cast gets whiter
  
• the women get skinner, their tits get bigger and they all wear stilettos
  
• the men get straighter
  
• the location moves to LA or maybe NYC (by way of Vancouver)
  
• the living quarters get huge and
  
• everyone is rich
  
  

Actually, I predict the ghost will be a blonde, bikini model who died of alcohol poisoning at a wet T-shirt contest and that's why she always appears in a wet t-shirt for the first season.

[EricMontreal22]

HAA brilliant. It's amazing how the people making these remakes often don't get that things like having more "normal" (yet still of course attractive) people, and relatable living quarters, are often a part of the appeal of them...

[EricMontreal22]

Did anyone else follow this season? I can't remember the last time I've so enjoyed, and been so annoyed, so much by a season of tv. The Guardian had a good blog/review of each episode that got it pretty much dead on. The finale in particular had about a ratio of one brilliant scene to one perplexingly weird one. And the fact they seemed to have nothing for Annie to do, for so much, was perplexing (the baby storyline? really??)