Last night I saw the first episode of SyFy (See Fee) so called “original series” Being Human, a copy of a British series. How did it stack up to the original U.K. version? The perfunctory performances, lack of humor or wit that was such a spark in the original U.K. series really made for a passable, mediocre view in the U.S. version. Passable that is if you had never seen the original U.K. series. The SyFy version is a sanitized, Twilightized, going-through-the-motions and rather dull copy of a beautiful original. See Fee is trying to figure out this SF thing just like it was their first year.
It doesn’t miss the mark as nearly as bad as the U.S. version of the Life on Mars miniseries (aired on ABC) vs. the U.K. Life on Mars, but it sure doesn’t sparkle much, either. I guess it’s a step up from wrestling for SyFy, but it’s going to take more than a pseudo name change to salvage SyFy from second class main stream.
It may seem that I am coming down rather hard on SyFy, but frankly, they don’t measures up to Being Human. Why can’t we get it right?
Seeing as Syfy is basic cable in the US, it isn't a terrible show choice for the network. The US version will enjoy success, unless Stargate or Caprica fans begin a backlash against shows that are fantasy as opposed to sci fi.
ReplyDeleteNora and Josh are engaging characters in the US version, but as someone who has seen only a few episodes of each- I have to say that the two shows have distinctly different feels. A fan of one is not guaranteed to like the other version.
There is a fine line between drama & melodrama & both of these shows cross it. Both versions are geared towards people looking for a soap opera veiled as a vampire show. Bishop & Herrick were somewhat interesting but they both could have been a little more intense; neither really struck me as a true villain. Comparing these shows is quite pointless. They both fall short. They're both full of whining sniveling self pitying weaklings that make you want to smack them.
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