Immediately following the season finale of Doctor Who, the supernatural flat-mates are back for a bloody season 2 *** three stars

By Robin Rowe

Being Human, BBC America series gets more like a horror film

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 7/24/2010 – “Being human is three guys struggling with life, but they happen to be a ghost, a werewolf and a vampire,” says Being Human star Russell Tovey, who plays the werewolf.

“It’s not about what they are, but how they strive to be better people,” says Being Human star Aidan Turner, who plays the vampire. “It’s the essense of the show that you have these three people have had terrible things happen to them and they strive to be moral.”

“They’ll never be perfect,” says Being Human star Lenora Crichlow, who plays the ghost. “They’ll never be human. They have to deal with it.”

“People, when they talk about Being Human, talk about tonally that it’s varied,” says Being Human creator-writer Toby Whithouse. “You can have a scene that’s very tragic, and then a scene that’s comedic and then a scene that’s thrilling, then a scene that’s about characters just riffing. When you’re dealing with a show like that, with characters that are supernatural creatures, you can tell quite human stories.”

Being Human, originally conceived as a sort of British Friends, became a show about a group of supernatural friends as the show was being developed. It shares that well-produced yet slightly campy BBC sci-fi tone with Doctor Who and Torchwood.

Horror fans will love tonight’s season premiere. There are scenes with blood spurting and horrifying physical transformations. Fans of Being Human who love the humanity and humor of the show will find less for them.

The vampire still has the best sense of humor, but the werewolf is so serious and the visual effects so gruesome that it puts a damper on the show as family entertainment. There’s a brief but raunchy sex scene and the F-bomb spoken liberally. As usual, the BBC manages such things that it doesn’t seem gratuitous. However, you won’t feel comfortable watching it with the kids. If you’re younger, you won’t want to have your parents in the room either.

The premise and acting of Being Human continues to delight, even if the storyline goes too dark. The best part of Being Human is the comedy and camaraderie of the characters.

At the huge Comic-Con convention in San Diego yesterday, BBC America presented creator-writer Toby Whithouse and cast members Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow, Aidan Turner and Sinead Keenan on stage for a fan Q&A and signings. Being Human: Season 1 released on DVD/Blu-ray on July 20th.

Being Human Season 2 premieres on BBC America on Saturday, July 24th, at 10pm, immediately following the Doctor Who season finale that airs at 9pm.