The US television 75-minute premiere of the British cult hit, Being Human, airs tonight on BBC America. Once again, we Yanks are a season behind the Brits (but, the good news is this series has been renewed for a second season), and yet again, I have stumbled upon the spoilers of season one during my research (curse you BBC!!!). Hopefully, I will drink just enough liquor to forget what I have read, and enjoy the show. Now, there have been a gazillion ghost stories, vampire tales and werewolf chronicles. And, on occasion, the paths of these legendary monsters cross. But, rarely do you get to see a vamp, werewolf and ghost share a flat in Modern Day Britain, desperately trying to fit in society by, well ... being human.

Mitchell the vampire and George the werewolf are pals working as porters in a local hospital. When they decide to share a home in town, they discover it's haunted by Annie the ghost. Annie has been trying to haunt her former fiance, without much success. Usually, ghosts simply await the door to death. The length depends on any unresoved issue that may linger. But, when they find out they died a wrongful death, they become poltergeists who cause all kinds of annoying household problems, like stacking furniture, flicker lights, breaking dishes and generally making things fly around the home. However, Annie isn't very good at this, and becomes quite insecure about herself.

The Humans: Owen, Annie's ex and the trio's current landlord. He has moved on since Annie's death, and dating a local tanning salon owner, Janey. But, the mystery behind Annie's death needs to be uncovered, so that Annie can herself move on. Meanwhile, George is smitten on a hospital staff nurse, Nina. Unfortunately, Nina wants nothing to do with poor, bumbling George. Then there is Josie, Mitchell's former girlfriend, who is suffering from lung cancer, and Bernie, a young neighbor boy who is befriended by Mitchell while confronted by local bullies.

Obviously, there is a good mixture of humor and drama in this kind of story, but keep in mind this IS a tale of monsters. And there are plenty of really bad monsters also co-existing in the daily affairs with humans. unfortunately, not for the same benign reasons as our three anti-heroes, simply trying to live out their lives and keeping their true selves hidden from the hearts and minds of human beings.

The Monsters: Herrick, a police officer and the current leader of the local vampires in the area, as well as being Mitchell's former partner and the one who turned him during World War I. Herrick and his followers hang out in a local funeral parlor, B Edwards, where they gather to formulate a Final Solution for mankind. Lauren, a recently turned vampire and former nurse at the hospital, now follows Herrick, after Mitchell finds himself disgusted with the whole drinking blood thing after turning her. And Seth, Mitchell's nemesis and henchman for Herrick. The werewolf Tully is George's mentor in this trying to be human thing, while Gilbert the ghost pines for Annie.

• John Mitchell, Vampire - Aidan Turner (Showtime's The Tudors, Alarm)
• George Sands, Werewolf - Russell Tovey (Doctor Who, Ashes to Ashes, Messiah: The Harrowing)
• Anna Clare Sawyer, Ghost - Lenora Crichlow (The Things I Haven't Told You, Doctor Who, Wilderness)

• Owen, Annie's human ex - Gregg Chillin (is the voice of Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter video games, The Queen's Nose, Green-Eyed Monster)
• Janey, Owen's current human girlfriend - newcomer, Sama Goldie
• Nina, George's human love interest - Sinead Keenan (Doctor Who, On the Nose)
• Josie, Mitchell's former human girlfriend from the 60's - Clare higgins (The Golden Compass, The Libertine, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Tales of Innocence, B.
• Monkey, Clive Barker's Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser 2)
• Bernie, young human boy - Mykola Allen (My Parents Are Aliens)

• William Herrick, Vampire Leader - Jason Watkins (original Brit version of Life on Mars, Five Days, Elizabeth I: The virgin Queen, Tomorrow Never Dies, Spilt Second)
• Lauren, vampire - Anne Scholey
• Seth, vampire - Dylan Brown (Devilwood, Unleashed)
• Tully, werewolf - Dean Lennox Kelly (BBC tv series Robin Hood, Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel, Doctor Who, Deathwatch, Impact)
• Gilbert, ghost - Alex Price

There are some artistic license with the mythologies in Being Human: Ghosts can appear as function like any other human to humans when they wish it. However, they cannot hide from the rest of the supernatural world; Vampires don't need to drink blood, they just really, really enjoy it. They can walk among us during the day unharmed by the sun, but are quite sensitive to the light. And the whole cross thing tends to depend on the wearer - if you like you're vampire friend, you can wear whatever religious symbol you choose without causing any harm to him or her; Werewolves only change from their human form one night a month, at the full moon's peak. However, this is a process as changes in the brain makes one kinda stupid, horny, and brutally moody as senses gradually heighten in the days before and after the transformation.

While America is late to the party, once more, fans of this series really dig it, and I am really looking forward to it's premiere tonight on BBC America. It follows the season finale of Primevil, so you should be all set and ready to watch them both. For more info on Being Human, please visit the official BBC America website:

http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/369/index.jsp