The long-awaited Americanized version of the BBC series Being Human aired on January 17 as a SyFy original series in the U.S. and on the SPACE network in Canada.

Series Plot and Cast Unveiled

The series follows the story of three roommates, who attempt to live their lives as normal as possible in modern-day Boston, or at least as close to normal as possible for a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost.

The cast includes Sam Witwer (Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Dexter) as “The Ladykiller” vampire Aidan, Sam Huntington (Superman Returns) as “The Underdog” werewolf Josh, and Canadian actress Meaghan Rath (15/Love) as “The Free Spirit” ghost Sally. Mark Pellegrino (Lost, Supernatural, Dexter) rounds out the cast as “The Ringleader” vampire mentor, Bishop.

Producer Compares American Version to Its Canadian Counterpart

Just as the series premiered, I had a chat with the show’s producer, Irene Litinsky (Secrets of the Mountain, The Jensen Project, Catch Me if You Can, The Terminal, Waking the Dead).

She describes both the North American and British series as “brilliant” and credits the acting ability of the American cast as the source for putting new life into an already successful British series (now in its third season).

Litinsky believes the actors accomplish this daunting task by bringing their own personas to the table. “The traits of all three are different,” she says. “They work differently together [than in the British version], and their characters play off each other differently. The series is maintaining its comedic situations, though they are different as well, since the characters are dealing with a North American society.”

In-depth Character Descriptions Revealed

“Witwer brings an old worldliness, a mystery, a very multi-layered character. After all, he is over 212 years old. Huntington aspires to the insecure, comedic, quirky personality. He is full of character. And, Rath brings an enthusiasm, a bubbliness, an innocence.”

The SyFy bios of the American characters further expand the knowledge base of these three unlikely roommates. Aidan believes he is helping people in his job as a nurse in a hospital. He also believes that he helps those patients who die to find a peace in death that he will never know. Josh, lost to family, friends, and even to himself when he was first turned into a werewolf, finds the friendship he needs in Aidan.

Through this friendship, he is strengthened to become himself again. Josh works as an orderly in the same hospital as Aidan. They share an apartment with the tough, yet fun-loving ghost, Sally, who once lived in the apartment with her fiancé, Danny. Litinski states, “The show is ultimately about friendship, support, relationships, and people helping people.”

Muse Entertainment Committed to Production

Muse Entertainment was involved with this project from the get-go in development, and Litinsky hopes the U.S. version will be as popular as the British one.

Filming takes place in Montreal, and thirteen episodes have been ordered. Writers are Jeremy Carver, Anna Fricke, Chris Dingess, and Nancy Won. Carver (Supernatural) and Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood), husband and wife, are Executive Producers. Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, The Pillars of the Earth) is also an Executive Producer, while Adam Kane (Heroes) is Co-Executive Producer. Toby Whithouse is creator of the original series.

The show airs Monday nights at 9 on SyFy and at 10 on SPACE.