Being Human! (series 3)

[ciderandscones]

Hey everyone! Im not sure if anyone has created a thread about this show so forgive me if I've missed it.

Just wondering how many of you have seen/like Being Human?

I think it has done amazingly well as supernatural genre show, especially considering this genre of show tends to struggle in the UK. Despite the fact I really enjoyed it I was skeptical they would give it a second season. But they did and it was brilliant!

So imagine my surprise that its onto series 3 now. I heard rumours the ratings had dropped slightly mid series 2 but interest must have been high enough for them to make a third. I'm really interested to see where they take the storyline this season and if its open to a forth! Fingers crossed!

[fenris]

Have to confess I'm not a fan of Being Human. I should explain that I enjoyed the original pilot episode immensely, and was delighted when BBC Three commissioned an entire series. When the news broke that there would be various changes (to the cast and format) between the pilot and the resulting show, I was slightly disappointed (especially by Angela Riseborough's departure), but I was still eagerly looking forward to the series.

Finally, the first season was broadcast... and after two episodes, I stopped watching.

I won't deny that Being Human is well written and has a talented cast, but I found it to be a distant, uninvolving show. It just failed to engage me on any level, and I found it impossible to care about the characters and their problems.

However, I'm clearly in the minority, as the genre press constantly rave about the show and it's swiftly built up a sizable and extremely loyal fanbase. It's considered such a success that an American version is currently in production.

So I'm glad you enjoy Being Human ciderandscones, but speaking for myself, I honestly thought that ITV1's Demons (which debuted at approximately the same time as Being Human) was - despite it's various flaws - a more enjoyable show.

[orokiah]

Welcome back ciderandscones!

Another member of the Demons > Being Human camp here, minority opinion though it is. Loved the Being Human pilot to bits, but I couldn't get into the series at all.

I'm tempted to give it another go, since most of my favourite shows have either been cancelled or are on the verge of it. Realistically, though, I'd probably only tune in now if there was a guest star I'd be interested in seeing. The much-lauded Lacey Turner playing someone than Stacey Slater is quite an intriguing prospect.

[fenris]

The SFX website reports that Being Human has spawned an on-line spin-off series;

This year Being Human is set to spawn a spin-off online in the form of Becoming Human, a 70-minute spin-off broken into seven chunks of differing lengths.
“It’s set in a different part of the country, one that’s undefined, but takes place in the same world, so we have the same rules and there are references to characters in the main show,” Being Human creator Toby Whithouse reveals.
Set in a college, it follows vampire Adam (Craig Roberts), werewolf Christa (Leila Mimmack) and ghost Matt (Josh Brown).
“We had to come up with a show directed at a slightly younger audience,” says Whithouse. “So we had this idea to set it in a school. It’s about these kids in detention – you could call it a supernatural Breakfast Club! The story’s about establishing the causes of Matt’s death so he can complete his journey.”
Viewers will be encouraged to puzzle over the mystery of Matt’s death themselves, with clues posted online in the form of press cuttings, CCTV footage and mobile phone clips.
“The work the online team have done has been fantastic. The episodes will go out weekly and then there’ll be endless fun to be had in-between. Every day the site will be updated in some way, so more clues will gradually filter out. It makes it much more enjoyable, because rather than just being a spectator you’re much more of a participant.”

Being Human starts airing in late January. The first part of Becoming Human will become available online after episode two has aired.

Source: www.sfx.co.uk/2011/01/07/becoming-human-will-be-a-spooky-breakfast-club/#ixzz1AY1YeR7E

[fenris]

The SFX website reports that Becoming Human is receiving a screening on BBC Three;

If you haven’t been following the Being Human spin-off, Becoming Human, online, then here’s your chance to catch up without having to log on.
A unique 50-minute special of the eight-part online series will be shown the week after the Being Human finale, on Sunday 20 March at 9pm. Becoming Human will transmit on BBC Three, simultaneously revealing the final part of the mystery to online fans and BBC Three viewers.
Becoming Human is BBC Three’s most successful multiplatform commission with over 1.5 million views on the BBC Red Button and online to date.
Sarah Clay, BBC Multiplatform Drama Commissioner, says: “The reaction from the fans has been brilliant. We commissioned it as a treat for the online fans and they’ve totally got into the spirit of it – analysing daily clues, coming up with theories… One of the biggest pieces of feedback we’ve had is that they can’t get enough of it and want longer episodes. So we hope they’ll be excited to hear that the whole of Becoming Human will be shown as one long episode on BBC Three. With the added twist that the final part of the puzzle showing how Matt died will be revealed on TV and online at the same time.”
Toby Whithouse, series creator says: "We were delighted when Becoming Human found such a loyal and enthusiastic audience online. The reaction was beyond our most optimistic dreams. And so for the BBC to give us this opportunity to share the show with a wider audience is fantastic news.”

Source: www.sfx.co.uk/2011/03/09/becoming-human-set-for-bbc-three-showing/#ixzz1GUFzzfS2

Hmm. Considering that the on-line Eastenders spin-off E20 was also shown on BBC Three, it's a safe bet that the current Waterloo Road on-line spin-off - Waterloo Road Reunited - will also be screened at some point.

Becoming Human has been getting very positive word-of-mouth on various forums, with quite a few commentators describing it as being better than it's parent show. So, although I'm not a fan of Being Human, I'll probably give Becoming Human a try. Perhaps it will make good on the promise that the original Being Human pilot hinted at, but which the series itself completely lacked.

[fenris]

Really enjoyed Becoming Human, though it can't honestly be considered a spin-off. By slavish adopting the identical premise of teaming up a ghost, vampire and werewolf, it's basically the fourth incarnation of Being Human, following on from the original pilot movie, the substantially altered & recast ongoing series, and the American remake.

There was great chemistry between Lelia Mimmack as the in-denial werewolf and Craig Roberts as a fortysomething stuck in the body of a teenager (and therefore completely floundering in his attempts to engage with his fellow students). Josh Brown also brought pathos to his role as a lovelorn spectre who was invisible even before he died, though I suspect his sad sack character will swiftly grate if further episodes are commissioned.

I actually think it would have been better if Brown's ghost had departed through his designated door at the conclusion of this initial adventure, if only to ensure that any future instalments would have therefore broken away from the formula established by Becoming Human's parent show. Other than that, I have no complaints. More please, BBC. But please... don't recast this time.