Being Human US 1x01

[lefaym]

My verdict: I liked it. It lacked the charm and wit of the UK version, but story-wise they did a lot of things that worked better.

• Aesthetically, this is very similar to the UK version. The scenes that introduce Aidan (not!Mitchell) and Josh (not!George) use the same blocking and camera angles as the corresponding scenes in the UK show. And Sally's (not!Annie) costume is almost identical to Annie's.
• The actors who play Aidan and Josh definitely don't have as much charisma as Aidan Turner and Russell Tovey. There were a few lines that would have been brilliant had Turner or Tovey delivered them, but they fell a bit flat in this version. Also, Aidan (that is, the character in the US version, not the UK actor) looks like a baby David Boreanz.
• The actress who plays Sally, however, is wonderful. She's different to Leonora Chrichlow, but every bit as good.
• I am also very impressed with the way they've refined the vampire and ghost mythologies in this version of the show. In the UK version, they seem to have been put together in a very ad hoc fashion, but this time around, they've really thought about things. I particularly like that in this one, ghosts can't move corporeal objects (although they can inadvertently cause lights to flicker and furniature to fall over), and that vampires can't eat, but can subsist on blood from bloodbanks (even if it's not as good as blood directly taken from humans). It makes Aidan's struggle to give up feeding on humans a bit more compelling.
• I think the storyline, which is still very similar to the UK version, has also been refined somewhat--because it's a longer season, they can take their time more, and tease things out a bit. I particularly like the addition of Josh's sister, Emily. She's an awesome character and her appearance really highlights the way that Josh's lycanthropy has isolated him.
• On the subject of Emily, it was also WONDERFUL to see an queer relationship on screen, in which both characters were ALIVE--the show is already doing better than the UK version on that front, since the only queer couple we've seen in that show only turned up after one them was already dead (and technically, as the other one was a vampire, they were both dead). However, there are no guarantees that Emily will remain alive. I shall be VERY PISSED OFF if she dies at any point during this season.
• I should probably also note that earlier reports that in this version of the show, the vampire would be Jewish, turned out not to be true. Josh is Jewish, however, just as George is in the UK version, and they have retained the bit about Aidan taking Josh's Magen David when he transforms--I'm happy about this, as it (a) emphasises the connection between the two of them and (b) it's always great to see the significance of non-Christian symbols recognised.
  

Conclusion: I'm definitely going to keep on watching it.