For those who don't remember, either because they were too young or living in a cave, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) was a television show about a strong woman (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) with super strength whom had a calling to fight vampires and evil demons, as well as having to deal with life problems and angst. Buffy was a show that spoke to many people; young and old; female and male; and it was for this reason that the show acquired a large fan base. And, as the makers of the show stayed true to and listened to the fans, the fan base grew and stayed.
Being Human is a relatively new show, having only two seasons to date. Being Human is based around three characters; a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost, whom are all living together whilst they deal with the transition from being human to being something else, and how they now fit into this world.
Initially, my reason for wanting to compare these two TV programs was due to the similarities and, interesting differences, between the mythologies of the shows. Obviously, they are both in the same genre of fantasy, so, they are similar in context. In both television programs, vampires are "made" in the same way - the vampire drinks the victim until almost death and then the victim feeds from the vampire - in Buffy this is known as "siring" and in Being Human it's called "recruiting". In BtVS it's like family. In Being Human it's more like a job. Werewolf and ghost mythology is also pretty much the same in both shows. There is even a werewolf called Nina in Being Human as well as a werewolf in the also popular Buffy spin-off show Angel, and Being Human's Nina even name checks Angel's Nina in an episode.
One of the main differences between the mythologies of the two programs is that in Being Human vampires can go out during the daylight. Whereas, in Buffy and Angel they cannot. Another noticeable difference is that, in BtVS, vampires supposedly have no reflection, but they show up on camera (which, of course, uses mirrors); however, in Being Human, vampires don't have a reflection, neither in a mirror directly, nor on camera. This mythology error first came up in the season two Buffy episode 'School Hard' and was used as a joke in the season seven episode 'Storyteller'.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Being Human also have, sort of, similar characters - the obvious comparison is that both shows have a werewolf called Nina in their universe. Comparisons can also be made between BtVS's Caleb (the priest played by Nathan Fillion in season seven) and the priest from season two of Being Human (an easily forgettable character - Kemp - played by Donald Sumpter). Okay, to be honest there aren't many similarities between these two characters apart from they're both priests. But I wanted to compare these two characters because Caleb was a memorable character that you loved to hate. He was evil and merciless, but with a small charm, and it was easy for us to believe that he tricked girls into following him before killing them. However, it was hard to believe that Lucy (Lyndsey Marshal) in Being Human would betray Mitchell for Kemp. Therefore, in my opinion, Caleb from Buffy was a much better character; he was well-written, better acted, and would blatantly win in a fight!
My second character comparison is between The Master (BtVS) and Herrick (Being Human); played by Mark Metcalf and Jason Watkins, respectively. Both characters are leader vampires who are followed by other vampires (their minions). The Master was an odd looking vampire in season one of Buffy who was trapped beneath Sunnydale, and Buffy had to face him in the season finale and, after she downs and then is brought back to life, she kills him. The Master actually rarely comes face-to-face with the characters he opposes. Herrick was the ring leader of the vampires in season one of Being Human and, like The Master, he is disposed of in the season finale. However, unlike The Master [spoiler alert], Herrick is brought back to life in the season two finale. Vampires do try to resurrect The Master at the beginning of season two of Buffy, but they fail. Personally, I prefer Herrick as a vampire villain, he is twisted and fun, and I look forward to seeing more of the character in series three. Although, if these two characters had a fight, I believe The Master would win.
My third, and final, character comparisons are between Being Human's Mitchell (Aidan Turner) and BtVS's Angel (David Boreanaz). Angel is a vampire with a soul, as well as the love of Buffy's life. Both Angel and Mitchell are brooding vampires who do not want to feed from humans; Angel because he has a soul and this makes him feel guilty, and Mitchell because the burden when they kill and are forced to relate more with humanity. As for who would win in a fight? I believe that would be Angel.
Admittedly, Being Human is still in it's early stages, but if you ask me: 'Do I think Being Human will be better than BtVS, or ever have the same fan base?' My answer would be 'No'. Buffy, like I said, always stayed true to it's fans and its fans paid the same courtesy as the show. And Buffy, along with spins-offs have continued in comic book form, keeping the show almost as popular today as it always was.
What are your opinions on these two television shows?
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