The supernatural fantasy genre has TV shows ranging from classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer to fan favorites like Supernatural, but with such a range, many incredible shows slip through the cracks. One perfect example is Being Human, a 2008 supernatural comedy-drama that is tragically underrated. Despite remaining on air for five seasons, finding a streaming home on Prime Video, and inspiring a US remake of the same name (which is conveniently also available on the same streamer), Being Human is too often forgotten. Admittedly, the series never reached the same level of notoriety as others, but it remains a hidden gem.
Being Human follows three supernatural beings trying to live normal lives. In doing so, it tells a compelling story while exploring identity, mental health, and addiction through an unconventional perspective. Not only is the story unique, but with a rare blend of comedy and supernatural horror elements, the series creates a tone that few shows can. Starring Aidan Turner, Russell Tovey, and Lenora Crichlow (at least for the first few seasons), Being Human creates lovable and relatable characters that draw the audience in. Though too often ignored, the series deserves more attention, especially since it is so easily accessible.
What Is ‘Being Human’ About?
The premise of the show is simple. Two unlikely friends, the vampire John Mitchell (Turner) and the werewolf George Sands (Tovey), choose to reject their predatory natures and live in normal society. As John abstains from drinking blood and George carefully manages his transformations, they take low-profile jobs. This commonality helps the pair form a deep friendship despite the hostilities between their kinds, but they are not the only supernatural beings around. As they move in together, they discover that there is a third, secret roommate, the recently deceased ghost Annie Sawyer (Crichlow), who haunts the house. Due to their supernatural natures, they can interact with Annie in ways previous occupants couldn’t, and she is grateful for the company. These three become an odd sort of found family, each bringing their own abilities and baggage that few others could hope to understand.
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world’s conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world’s moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You’d find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien’s universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
The Wizarding World
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter’s universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Westeros · The Known World
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don’t confuse the world as it is with the world as you’d like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
The United Federation of Planets
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe’s most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don’t just hope that’s possible. You think it’s the only thing worth working toward.
Known for its tonal whiplash, Being Human combines the hilarious, awkward drama between roommates with dark supernatural elements and incorporates a deeper exploration of identity to boot. As the characters defy their instincts to live a normal life, the series allows them to struggle to balance their impulses and who they want to be, in an interesting commentary on life. With so much going on, Being Human gives the audience a little of everything, making it an exciting watch.
‘Being Human’ Thrives with Relatable Characters
Despite their unique circumstances, Being Human makes its characters relatable. Rather than telling a creative but surface-level story, the series delves deeper, allowing each to represent a very real struggle. John’s temptation to drink blood is used to address drug addiction, George’s attempts to manage his transformations without hurting others parallel the dangers of alcoholism, and Annie’s ghost-induced isolation represents depression. This method translates their struggles into real-world issues, building sympathy from the audience and packing the story with deeper meanings. By allowing the characters to be both lovable and relatable, Being Human sets itself apart.
In the end, the characters became both a blessing and a curse for the series as the later seasons had to say goodbye to them. After Season 3, Turner departed to pursue other opportunities, and Tovey followed suit after Season 4’s premiere. Though Crichlow remained through the end of Season 4, she didn’t return for the fifth installment. This left Being Human to continue with an entirely new set of main characters, which is never an easy transition. Ultimately, the show ended with Season 5, and even though many fans were disappointed by the change, creating a polarizing conclusion, the finale is generally considered a good sendoff, which is better than many shows can claim. Despite such complications,Being Human is a unique and fascinating show even after so many years. While it might not be widely discussed, it deserves more attention than it gets.
