Early Review: Syfy's New Series Bitten Has Got Bite

By Jamie Ruby

BittenTomorrow night the all new series Bitten will premiere on Syfy. The series is based on #1 New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld novels. Bitten stars Laura Vandervoort as Elena Michaels, a woman with a startling secret – she's a werewolf, and the only female one in existence.

Abandoning her Pack, Elena moves to the city to try to create a normal life for herself as a photographer. She hides her true identity from the world and her boyfriend Philip (Paul Greene).

BittenElena's past comes back to haunt her, when after a woman is murdered she is called back to her Pack by Alpha Jeremy Danvers (Greg Bryk) to help them track the killer. This is made more complicated by the fact that one of the Pack members is Jeremy's brother Clayton (Greyston Holt), her ex-boyfriend.

BittenThere are a good number of shows on television right now about supernatural creatures, many that include werewolves. Knowing that I was slightly skeptical going into watching the series, even knowing it was based on a popular book series, because you never know how well it's going to translate. I have to say, however, that I was quite pleasantly surprised; the show stands apart from the others currently on television. First the show, at least at this point, seems to be strictly werewolves, which most aren't (though I have no idea if that will change). Secondly there is a strong female lead. Also, being a werewolf seems to be more controllable than in a lot of other series. As long as they don't go for too long between changing, they can change back and forth at will. The other big difference is that they retain who they are as wolves. They don't struggle to try not to kill humans. I also like the fact that they don't become normal actual werewolves, but rather they actually become real wolves. Also as much as the show is about Elena not wanting to be a wolf, it's also about wanting to belong.

I also like that the series is geared towards an older audience; it's not a teen drama. It's got an interesting storyline, intriguing relationships, and its own set of werewolf lore and rules. Also the fact that Elena is the only female werewolf is interesting in and of itself.

I think that Bitten has a good chance at becoming a hit for Syfy. It's got a great ensemble cast and what it needs to succeed and quickly grab a fan base.

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