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Demons (TV series)

Demons is a British six-part supernatural drama TV series produced by Shine TV, which premiered on ITV on 3 January 2009.[3] It was produced by the same company that made the Sky One supernatural drama Hex and the BBC One fantasy series Merlin. The DVD of the only series made was released on 6 April 2009.

Overview

The plot follows the adventures of a London teenager Luke Rutherford, who learns that he is the last descendant of the Van Helsing line by the sudden arrival of his American godfather Rupert Galvin. Luke is charged with the role of smiting the gathering dark forces of the world whilst trying to live an ordinary life of exams and parties.[4] Rupert Galvin helps train Luke with the assistance of Mina Harker, a blind vampiric concert pianist and authority on half-lives (i.e., vampires, demons, zombies, and werewolves). Luke's best friend Ruby also joins in on the action.[5]

Cast and characters

Notable demons

Episodes

Reception

Demons debuted on ITV with 6.27 million viewers.[7] Episode 1 received mixed reviews. Andrew Billen gave the show 4 stars in The Times stating that whilst it had similarities with other previous TV series, the producers "certainly know how to steal with panache."[11] Sarah Dempster wrote in The Guardian that "The action is snappy and Philip Glenister (as ace vampire smiter Rupert Galvin) sizzles like a hot steak in his Milk Tray turtleneck, but this is thin soup for an audience weaned on the otherworldly warmth of Doctor Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer"[12] Charlie Brooker described the premiere episode as "a string of cutscenes from a quirky gothic videogame", stating that he was, "genuinely not sure if ITV are wheeling it out as a hit or sneaking it out as a clunker."[13] Meanwhile, Kim Newman wrote in The Times that: "Demons is a show I'd really like to like, but it needs to free itself from the templates it's adopted to develop its own personality. The elements that intrigue all come from Stoker's still-influential novel, while the encrustations derive from more recent glosses on the great Van Helsing tradition."[14] Kevin O'Sullivan gave Demons a more positive review describing it as, "diabolically daft...and wonderfully watchable."[15] The second episode saw a drop in the viewing figures, achieving 5.58 million, and ratings continued to fall, plunging to 4.22 for the fourth episode and 4.04 for the fifth.

Philip Glenister's American accent has raised questions as to why he chose that voice for the series, with speculation forming that it was to distance himself from his Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes character, Gene Hunt.[16] Speaking at the Ashes to Ashes press launch Glenister said that: "[Rupert] was written as a Texan originally and I thought bollocks to that – I'm not playing a Texan. They said I could play him as English, but I wanted to have the challenge of playing an American."[17]

Demons premiered in the United States on 2 January 2010, on BBC America,[18] airing at 9:00 pm ET/PT.[19]

On 19 June 2009 ITV confirmed it would not be making a second series of Demons.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Demons Panel & Exclusive Preview @ MCM Expo". London MCM Expo. MCM Expo Group. 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "Demons: Brand new drama". stv.tv. 31 December 2008. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  3. ^ "Coming soon: Demons". ITV. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  4. ^ "Demons – Philip Glenister's Van Helsing Program on ITV". Scifind.co.uk. 10 November 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  5. ^ Wilkes, Neil (2 December 2008). "2009 TV Preview: Demons". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  6. ^ Demons Debut Sets a Record for BBC America
  7. ^ a b Weekly Viewing Summary. See relevant week. BARB.
  8. ^ Demons – Suckers (Season 1 Episode 4) Archived 2 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. LocateTV. Retrieved on 13 February 2009.
  9. ^ Demons – Smitten (Season 1 Episode 5) Archived 8 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. LocateTV. Retrieved on 13 February 2009.
  10. ^ Television – News – 'Demons' ends on a series low. Digital Spy (8 February 2009). Retrieved on 13 February 2009.
  11. ^ Demons; The Antiques Rogue Show; Above Suspicion – Times Online. Entertainment.timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved on 13 February 2009.
  12. ^ Sarah Dempster on the weekend's TV | Culture. The Guardian. Retrieved on 13 February 2009.
  13. ^ Brooker, Charlie (3 January 2009). "Charlie Brooker's screen burn". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  14. ^ Newman, Kim (3 January 2009). "Philip Glenister stars in Demons". The Times. London. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  15. ^ O'Sullivan, Kevin (4 January 2009). "Demons is daft... but wonderfully watchable". The Mirror. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  16. ^ Rawson-Jones, Ben (8 January 2009). "'Demons' S01E01: 'They Bite'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  17. ^ "Glenister explains 'Demons' accent choice". Digital Spy. 8 January 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  18. ^ Demons Are Coming From BBC America
  19. ^ "Demons – BBC America". Archived from the original on 4 January 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  20. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (19 June 2009). "ITV deals killer blow to Demons". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 June 2009.

External links