Demons (TV series)

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]

• Philip Glenister as Rupert Galvin: An American demon hunter with a sarcastic sense of humour, Rupert is Luke's godfather. His close friend was Luke's late father, whose death Rupert may have been partly responsible for. Rupert appears ruthless and cold-blooded, driven by a fanatical hatred of demons after one murdered his wife. But he is a warm-hearted individual who cares about his friends and looks upon Luke as a son. He drinks too much to drown his sorrows.
• Christian Cooke as Luke Rutherford: The main protagonist, Luke is a student who is nearing graduation when he meets his godfather, Rupert, who informs Luke that he is a descendant of Van Helsing and it is his destiny to save the world from demons. Due to this bloodline he has above average speed, strength, and skill at martial arts. Luke is reluctant to fight the demons but does so out of duty, though he often complains that he would rather be attending social functions with his friends. Luke appears to have a nihilistic outlook on life, but cares greatly about his best friend Ruby despite sometimes appearing indifferent toward her.[6]
• Holliday Grainger as Ruby: Ruby has been Luke's best friend since childhood. She is also in love with Luke, but is afraid to admit this. She has a rivalry with Mina and insists on accompanying the group in fighting demons. Her intelligence and resourcefulness often prove a great help to Luke, Rupert, and Mina, though they often overlook her.
• Zoë Tapper as Mina Harker: A beautiful but haughty blind woman, Mina has fought Half-Lives with Rupert and Luke's father. She is the same Mina Harker who appears in Bram Stoker's Dracula, having lived over a hundred years due to her vampire blood. She curbs her vampiric tendencies through dialysis. Mina has a psychometric sixth sense that allows her to touch objects and see their history. She treats Ruby like an annoying child. It is suggested that her blindness is a result of the measures she takes to suppress her vampiric tendencies as she is shown being able to move attack after drinking some of her own blood.
• Saskia Wickham as Jenny Rutherford: Luke's mother fears that he is becoming like his father: vague and always disappearing without telling her why.

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]

• List of vampire television series

• Official Philip Glenister site – Demons project
• Demons at IMDb
• Review, Leicester Mercury