No 2nd season for THE FADES, BEING HUMAN (UK) 5 is a go

Sad but true, BBC’s hit supernatural TV show THE FADES has been cancelled after just one season. This is surely hard for fans (including myself) to understand, as THE FADES was one of the brightest spots in the UK’s programming schedule.

From SFX via ScienceFiction.com:
“While being interviewed by SFX regarding his role in Snow White and the Huntsman, Johnny Harris, who played Neil in the series, confirmed that ‘The Fades’ had not been “commissioned” for another year.”

As I recall, in the last episode of THE FADES, we left poor, crazy Neil huddled at the bottom of a stairwell watching the skies darken ominously overhead and anticipating the coming apocalypse. Now we’ll never know if he was right, or if the Angelic Paul and his friends were ever going to get off of that rooftop and save the world after all. Talk about your cliffhanger endings! I hate to think of this surprisingly original show being forever remembered as just a one-season wonder. Well, at least we’ll always have the DVD.

One has to wonder if the rumors about the BBC making a choice between continuing either THE FADES or BEING HUMAN were true, as news that BEING HUMAN has been picked up for a fifth season is now official.

From the BBC press release:
“Toby Whithouse, Creator and Exec Producer, is keeping plans closely under wraps but can confirm that werewolf Tom (Michael Socha) and vampire Hal (Damien Molony) will return. He says: ‘Being Human lives on! The response to series four has been terrific. We’re thrilled that the audience have taken the new cast into their hearts with such enthusiasm and affection. We’re delighted to have this opportunity to expand the world further and explore new characters and tell new stories. A heartfelt thank you to all the fans for their unstinting support, and to the BBC for letting us mess up the sandpit for a fifth year.’

It’s also not hard to read between the lines of that BBC press release to discern that our gal ghostie Annie (Lenora Crichlow) may not be coming back to Honolulu Heights for another full season. Toby Whithouse himself replied to a question on the BBC BEING HUMAN Blog about new cast member Alex (Kate Bracken)’s return next season with, “She is our new ghost! So yes, she will!” Since the show is about “A ghost, A werewolf and A vampire,” I think you get where this is going. Not that the new cast members aren’t doing a terrific job, but Annie! She’s the last link with our old crew.

The transition this year between two of the three original characters leaving and the new ones being added was pretty seamless, and it might have simply been too much to have Annie vanish prematurely as well. They needed her to make that transition work. I only hope that they will give Annie a better sendoff than they did George. (Note: we in the USA haven’t reached the end of Series 4 on BBC America yet. However, if you want to be spoiled, read the BBC BEING HUMAN Blog Q&A with creator Toby Whithouse, the link is below.)

What with the glut of fantasy, sci fi and supernatural shows currently available on television here in the USA, it’s difficult for an American to understand the BBC’s decision to continue with only one of its two hit supernatural TV series. I’m very sad to see THE FADES cancelled, and as much as I simply adored both shows, if I had to choose I would have put my money on THE FADES, simply for being the fresher of the two series. However, BEING HUMAN made a great many changes this season, and yet came through relatively unscathed. Perhaps the BBC decided to bet on what they thought was the sure thing.

Full Sciencefiction.com article here: BBC Cancels Supernatural Series ‘The Fades’

BBC BEING HUMAN Blog: Series 5 of BEING HUMAN Announced