Blood Ties (TV)

But I'm really not a devotee of chick flicks, and I am a horror fan first and foremost. So when I heard that Lifetime was producing a drama / detective series based upon the popular paranormal romance novel series by Tanya Huff, I had my doubts — yet, I was intrigued. I'm more Lestat than Nosferatu (I prefer sexy male vampires to the scary ones), so I was willing to give the screener disk a whirl.

The show revolves around Vicki Nelson (Christina Cox), a former Metropolitan Toronto Police Detective who's been forced to turn P.I. due to a progressive disease that causes ever-failing eyesight. Fortunately for her, she's easy on the eyes and is able to use those feminine wiles to solve a myriad of crimes and misdemeanors. But when a young man is found dead, drained of all his blood, Vicki has to put all her faculties to use.

She's hired to solve the murder by the decedent's gothy girlfriend (Gina Holden), and begins to work hand-in-glove with her old partner in the PD, Mike Celluci (Dylan Neal). They have a past, and before long Vicki finds a future with an unlikely ally: a 450 year old vampire named Henry Fitzroy (Kyle Schmid).

Henry, obviously not scared off by the er, "stakeouts", becomes an honorary P.I. himself to help Vicki stop the rogue bloodsucker whose victims are beginning to add up at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, oblivious mortal Mike starts to get jealous and a love triangle forms, adding sexual tension throughout the 22 episode first season of Blood Ties.

The two-hour premiere of Blood Ties is somewhat anemic in detective department, so if you're looking for a CSI-meets-Dracula (or another Forever Knight), you might be somewhat disappointed. However, the acting is very good and the casting is totally believable. Vicki is a strong character who is smart and sexy, but isn't too young or too over-the-top with her quippy dialogue. Chestnut-haired Henry fills the bill in the young playboy area, while cool blonde Mike convincingly attracts Vickie for other, more practical, reasons. All the actors have good chemistry together, making spending an hour a week with this trio is something to look forward to.

While the mysteries aren't exactly up to Agatha Christie snuff, the supernatural subject matter is more than welcome and the guys are hot — what more can a horror-chick ask for?

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