Clan der Vampire

This was a wonderful series, full of interesting and charismatic actors. I've followed Patrick Bauchau, for example, ever since, especially as Sydney in The Pretender. The really sad thing is that the star, Mark Frankel,who played Julian Luna, was killed in a motorcycle accident the summer after the series wrapped, leaving a wife and two small children. Don't know if the show had any chance of continuing, but obviously that was the end of that -- and a promising career and life. Too bad there aren't real vampires, so he could have survived beyond the tragedy!

As I understand it, some of those who had played the game on which it was based were unhappy with the show -- they felt it didn't really do justice to its complexity or follow its rules. Never having played the game, I had no such reservations. I thought the show was well-written and excitingly paced, and would recommend the set to anyone interested in this genre.

I must admit, I love vampire movies, vampire television shows, vampire books. This was no exception. This production, based on a game, was much better than I expected. Though it produced some of the most overblown television dialogue to date, it also produced intense, shocking images. It was certainly one of the most powerful television episodes I've ever seen.

If you can catch reruns of it on the tube some night, lucky you.

OK, maybe C. Thomas Howell is a little melodramatic, but this series was a good and (generally) well-acted modern vampire tale. I wasn't watching television, I guess, when it originally aired. But I rented it a couple of years ago and enjoyed it so much that I bought it on DVD a short time ago. The set has two DVDs and is in 5.1--pretty stripped down in terms of extras (i.e., there aren't any). Still, it's worth a look. Mark Frankel and Patrick Bauchau are excellent in their roles.

This show portrays five clans of "Kindred"--vampires--living in San Francisco. Unlike most other vampire shows, however, the vampires are not seen as evil or unnatural. Julian Luna, the vampire prince, demonstrates the epic nobility of a King Arthur. The premier episode is unfortunately the low point of the series; if it wasn't so easy to get lost, I'd recommend skipping over it entirely and starting with the episode "Prince of the City." This is very much a love-it-or-hate-it kind of show; it's very loosely based on the role playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, and many players hate it for being so different from that game, but if you can watch it without expectations from Vampire (and without giving up after hearing some of the hideous dialogue in the premier episode), you'll find it one of the most compelling shows ever.

I am not a big fan of vampire stories but I really enjoyed The Kindred and it showed the clashes with the different vampire clans. I thought it had interesting stories and not just a lot of fangs. C Thomas Howell investigates unusual happenings not knowing that there are vampires.

You even liked some of the vampires! It had a lot of atmosphere and I was disappointed when it was cancelled. I would recommend it!