Reception
Demons debuted on ITV with 6.27 million viewers. 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." 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" 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." 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." Kevin O'Sullivan gave Demons a more positive review describing it as, "diabolically daft...and wonderfully watchable." 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. Speaking at the Ashes to Ashes press launch Glenister said that: " 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."
On 26 February 2009, The Sun reported that Philip Glenister had said he would not return for another series which put the future of the whole show in doubt.
Demons premiered in the United States on 2 January 2010, on BBC America, airing at 9:00 pm ET/PT.
On 19 June 2009 ITV confirmed it would not be making a second series of Demons.
Read more about this topic: Demons (TV Series)
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