From IMDB: A shrewd FBI agent with a lost past who arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine, to solve the murder of a local ex-con only to discover that the curious enclave is a longtime refuge for people with supernatural powers that holds a lot of secrets, including to her own past.
Rating: 5 zillion stars
Best for: 16 and up
Season 1 Trailer
I am newly obsessed with this show. When I say obsessed, I mean, can’t stop thinking about the fact that there’s a new episode on Friday night, checking the facebook and twitter pages for any updates, watching blooper videos/cast interviews etc. I LOVE this show. Like, I don’t even know where to begin with this review.
Speaking of Supernatural (the above gif for those of you who don’t own a TV), Haven reminds me a lot of the wildly popular CW drama. Haven is a less dark version however, and follows two cops rather than two demon hunting brothers. I honestly thought Haven was going to be WAY creepier and more terrifying than it turned out to be (thank goodness because I don’t like terrifying all that much). That being said, it is based off a Stephen King book, so it has its share of scary.
Haven is usually episodic in nature, although there is always the arc of Audrey (the FBI Agent who moved to Haven) trying to figure out who she really is, how she is connected to Haven and what her purpose is. The episodes usually follow a different Havenite and their trouble (the term used for whatever supernatural ability they possess) and how Audrey and her partner Nathan figure out how to help them and stop whatever havoc the troubled person is wreaking on the town. Some of the troubles are terrifying, some are hilariously lame (not in a, this show is stupid way, in a wow, that is ridiculous and hilarious way). But the cases are always interesting, and the writing is serious with lots of humor sprinkled throughout. There are plenty of episodes that will leave you saying, “What did I just watch?”, but then, welcome to the Syfy channel.
I love this diverse cast of characters. Nathan and Audrey (main leads; middle and right on poster above) are fairly serious, although they can every once in a while crack a joke. Their relationship is great; it takes quite a while for them to become romantically interested in each other. They build a really sweet friendship that for a time is really just that, a friendship. It’s so important for them to be close like this because of the nature of their job. When it transitions to something more, its absolutely believable and wonderfully adorable. Duke (left on the poster), the other main character (yes, he’s involved in a dreaded love triangle. This one doesn’t bother me much since he’s so likeable), always has something snarky or hilarious to say, especially since he’s a criminal who works closely with the Haven PD. He adds a nice lightness to the show to help balance Nathan out.
There’s a myriad of secondary characters, all of whom are very mysterious (we’re still waiting to get answers on some them and we’re already in season 4) and at times exceedingly entertaining. They drop hints like a trail of bread crumbs for poor Audrey about her past, making the audience wonder how much they really know.
Another great thing about Haven is it’s fairly clean. There’s not much language (that I remember), practically no sex (onscreen at least); there is at times some blood/violence, and again, some of the troubles are very creepy, so maybe not the best choice for the younger peeps. In essence it’s a cop/sci-fi/fantasy hybrid show, so you can imagine that there are a lot of deaths or crimes at the heart of the conflict.
I mean, they’re like, whatever…but seriously. You should watch this show. Cause it’s awesome.
Did I mention there’s PLENTY of angst?
I’m done. I promise.
Ok, just one more.
