My wife, brother and I have been watching both the UK and US versions of Being Human, shows about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost sharing an apartment, just trying to lead normal lives. I love comparing the two shows, though I’m not interested so much in the US/UK cultural differences… and while it’s interesting that, stylistically, the two shows are very different, I’m not that interested in analyzing that, either.

Which I find fascinating about this is when the shows are almost exactly the same — but not quite.

For example, we recently watched episodes where, in both versions of the show:

1. Werewolf #1 befriends a fellow, more experienced Werewolf #2, who tries to teach him how to manage this whole werewolf thing.
2. Werewolf #1 is insulted by a Nurse in the hospital where he works.
3. Werewolves #1 and #2 go to a bar, and Werewolf #2 shows Werewolf #1 how he can use his magic powers of werewolfishness to get a date with the waitress.
4.  Werewolf #1 bumps into Nurse again. She tries to apologize, and Werewolf #1 makes an embarrasingly awful attempt to seduce her, which completely fails.

There are some major changes in the feel of plot point #3 in the US and UK versions; the former has Werewolf #2 coming off totally creepy, and the latter’s werewolf comes off more believably attractive. But I was most intrigued by plot point #4.

The only real difference between versions is the presence of Werewolf #2 in the scene. In the UK version, he’s there with Werewolf #1 and Nurse, goading Werewolf #1 on through a seduction attempt that Werewolf #1 doesn’t really want to commit to. Werewolf #2 doesn’t say much at all; his mere presence is causing some peer pressure.

In the US version, Werewolf #2 isn’t in this scene at all. Werewolf #1 takes it upon himself to try out the magical seduction thing on Nurse, and it completely changes the dynamic of the scene. We see Werewolf #1’s actions as bad handling of his relationship with Nurse, instead of seeing it in terms of  trying to impress his new werewolf mentor. We see how Werewolf #1 is already starting to internalize Werewolf #2’s teachings, instead of getting dragged through his education.

I like how in the US version, Werewolf #1 owns his own failure. I think it made his story more interesting.

It’s a small difference, but it changes a lot. And that’s why I like watching both versions of this show simultaneously. It’s like you’re getting to isolate your variables in a controlled experiment, and you’re going to learn the most from such experiments when the isolation is clean. It’s a great way to learn about writing.