Vampires seem to be making a comeback on the small screen, and Syfy brings a comedic entry into the resurgence.
Reginald the Vampire Season 1 Episode 1 managed to provide some light-hearted vampire fun while staying true to vampires.
While its seriousness is still evident, we can appreciate its fun in a time when serious (Let The Right One In) or sexual (Interview With a Vampire) vampires seem to reign.
The premiere set up the entire season well but didn’t do much else to draw us in.
Jacob Batalon portrays Reginald wonderfully, and we hope the show improves as the season leaves setup mode.
In a world full of remakes and reboots, the freshness of Reginald the Vampire provides a brilliant sign of relief.
Based on Johnny B. Truant’s novel, Fat Vampire, the series follows Reginald as he becomes a vampire and deals with the internal politics that reflect his real-world issues.
While the lore of vampires stayed the same (like how he got turned, the sunlight thing, etc.), the series adds an exciting element to its plot: fatphobia.
Reginald had already been dealing with fatphobia at work and throughout his everyday life, but the vampire community didn’t approve of his size either.
Maurice, the vampire that turned him, wants to keep his existence as hidden as possible to avoid the high-up vampires’ scrutiny.
This is Syfy’s second foray into plus-sized representation in sci-fi/fantasy media this year, with Astrid and Lilly Save The World‘s first season earlier this year.
A crossover in the future would be super cool (just saying, SYFY), but back to Reginald.
Jacob Batalon, who comes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ned Leeds (Peter Parker’s best friend), leads the cast as Reginald.
He portrays the titular character wonderfully, showcasing his comedic ability and emotional range.
Unfortunately, the first episode falls into a pattern of many first episodes: it’s all set up.
Reginald got turned. He dealt with the ramifications. He tried out his new powers.
While they only hinted at the more profound politics of this world’s vampires, the hints proved interesting.
The head vampire, played by Savannah Basley (a SYFY alum from Wynonna Earp and SurrealEstate), seems to be quite menacing and harbored issues with the vampire that turned Reginald, Maurice.
Maurice proved interesting, as he seemingly cared for Reginald as his maker.
Played by Mandela Van Peebles (Mayor of Kingstown), Maurice turned Reginald and acted as his mentor.
Hopefully, Reginald and Maurice’s friendship will continue to grow because they are a great pair.
Their chemistry works well, and with Maurice being Reginald’s maker, there’s plenty of opportunity for a fascinating relationship.
As mentioned, though, the hour mainly introduced everything without many indicators of the entirety of the series’ quality.
The plot is there, and the characters are established, so hopefully, we’ll get more from the episodes in the future.
The effects are serviceable, and the blood looks fine—nothing t, but nothing incredibly monumental either.
The romance aspect of the series may also take more of the forefront in the coming weeks, but that may not be a bad thing.
The romantic interest of Batalon’s Reginald is Sarah, played by Em Haine (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), and their chemistry (so far) is enjoyable.
The hour saw Reginald ask her out, then break up with her the next day after missing her date (because of the vampire thing).
The episode ended with her showing up at his place demanding they talk because she liked him and him trying to control his vampiric urges.
Reginald’s vampire education must be fast-tracked if he wants his friends to stay alive.
Hopefully, round two will reveal how he handles the situation with Sarah!
We want them to make it somehow work out, but a vampire dating a human doesn’t seem like a good idea (especially when there aren’t any werewolves involved — that we know of).
Once we get past the setup, the show may be brilliantly hilarious or depressingly unfunny and tiresome.
Hopefully, the foundation in place will launch the series into a funny success.
The source material is six novels long, so there are plenty of ideas to go within the universe.
The plethora of new vampire media in 2022 seems weird, but most (if not all) of the other shows/movies have taken a serious and dark approach.
Likely compared to the other vampire comedy on cable, FX’s What We Do In The Shadows, Reginald The Vampire occupies a weird space in genre television.
What We Do In The Shadows and Resident Alien serve as the exception to the rule, but genre comedies are a niche that doesn’t often get much attention.
Jacob Batalon will draw his fans from the MCU over to Syfy, but will it be enough to be successful?
Hopefully, the series will improve from here because of its potential in the premiere.
Batalon’s performance holds up, and the plus-sized aspect of vampire politics could be pretty interesting (if done well).
Only time will tell if the series becomes successful, but the debut teased what’s to come, and the show’s intrigue is there.
Hopefully, the next hour will pick up the pacing and move past the setup.
So, Fanatics, what did you think of the first episode?
Will you be tuning into more Reginald the Vampire?
Let us know in the comments below, and remember to watch Reginald the Vampire online here!
Michael Stack is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.