Dracula (2013)

Its aspirations and its execution are perfectly in sync; there is no way that Meyers could overact, or, indeed, not act enough, that would not suit the material.

Watching this conspiracy, class warfare and romantic indiscretion collide makes for a hugely engaging show, all the more so because of the lushly photographed Victorian settings and droll dialogue.

Rhys Meyers already has his fans, but he’s likely to win over skeptics as this new Dracula makes a seduction out of death.

Grayson/Dracula and his pals sound closer to characters from a '30s film than a 21st century TV series. But over time, as our modern ears adjust to the melodramatically declarative style, the antiquated dialogue enhances the other-worldly tone of the series.

All dark shadows and gloom, there's a comic-book vigor to the series, and the narrative contortion of a soap.

Like “Hannibal” (another NBC drama built around an antihero with a peculiar diet), this series pushes boundaries in terms of gore, torture and sex, flourishes that feel both organic and perhaps a bit less jarring given the fantastic setting and situations.

The show has a knack for Godfather-style plots and counter­plots, as well as for sixties Hammer-horror violence that doles out gore and suffering strategically: a dollop of blood here, a severed head there. There’s a bracing wantonness to the writers’ inventions here.

The show has a lot going on and it isn’t always easy to follow, but for the most part it’s stylish, sexy and smart.

Lead writer Daniel Knauf, who created HBO’s “Carnivale,” has tweaked Bram Stoker’s classic tale in delightful, if heavy-handed ways.

J’apprécie l’acteur Jonathan Rhys-Meyers qui a brillé (notamment) dans la série des Tudor mais le voir empêtré dans cette sinistre connerie de série de merde, ça fait de la peine. Une série d’une lenteur assez incroyable, à faire mourir de honte une tortue des Galapagos. C’est une série également très bavarde (on se croirait au théâtre ce soir). L’intrigue est de toute façon éventée et pue de la gueule et de fait, on n’y croit pas une seule seconde. En outre et enfin, l’univers victorien est soporifique à souhait en plus d’accumuler tous les poncifs du genre.Rien que le premier épisode a été une putain de purge (il n’y a pourtant que 10 épisodes en tout !). Alors les autres… pas de temps à perdre sur un tel étron !