TV Review: The Fades (2011)

The Fades (2011) created by Jack Thorn

British teenager Paul has a troubled life. His dad left the family a while back and Paul is having nightmares of the apocalyptic variety. He and his friend Mac are the biggest nerds at school (though Mac is always quoting 1980s movies, so he might be the nerdiest of all). Even Paul's sister can barely stand them. He has a strained relationship with the school counselor/therapist. If all that wasn't bad enough, now he can see dead people, called the Fades.

Luckily, he runs into a group of people who also can see the Fades (they call themselves Angelics) and who have been working to keep the Fades from causing trouble. New trouble is brewing because some of the Fades have taken to eating human flesh (which doesn't make sense since they don't interact with the living in any other way), which causes them to be "reborn" into bodies. Naturally, the Fades think they are the next step in evolution and pursue their agenda with gusto. Can Paul stop them and fix up his broken life?

The story is told over six hour-long episode, so there is plenty of time for character development, major plot twists/reversals, scares, and chases. The premise is fairly unbelievable but the characters are interesting enough and the writing sharp enough to make it enjoyable. The last episode finished the story but left open more developments. That is unlikely to happen since the series finished in 2011 and there's no sign of a second series being greenlit.

Parental Advisory: There's a bit of swearing and a lot of sex (though only shadowy nudity) in the show. Also, it is a bit gory when they fight and when the Fades are "reborn." Recommended for late teens and up.