Being Human: The Complete Series Review

The definitive verdicts on each of the four seasons of this BBC3 drama!
There's a reason why the BBC just commissioned a fifth series of Being Human to air on BBC3 in 2013: the show has become immensely popular here in the UK with cult sci-fi fans, and rightly so. Below are my verdicts on each of the four seasons of the show so far...
THE COMPLETE FIRST SERIES (4.5/5)- Being Human really started off with a bang in its opening run. Although the DVD omits the pilot episode (which introduced the main characters), viewers will quickly fall in love with the empathetic cast and their various plights. Where the season is strongest by far is that despite the absurdity of the worlds of vampires, werewolves and ghosts, the writing team led by Toby Whithouse make this genre feel genuinely realistic and plausible, a massive achievement compared to the likes of The Wolfman and Jennifer's Body. In terms of best and worst moments, the episode where Annie is visited by another spirit from beyond is a true highlight, whereas the finale marks a distinct low point with its irksomely predictable resolution to the main series plot arc. Overall, a very strong start that boasted tons of potential for the show to grow.
THE COMPLETE SECOND SERIES (3.5/5)- The second bunch of episodes often feel a little more wayward than their predecessors, perhaps because the writers lost their footing in terms of innovation or because they were preparing for the big twists at the run's climax. Either way, storylines like the desperate fortune-teller, George's attempts to conceal the beast and more are shaky at best, only getting really interesting when they come together for the finale. Nevertheless, a fun set of romps all the same.
THE COMPLETE THIRD SERIES (4/5)- This epic game-changer of a run might as well have been sub-titled Reprecussions, as the majority of it focuses on the consequences and dire ramifications of all that took place in the Series Two finale. Debts must be paid, old foes reborn and the darkest of prophecies fulfilled in the most tragic of ways. Truly, the finale contains the best portrayals of Mitchell, George, Nina and Annie of the entire show, brilliantly bringing to a close the first era of the programme. That there is so little room for a 'new' plot arc rather than one prompted by last season is a bit of a shame structurally, but it's a step up nonetheless.
THE COMPLETE FOURTH SERIES (3/5)- Meanwhile the latest series of Being Human might as well have been called Unforeseen Complications. Sadly, with Mitchell gone, two more members of the main cast decide to depart too in what is a rushed opener that only occassionally pulls at the heartstrings due to its disjointed feel. From there, we get a new, far less connective group of supernaturals who really don't feel as if they can carry the show, a sense that changes little over the course of the run. The War Child arc is exciting at first, but in the end results in little but another lead's death and a useless tease for Series Five that boils down to "What if I told you that we have been...watching you?!?"; "So?"; "Oh.". I really hope the writers of the show can buck up their ideas next year for what will probably be the final season of this now-dwindling Being Human.