According to Deadline, CBS has a Van Helsing series in development.
And yes, the title appears to be Van Helsing, but it’s no relation to Syfy’s Van Helsing, which must make TV history awfully confusing to the average watcher.
This Van Helsing will be a lot closer in scope to CBS’s past hit, Elementary, which followed a modern-day Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Watson solving crimes.
Apparently, this series landed at CBS after quite a bidding war for it, even if the procedural king of broadcast network TV seems like a natural fit.
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It may have landed elsewhere, and we would have spent an eternity believing that it should have really aired on CBS. Whew! We dodged a bullet there.
But get this: Elementary creator Rob Doherty is an executive producer of the series, which was written by Jonathan Lee (the upcoming Lockerbie series), so we aren’t too far off the mark in our Elementary assessment!
Deadline shared the longline, which says, “It is a contemporary take on the monster hunter; Dr. Abraham Van Helsing uses his uniquely inquisitive mind working alongside his ex, relentless FBI special agent Mina Harker, to solve New York City’s most harrowing cases.”
Yep, that’s got the earmark of Elementary all over it.
Lee is currently in high demand. He’s an author and has other shows in the works, including an FX heist series.
If our relentless desire for vampire lore says anything, people will flock to Van Helsing.
The biggest surprise might be that, if we’re reading the logline right, the only monsters this Van Helsing will be chasing will be of the human variety.
That seems somewhat odd. Why utilize Van Helsing and Mina Harker if there’s nary a vampire in sight?
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While we often see networks utilize their IP, Van Helsing isn’t restricted to one venue.
We can only surmise that the name itself is enough to spark recognition in the eyes of viewers.
Still, it’s a relative gamble to wash away what makes Van Helsing so unique — his mastery of supernatural monsters.
Does the idea of this Van Helsing sound good to you?
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.