The following contains spoilers from Eternally Yours Episode 1, “Pilot” and Episode 2, “Baby Vampire” now streaming on Paramount+.
In the run-up to its premiere, the marketing for Eternally Yours buried (ironic for a show about the undead) its true premise. The teasers introduced Max, a human dating a woman whose entire family (save for one woman) are vampires. Only, that’s not the actual dynamic of the show. Because at the end of the pilot, a fatally wounded Max is turned into a vampire to prevent his death. Thus, the second episode, “Baby Vampire,” is perhaps the true introduction to what this sitcom will be.
The cast of Eternally Yours is around the same size as Ghosts, and it shares the same qualities as that series. Which is to say, while there are humorous characters and silly situations, it doesn’t quite work for me as a comedy. However, the fantasy premise and the characters are interesting enough to me as a Certified Genre Nerd™ that I want to see what happens next. Yet what each episode of Ghosts has that Eternally Yours lacks is a feeling of completeness. Even though the show has yet to elicit a genuine, out-loud laugh, each story feels unsatisfyingly short. But, I’m not giving up on it.
Eternally Yours Is A Promising Series Like Ghosts That Will Likely Get Better With Time
When Ghosts premiered, I did not start watching the series right away. I was aware of it, and I saw my friends and critic colleagues generally praising the show. It wasn’t until the eighth episode “D&D” that I decided to give the series a try. At the time, I was deep into my own Dungeons & Dragons campaign, and a clip from that episode shared on social media finally piqued my interest. Of course, I started from the beginning, and while I recognized the rhythm of the comedy, it didn’t actually make me laugh out loud. What did appeal to me, however, was all the nerdy genre stuff like “ghost powers.”
My lack of laughter is not a fatal flaw. Truthfully, there aren’t many comedies that make me laugh out loud. Just like with Ghosts, I find the characters in Eternally Yours interesting as well as the fantasy worldbuilding. Only when I started watching the previous series, I had a little over three hours of stories to dig into (Episode 9 debuted before I caught up to “D&D,”), but CBS only made a screener for the first episode available ahead of its debut. With both Eternally Yours episodes thus far, by the time the story sinks its teeth into me, the episode is mostly over.
My problem is a good one for a show to have, specifically that I want more. Yet, with Eternally Yours that means I’m not getting enough, at least to keep watching weekly. When I caught up with Ghosts, I had spent nine episodes with its characters. It was a more satisfying viewer experience, and it gave me enough story that I became all-in for the show. With only two episodes, I find myself frustrated with Eternally Yours because it’s just not enough. Still, I’m going to stick with the show. I just may end up waiting a couple of months so I can experience larger, more satisfying chunks of the story. For now, I’ve not gotten enough to convince me that this show has the kind of staying power Ghosts does.
3.8/5
Eternally Yours debuts new episodes Wednesday nights on CBS and Paramount+.
