Review: She-Wolf of London (1990)

She-Wolf of London was a short-lived TV British romantic paranormal comedy about an ill-fated love between an American graduate student and her mythology professor. Working on her masters thesis at a university in London, Randi meets this professor, Ian Matheson. She arrives expecting an old academic, but Ian is young and handsome. The two develop an unspoken attraction to each other, which only increases when Randi looks to him for help after surviving a werewolf attack while camping on the Yorkshire Moors. While searching for a cure for Randi's changed condition, Ian becomes Randi's guardian during the full moon phases. Meanwhile, the mismatched duo somehow always seems to find themselves in trouble when they investigate paranormal phenomena (ghosts, zombies, demons, etc.). Randi's werewolf form seems to clash with them along the way.

I first discovered this show on the Sci-Fi Channel when I was still an adolescent (mid-to-late 1990s). Sci-Fi was well-known for replaying discontinued cult shows and movies. I was so intrigued by paranormal shows, especially horror ones (werewolves, vampires, supernatural creatures, you name it.). In the second season, the financial backers abruptly dropped out and forced the setting to move from London to Los Angeles. It only lasted a few more episodes before it was finally canceled. (There is a 1946 movie version with the same title, but this I have never watched it and have no future plans to review it.) The show actually has its origins from the original 1981 horror film, An American Werewolf in London, using the same dark comedy elements.

I really liked the romantic horror theme behind the show even though it was short-lived (1990-1991, 16 episodes total). Most of the episodes didn't focus on the werewolf but rather paranormal investigations. The show had so much potential and could have last longer if it had more financial backers and better scriptwriting. If anyone has seen this show, I would be happy to hear comments. Luckily, the series is also available to watch on Youtube. If you don't have a high-speed connection, I don't believe it is available to buy or rent on DVD. I don't want to feel like I'm the only person who has heard of it.(Stay tuned for the next review on Forever Knight. Now that is a cult classic!!)

Here is a preview of the show. Enjoy!