If you started watching this show hoping for references to the 2004 movie, you'll be sorely disappointed. The vampires seem more like dirty blood-sucking zombies than the blood-thirsty bat-transformers one would expect from the movie. The whole world seems more like it was hit by zombie out-break and the... woman seems more like some kind of X-Men mutant than human. more than half the first season in and barely anything is revealed about her heritage, origins, abilities or backstory. She's just... there with a very alternating set of emotions and the combat skills of a seasoned veteran. Maybe the reason for calling the show "Van Helsing" will be revealed at the end of the first season, but I won't stick around for yet another zombie apocalypse series.

The series starts of a little slow and very obscure... but it just gets better and better every season... until the wrap up in Season 5. I found myself really pining for the next season to be released. The character development is masterfully done... and the relationship between the key characters is very complex. The series is worth watching for Christopher Heyerdahl's character alone! His portrayal of 'Sam' is outstanding! I loved all the characters in this series... even the evil ones.