Eternally Yours Season 1 Episode 1 Review: A Worthy Companion to Ghosts

This vampire show is simply to die for!

Eternally Yours Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” offers the winning Ghosts formula while being entirely its own lovable entity of lore and laughs. If you thrive on dysfunctional drama, this coven has an eternity’s worth of conflict to call upon.

It’s a network sitcom that latches onto iZombie’s quirky paranormal approach while offering a cleansing alternative to What We Do in the Shadows.

Joe Port and Joe Wiseman take joy in defying the “no one dies in sitcoms” rule with their comedies. With Eternally Yours, they hilariously trade in the fact that everyone is dead for everyone is undead.

Instead of being trapped in a house for all of eternity, Liz and Charles are trapped together in a never-ending marriage. They have all the freedoms other supernatural creatures do not. The downside is that eternity makes all things insufferable eventually — even for those that can close doors.

That’s the fascinating jumping-off point this comedy delves into from the perspective of pop culture’s beloved vampire.

And really, this series could not have come at a better time. There is a real appetite for horror comedies right now as we seek out stories that make light of life’s daily terrors.

The show does not skimp on the paranormal element of its premise either. Fans are treated to all the frills and fangs pop culture has promised them.

The vampires need permission to enter someone’s home, and yet they are offended by the garlic assumption. They can walk in the daylight but not without a comical amount of sunscreen.

Not to mention Twilight is hailed as an accurate portrayal amongst the coven members and acts as the prime reason they relocated to Seattle. We love a positive shout-out to the Twilight film franchise!

Plus, if you loved that season of Wizards of Waverly Place where a family of vampires opened a rival sandwich shop across the street from the Russos just for their daughter to fall for a human, then this show is exactly the right vibe for you.

Our titular couple is such a delightful mess!

Liz and Charles are not just familiar with each other; they’re past the point of pleasantries altogether. They’re so close to their breaking point that the smallest disagreement can either have them jumping each other’s bones or contemplating death by staking.

As the foundation for this show’s premise, Allegra Edwards and Ed Weeks absolutely nail the roller-coaster of heightened dysfunction and aggression their pair brings to the table.

It’s wonderful that the show establishes Emma and Max as Liz and Charles in their honeymoon stage because it presents a volatile dynamic between the couples moving forward.

While we don’t see much of Emma and Max together, their romantic montage sets up the desire to see what they will do when faced with their future in Liz and Charles.

Then there’s Jesse, who plays the titular jock stereotype (think Emmett Cullen). He’s a jock with a passion for human marriages and a desire to coach his half-vampire children to success. His positivity and naivety at every turn are a delight, and he could easily be a fan favorite this season.

Plus, the concept of Phyllis and Jesse fulfilling the younger man with an older woman stereotype when, in actuality, he’s the older man taking advantage of her is so fascinating to watch play out.

While Emma and Max are the main romantic draw of the episode, there’s no denying how fun Jaren Lewison is having in the presence of these grumpy vamps.

Max’s relationship with his girlfriend’s mom, Liz, is especially intriguing.

One moment Liz is preparing to slaughter him, and the next she’s swooning over his university achievements like a proud mother. The juxtaposition between sweet and lethal is fun to watch the two characters navigate for the first time.

Liz choosing to be in Max’s corner as he squares off against an unimpressed Charles demonstrates this trio at the height of their hilarious potential.

Much like its paramour, Ghosts, Eternally Yours levitates onto the scene as a fully fleshed-out concept.

That said, it has some growing pains to work past. Like many pilots, this episode overdoes it on the verbal world-building.

For a paranormal-heavy show, that issue can escalate because it means explaining the supernatural “rules” as well as the character dynamics. The hope is this series will shroud itself in a little more mystery moving forward. Thankfully, that eagerness never overpowers the potential this premise has.

Fans don’t need to know how every component of this premise works straight away. Let us build a grimoire of sorts as we go, picking up little tidbits about the vampires and their collective history like little trinkets we can treasure in between new episodes.

That said, we do need clarification on vampire super-hearing because how do they not hear anything going on in this house? Emma, girl, you’re upstairs and don’t hear your parents attempting to eat your boyfriend?

Eternally Yours may follow the typical pitfalls of a pilot. However, that twist ending is anything but predictable.

The premiere purposely hides the reveal that Max, Emma’s human boyfriend, becomes a vampire and joins her coven after he’s accidentally murdered. It’s a ballsy move for a show that is all but guaranteed a win without the plot twist.

We are lulled into romanticizing a first season where Max teaches Emma and her family how to live again while dodging death at the hands of his murderous future in-laws. The final moments of the episode change that trajectory, removing the human element from this equation entirely.

Instead, it’s Max that has to learn to fit into Emma’s life as a vampire.

That choice could easily undo any momentum this premise has by jumping the shark a few seasons too early. However, Eternally Yours proves it’s not about to play it safe with this premise, and that takes guts.

Suffice to say, this is an excellent vessel for a vampire comedy, and we need more episodes to sink our teeth into immediately.

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Eternally Yours airs Thursdays at 8:30/9:30c on CBS.

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