by Jane Leslie

Midnight, Texas is a supernatural thriller TV show about a small town in Texas with an unusual population. It is based on the book series by Charlaine Harris.

On the run from his past, young psychic Manfred Bernardo is told by the ghost of his grandmother to seek out refuge in Midnight, Texas. There, he will find a community that can help him. Full of diverse characters—including a vampire, a witch, a fallen angel, a demon, and a shapeshifter—Midnight faces numerous threats from the outside world as it welcomes the newcomer.

Our hero, Manfred (Francois Arnaud) is on the run from creditors of his grandmother, Xylda (JoAnne Camp), who is a ghost attached to the RV in which Manfred lives. Xylda has told Manfred that he will be safe in Midnight, Texas, so there he flees. He soon finds that there is more to Midnight than he first believed, and he may well fit in there better than he has in other places. The unusual townsfolk include Bobo (Dylan Brace) owner of the local pawn shop, and Manfred’s landlord; Fiji (Parisa Fitz-Henley) who is a witch; Olivia (Arielle Kebbel) an assassin who lives with Lemuel (Peter Mensch) who is a vampire; Joe Strong (Jason Lewis) a fallen angel and his husband Chuy (Bernardo Saracino); and the mysterious Reverend (Yul Vasquez), who maintains an animal cemetery with religious zeal. We get a little comic relief from Mr. Snuggly, Fiji’s feline familiar, who has the ability to speak. Creek (Sarah Ramos) is a normal human who is a waitress at the local restaurant. She lives behind the Gas and Go with her father and her brother Connor. She becomes Manfred’s love interest.

The police from the next town over are always suspicious of the weirdos living in Midnight so they cause their brand of trouble while the biker gang “The Sons of Lucifer” add their own evil intents to the mix.

I think my favorite character is Joe, the fallen angel, because even though he is fallen, he is a protective force in the town and looks after everyone. His love is such that he can see the good in even a being such as a demon.

I am also fond of Lemuel, who gets his energy by leeching negative energies from people. He only drains evil people with the traditional vampire method of drinking their blood. Olivia harbors immense amounts of negative energies, and Lemuel helps her cope with her often difficult jobs. He has electric blue eyes.

As the veil between Hell and Earth continues to thin, the talented members of the Midnight community must draw together to prevent disaster. Through the ten available episodes, we see them get to know each other and mesh together as a protective force for the town. I have high hopes for this series as the actors mesh with their characters and each other.

Saying any more would introduce spoilers, but I encourage those who enjoy supernatural dramas to check out Midnight, Texas, which aired on Monday nights, which I don’t think is the best spot for it. I believe it would do better in a weekend spot and with greater promotion and would therefore reach a wider audience. But I do encourage you to give it a chance. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised!

The show is on NBC and I’m hoping that they pick it up for another season–in the meantime you can check it out on Hulu or on the NBC website.

Jane Leslie retired from nursing after 32 years but has kept busy with reading, gardening, and needlework. Her household consists of her 2 grown children, 3 large dogs, 6 cats, and an ever changing cast of fish. When forced, she will occasionally do some housework.