Rating: 
Summary: Not Exactly True to the Book
Review: I never watched "Kindred: the Embraced" when it aired back on Fox in 1996, so I can't say I've been a longtime fan. But what made me buy this DVD was reading Mark Rein-Hagen's same-named roleplaying book, which this TV series is based on, not to mention I'm somewhat of a C. Thomas Howell and Patrick Bachau fan. Unfortunately, I thought both of their performances/roles were rather bland. I enjoyed Bachau much better in another vampire movie, "Blood Ties." I was amazed by Mark Frankel's performance, however, as well as a handful of others, like Brigid Walsh, who plays Julian's (Frankel's) buxom biker niece. I do agree with previous reviewers that this series is more like a 90210-vampire hybrid than a true representation of the roleplaying guidebook. It's more melodramatic than scary, and ideal for those who prefer their horror somewhat watered down. As for the DVD discs themselves, I was impressed by the opening menus on both of them. There aren't any extra features, but the booklet inside gives a great introduction to the roleplaying game for those who are unfamiliar with it. Below is the episode lineup for those who are interested (FYI: there are some spoilers):DISC 1 · Episode 1: "Original Saga" begins with two Brujah vampires--one being the leader of the group, Eddie Fiori (Brian Thompson)--executing a Gangrel bodyguard of Julian Luna's (Mark Frankel), the Ventrue Prince of San Francisco, where this all takes place. Detective Frank Kohanek (C. Thomas Howell), along with his partner, Sonny Toussaint (Erik King)--who has a secret of his own, which is partially revealed at the end of this episode--sets out to bring down Julian any way he can. Part of Frank's obsession with him stems from his dating Julian's ex, Alexandra Serris (Kate Vernon), whose life is later endangered when she threatens the Masquerade. · Episode 2: "Prince of the City" -- Once again, Eddie is battling with Julian over dominance of San Francisco. Frank is under investigation for murder when an attempt to entrap Eddie goes awry. And two new romances start up: the first being between one of my favorite characters, Sasha (Brigid Walsh), Julian's niece, and Cash (Channon Roe), Julian's new Gangrel bodyguard; the second being between Julian and Caitlin Byrne (Kelly Rutherford), a newspaper reporter and some competition for Julian's current Toreador lover, Lillie Langtry (Stacy Haiduk), who gives meaning to the phrase keep your friends close but your enemies even closer. · Episode 3: "Nightstalker" -- Daedalus (Jeff Kober) falls for a singer, Elaine Robb (Kimberly Kates), at The Haven, the same club where a week-old Gangrel named Starkweather (Nicky Katt) turns up one night. He's later dubbed the Nightstalker when he starts killing for pleasure--Elaine even believes that he's the one who's been mysteriously appearing in her house at night--and Julian and his fellow Kindred try to stop him before Starkweather exposes them all. · Episode 4: "Romeo & Juliet" -- A Kindred doctor is feeding off of children in a hospital, and Daedalus is called in to kill him. As a result, Daedalus befriends one of the doctor's young victims (Emile Hirsch) against Masquerade rules. Meanwhile, Eddie is trying to start a clan war by embracing Sasha against her will and making her Brujah, a rival clan of the Gangrels (Cash's clan). DISC 2 · Episode 5: "Live Hard, Die Young, and Leave a Good Looking Corpse" -- Lillie's recently-sired Toreador singer, Zane (Ivan Sergei), creates problems for her and the Kindred when he embraces one girl groupie after the other (one being Chandra West) without their permission or giving them any guidance. Zane goes even further by getting involved with Sasha, which creates a greater rift between her and Julian and Cash, both of whom want to separate her from Zane. · Episode 6: "The Rise and Fall of Eddie Fiori" -- The title says it all. Eddie tries, once again, to establish dominance in San Francisco with the help of his sire and Prince of L.A., Cyrus (Ed O'Ross), a hired assassin (Blair Valk), and Lillie, who's jealousy has finally mounted concerning Julian and Caitlin. She even hires a private investigator (Jack Conley) to spy on Julian. · Episode 7: "Bad Moon Rising" -- A young woman's baby is stolen by a Nosferatu, Goth (Skipp Sudduth), in order to sacrifice it during the next full moon as a way for his kind to regain power among the Kindred; hence Julian and his group, as well as Frank, try to intercept the blood ceremony. · Episode 8: "Cabin in the Woods" -- Caitlin takes Julian on a trip to Manzanita Springs, near his family's old winery estate. After being wounded by a group of Brujah in the area, Julian confesses to her what he really is. Meanwhile, the new primogen of the Brujah, Cameron (Titus Welliver), comes back to settle a vendetta involving Julian and Archon (Patrick Bachau). This 2-disc set isn't rated, but a PG-13 rating would be fitting due to violence, a few sex scenes, etc.
Rating: 
Summary: Why Did The Series Not Continue
Review: The series did not continue due to the fact that the lead star was killed via a head on collision with a truck. He was killed days after the final episode was filmed. Spelling had the series signed for 19 episodes, but due to the lead star death the series ended. Mark Frankel will always be remembered as the prince of darkness. This series portrayed the vampire in a good way and it really stayed true to the chronicles, with minor errors and lack of television rights to show a lot. Censorship can kill any series. Still with it being limited in what it can show it still did a fantastic job. If Mark Frankel would have lived this series would have lasted for several seasons. When the final episode aired it was in the top 20 in 1996.
Rating: 
Summary: For those who know, be warned ...
Review: I originally watched this series when it aired on TV BEFORE I actually read anything about Vampire:the Masquerade. Since then I've read quite a bit and only recently purchased the DVD set. After watching the first couple of episodes with a different eye, so to speak ~ I must say that it is a disappointment. I only say that because they took the concept and totally threw out most of the basic things that govern the world of vampires as set forth by The World of Darkness. If you know what I'm talking about, then good. If you don't, I apologize ~ because you're going to think I'm a jerk. Like I said earlier, when I first viewed the series on TV, I thought it was great. But
taken solely by itself, there are still fundamental elements that are totally disregarded in the series or blatantly ignored in the hopes that people wouldn't notice or would simply buy into the ideas presented by the writers of the TV series. The opening scene of the first episode shows a group of Brujah staking out a Gangrel in what is supposed to be the pre-dawn hours, but you can actually see their shadows ~ which alludes to the fact that the sun has already risen high enough in the sky to cast shadows! It's not predawn. Also, C. Thomas Howell's portrayal of a hard-boiled police detective is atrocious. The seemingly innovative idea that vampires can walk in daylight after feeding may pass without an eye blink to most viewers, but only managed to garner an involuntary smirk and eye roll from me. Sorry. There's more I could itemize on why this portrayal of WoD vampires is simply done poorly, but I won't. If you're like me and you want to actually see something yourself and form your own opinions ~ you're going to buy this anyways (or borrow it from someone who already has it). I can applaud Aaron Spelling for having the creative courage to even present this on network television, but also have to throw rotten vegetables at his writing team for not taking the time to truly understand the material the series is based on and remain true to the darker elements in the World of Darkness. It's basically your run of the mill soap opera. There's none of the truly compelling or macabre that is found in the literature. A better DVD to buy would be Underworld. I'm hoping some day a team of producers/writers/directors/actors will come together to bring something to the screen (TV or movie) that is truly representative of the World of Darkness and not a watered down derivative catering to the apathetic and uninformed.
Rating:
Summary: NEVER leave a man hanging
Review: Why did they have to end it like that?! 90210 did better than that and it was dull as a library (90210 that is). The cop knows the truth, Kate the reporter is suspicious, there's a new Brujah primogen in town with a grudge, and the prince is left alone with his sire's spirit. Do NOT buy it if you think there is an ending.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT show!!! too bad it leaves us hanging.
Review: I bought the DVD box set, because the series was recommended to me by my husband's family, who were big fans of the show when it originally aired on television. I was weary, because Amazon has so many bad reviews for this show by other customers. Their beef with the show generally tended to be something about how it didn't follow every single point of the book, and I guess there's some kind of game that it's not exactly true to. Well, here's what I thought about it, taking it as ONLY a television series, and nothing else...
The characters were all very well written, the plots were interesting, and I'm really disappointed that there only ended up being 8 episodes. Tragically, the actor who portrayed Jullian (Mark Frankel) died in a car accident, so I don't think the show can ever be continued. As much as I'd like to see what happens next, I'm not sure I'd want to see another actor filling in as Jullian. My only criticisms -- some of the fight scenes could have been better, and I would have liked to see some special features on the DVD. All in all, the show was VERY good ....
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, Mystical, Breathtaking!
Review: I LOVE this series! I have just discovered it through the DVD Release. I did not watch it when it was on FOX years ago. However, it is beautifully shot, the story is suspenseful and draws the viewer in emotionally. Mark Frankel is mesmerizing as Julian Luna--his premature death, in real life, is a tragedy. I am completely engrossed in this story, and wish we could see more. It is a sad commentary on the viewing public that this series didn't make it when so many other empty, vacuous pieces of television did. This one should have been continued.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Unusual take on vampires. It was a tough series to make, especially given the depth of the material that it came from. I have played the games myself, but find that, I think, the fans themselves were too harsh on this series. It had only just started, and it had to reach to a television audience as well as its "loyal fanboys/girls" -- if they had hit everyone with the full range of clans, it might have been overwhelming. Should every story contain everything just because it's neat? Establish yourself without overwhelming the audience (who did not have the fan's background), then add the detail. Let's get back to storytelling. Perhaps that's somewhat harsh, but I feel that the fans might have raised their expectations too high, or expected something entirely different to happen. When it didn't, they backlashed instead. Yet, this was a landmark series in several ways--it should have gotten more support. Part of the achievement of this series is that, in its short time, it did make fans of several friends, and even random strangers. One started playing, but most didn't--they enjoyed the take on vampires this series used. They enjoyed the background and political interrelations. And yes, the love story. It took a complex, rich world and started to bring it to screen. I say "started" here because it was never allowed to finish. And, with storytelling--don't alienate your audience. Immerse them as reasonable and as effectively as you can. Do there really need to be werewolves, mages, all the vampire clans, and faeries...just because there can be, for a story to work? Or for the story to begin to develop? Overall, I really have to applaud the work that went into this. It's a good story, and it was good to see something like this make it to television.
Rating: 
Summary: Kindred: The Embarrassment. A Weight Wulf product.
Review: My sole reason for checking this series out was the fact that I have played White Wolf roleplaying games for numerous years. Having now seen the series I am confused as to which Vampire RPG it is based on. Certainly not the one published by White Wolf. Throughout the series vampires are seen in full sunlight, something that is supposed to be highly lethal. Did the series director forget the main part of the vampires' curse? Although the vampires do possess authentic disciplines (super powers) they have been given to the wrong clans. The worst example is that Protean (a Gangrel only discipline) is used by everybody (except the Gangrel). Julian also claims to have received his claws as a gift from the Nosferatu who should not have them. Humans are to vampires an inferior race in terms of strength, speed, stamina and anything else that helps in a fight. Yet a human cop is seen to fist fight a vampire into submission. In the World of Darkness where the game is set even the Hunters (super natural Buffy-esque undead slayers) think twice about doing this sort of thing. It just shouldn't happen. If you haven't played White Wolf games then you may enjoy this series. If on the other hand you are a fan of Vampire: The Masquerade and/or have taste, buy something else. Ultraviolet is a very fresh new outlook on the idea of vampires an their interaction with humans.
Rating:
Summary: To set the record strait
Review: The series is very close to the Vampire the Masquerade RPG Books. I would recomend to anyone who is involved with Vampire in any way to purchase this and watch it over and over. As for the previous commint by someone else the reason the series was short lived is because Mark Frankel was killed in a car wreck in Sep. 1996 and just because you probily have no clue which charter he played it was Julian Lunya the Prince of the City.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best produced Vampire shows
Review: Without a doubt this had to have been one of the best produced shows when it came to the vampire genre. This is an excellent buy if you are a fan of white wolf's LARPG or if you like vampires in general. I know that this show would have definately rivaled Forever Knight, in it's popularity had it not been for the unfortunate demise of the lead character, Mark Frankel "Julian Luna".
| 
