Okay, I've seen the promos pretty much all summer long. Our family is a Big Brother family and they touted this series continually. Honestly, I really figured I'd give it a miss. However, tonight I watched "Ghost Whisperer" with my wife, then she left the room and I was about to change the channel when two of my kids asked me not to change it because they wanted to watch it. Being a concerned parent, I stayed and watched.
Some of the plot points were easy to pick out, but I can say that about 85% of shows on television. What did keep me interested, however, was the lead character. He had a lot more depth than was portrayed in the promos. There were some neat complexities to him that I found intriguing. I also liked how they presented the reporter girl and the relationship established with the vampire. In fact, while plot was a bit been there, done that (again 85% of television), this show works well in the characterization.
I also felt things worked well in the last quarter of the show. The effects shots of the vampire's abilities were done well. I was comfortable throughout with my kids watching, which I'm happy about because I hope to turn them on to H.P. Lovecraft within the next few years. MY twelve year old son and I both agreed that this is a show we will definitely make the attempt to watch (however, we live in West Texas, I teach school, and the show is on Fridays...gotta warm up the VCR and buy some new tapes).
In summary: the show caught me off guard in a pleasant way. I take it for granted that you cannot do a vampire show without touching on ground already walked on, but the characterization in this show will keep me watching.