April 2, 1996

Blood-loving `Kindred’ is one silly fang-dango
JOHN FREEMAN

(Page E-5 )
TV REVIEW

Kindred: The Embraced
It’s too easy to say that “Kindred: The Embraced” bites.

But that’s the bloody truth.

This glossy, gory new series from Fox deals with — brace yourself — bloodsucking vampires that otherwise look and behave like everyday folks who live in San Francisco.

Not only is “Kindred: The Embraced” the strangest concept for a TV series this side of “Tales From the Crypt,” but the show’s name is decipherable only to vampire freaks. (And you know who you are.)

So a quick lesson in vampirology: A “Kindred” is a human-appearing creature who’s no longer human. He or she has been “embraced” (bitten) by a vampire. Together, these creatures belong to an ancient race that dates back to, well, as long as normal humans have been around.

“Kindred: The Embraced,” which previews tonight with a 90-minute episode, tries to be spooky but comes off as merely silly, laughable from start to finish. In addition to heavy sexual innuendo, it serves up a dialogue of
blood innuendo, as when one male “Kindred” says to a lovely would-be female victim: “I knew we were gonna get along when you ordered your steak very, very rare.”

Kindreds suck out their victims’ blood and replace it with Kindred blood, which then heightens their sexuality and gets ’em really charged up. But despite the frequent transfer of blood and loads of sexually charged scenes, AIDS does not seem to be a factor.

Aaron Spelling’s imprint as executive producer is apparent with the soap-trashy plot line (though it’s not easy to follow) and the impossibly beautiful cast, led by C. Thomas Howell and Kelly Rutherford.

Don’t embrace “Kindred: The Embraced.” It’s a bloody mess.

TV REVIEW

“Kindred: The Embraced”

A new series. Previews 8-9:30 tonight. Airs 9 p.m. tomorrow (its regular
time slot), XETV/Channel 6.