Teen Wolf

It’s borrowed the title from the 1985 Michael J. Fox movie, it’s produced by MTV, and it’s got a shirtless guy parading around through much of its opening episode.

So should we really expect much of Teen Wolf? Not really. But the surprise is that it actually delivers a pretty escapist yarn.

This is a show that knows its target audience very well, and although it isn’t remotely demanding, it manages to hit most of the right notes.

Australian director Russell Mulcahy has set the tone on this first episode, and while it’s no Highlander, he seems to be having doses of fun with this tween supernatural series.

It borrows heavily from the Twilight success, with shirtless boys in the woods, teen romance and a much darker quality than the goofy Michael J. Fox film (not that there’s anything wrong with goofy).

Everything centres around the buff Tyler Posey who is pitch perfect as an awkward, dreamy, boy-turned-wolf. In the title role he resembles a young Tom Welling, and he glides effortlessly from the action to the romantic demands of the rather straightforward plot.

There are objects of affection, villains, untrustworthy figures of authority, a barking coach, best pals who have your back and even a duplicitous mentor. At high school they don’t play grid iron, but lacrosse -a pleasant change from the usual.

Compared to other TV werewolves, True Blood remains a much denser, menacing work. The budget here also doesn’t quite lend itself to the extraordinary make up of An American Werewolf in London (made 20 years earlier) or even that of Being Human. But while there are a few CGI moments that fall short, but Mulcahy still shows how to utilise visuals to enhance the fantasy moments.

I didn’t quite believe best friend “Stiles” Stilinski (Dylan O’Brien) would stumble onto lycanthropy so early in the tale, but with this genre you often have to check your brain at the door and just enjoy the ride. The cast are also so uniformly beautiful, most of us would feel too inadequate to attend this school.

Mulcahy has directed six episodes in the first season, so fingers crossed some of this colleagues have upheld the tone he has established here.

As other offerings in the genre have proven, Teen Wolf may have its work cut out to sustain an audience and keep its timeslot, but it makes an entertaining start.

Teen Wolf airs 9:30pm Monday on Seven.