5 out of 5

Created By: Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters

This series really has no right to be this good.  It gives every indication that it’s going to be what it looks like: A CW Buffy-esque comedy drama with some Kevin Smith characterizations and stock everyman, goofyman, straight man and hot girl characters.  While none of those descriptors are untrue, ‘Reaper’ managed to hold on to its identity for its 2-ish seasons, and creators Fazekas and Butters figured out a smart mix of episodic and developing plotlines by having the main themes – the line between choice and being coerced, the grays between good and evil – be naturally explored as things went along, and let this INFORM the overall story instead of spreading extras on top of things.  Kevin Smith’s role as ‘creative director’ and direction of the first episode may have set a general tone, but whatever the determining factor, the characters also surpass their stereotypes, almost from the get-go: When Sam (Bret Harrison) finds out his parents sold his soul to the devil, he accepts it with comedic aplomb, but continually surprises with his steadfast humanity.  Best friends Benny (Rick Gonzalez) and ‘Sock’ (Tyler Labine) do fulfill their Laurel and Hardy type roles, but also become integral influences on Sam’s path, way beyond just stand-ins for punchlines.  And longtime love Andi (Missy Peregrym) does the CW bit of hook-ups and break-ups, but also acts as counterpoint to an incredibly rich, kind, and more honest relationship than we generally get on screen.  The actors carry this show as much as the plots, which never rely on their quirks to get by but instead work on those themes and arcs in step with each ep’s evolution.  Although the quirks are there and are great: Satan is Sam’s boss, played with malevolent awesomeness by Ray Wise, tasking Sam with recapturing escaped souls from Hell, generally one per episode.  One of the most (ahem) devilishly rewarding aspects of the show is that Reaper NEVER compromises on its take on the Devil – you always suspect he’s lying, but Wise does such a good job of convincing us otherwise (or acting aloof), that you actually think he might be fooled just this once…  Similarly, the ‘rules’ of soul capturing are fairly consistent, keeping the stakes at a constantly exciting level, and the show rarely forgets a character or story element, writing them in and out at a good pace.  As everyone has noted, it’s an incredibly ridiculous shame that the show just ended, especially since it had that rare quality of actually Going Somewhere… but at least there are enough episodes to take up a weekend or two of memory lane viewings.