JL Merrow's Top 5 Paranormal TV characters

Hi, I’m JL Merrow, and today I’d like to share with you my 

Top 5 Paranormal TV characters – no normal humans allowed! 

Let’s face it, there are so many great characters I had to narrow the field somehow. So I decided to restrict myself to the non-humans—or at least, the not-quite-human!

1. Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Who doesn’t love Spike the slayer-killing vampire from BTVS, with his Billy Idol looks and his bad-boy appeal? An instant fan favourite, Spike’s role in the show—and in Buffy’s life—grew ever bigger as time went on.

From now on, we're gonna have a little less ritual ... and a little more fun around here - Spike

2. Eleven from Stranger Things

So refreshing to have a female character who isn’t required to look “pretty”! Eleven is a twelve-year-old girl with scary psychic powers who’s been experimented on and starved of love. It’s touching to see her start to form relationships with those who come to care about her. 

3. Jason Stackhouse from True Blood

Okay, so this is kind of cheating. Jason’s human, but he does have fae heritage, and in the books—although not the show—he becomes a werepanther. He’s also self-absorbed, a womanizer, and he’s not exactly known for thinking things through: 

God gave that boy a penis and a brain, and only enough blood to run one of 'em. ―Tracy

But Jason tries to do the right thing, even if he’s laughably bad at it, and he bravely protects those he loves. And he is exceedingly pretty. 

4. Monroe from Grimm

Monroe is a man of contradictions. He’s a werewolf who can rip a guy’s arm off—but he’s also a cardigan-wearing nice guy who plays the cello and is happiest tinkering around with clocks. As any good sidekick should, he brings a lot of warmth and comic relief to the show. 

Last time I protected someone for you, it was not a pleasant experience. How is that guy, by the way, were they able to sew his arm back on? - Monroe

5. Illyria from Angel

A Lovecraftian Elder God (an Old One, or primordial demon, in the show), she takes over the body of nerdy, timid Fred, killing her painfully in the process—much to the dismay of Fred’s new love Wesley. Illyria aims to muster her ancient armies and annihilate humanity, but discovers her kingdom was destroyed centuries ago. Wesley finds himself teaching her how to live in the human world, which makes for a nicely angsty relationship.

There’s my very subjective list of favourite paranormal TV characters—were any of them favourites of yours? I’d love to hear who grabbed you by the emotions and made you take notice!

Giveaway: tomorrow sees the re-release of my second werewolf novel, Midnight in Berlin, so I’m offering a free e-copy to a randomly chosen commenter on this post. If you’ve already pre-ordered, I’ll be very happy to substitute a backlist title of your choice. ☺