I don't blame MTV for trying to cash in on the current vampire and werewolf craze, considering its audience is the same that gives Twilight every award known to man at every MTV Movie Awards.  

Basing the new series loosely on famous 1985 movie Teen Wolf seemed like a good way to gain an entirely new audience, as fans of the Michael J. Fox film might give it a shot.

Although I was born in the year the original movie came out, I have seen the Wolf perform his patented two-handed block and tomahawk slam more than enough times to call myself a fan. But aside from a couple of general ideas, mainly a few character names and the fact that Scott is both a teenager and a werewolf, the new MTV series does not have much in common with the film  on which it's supposedly based.

In no way is that a negative, however, because if you were to recreate the fun-loving 80s romp through high school that Fox and partner-in-crime Jerry Levine so marvelously did back in 1985, you might end up with something like TBS's Glory Daze.

The new Teen Wolf is much darker, and much scarier, than its predecessor. Sure, there are still the moments during lacrosse practice, or in the halls of school, that don't contain the presence of wolves and hunters, but they still give off a very horror/suspense type vibe.

After one episode, it seems to all work for the most part. Now, it's not perfect television, but Teen Wolf shows promise in being an exciting and interesting story that we have sort of seen before. It may be a great show to escape to this summer.

So let's take a look at a couple of our main players: This jury is still out on Tyler Posey. His Scott McCall is not Scott Howard, and I don't think that is necessarily a good thing. Although he was easy to make fun of, Howard was a fun-loving kid who was easy to root for. McCall, on the other hand, seems overly morose.

I do, however, like that his new wolf abilities make him smooth with the ladies. Yeah, he's also better at lacrosse, but that move with the new girl and the pen? Stud! It keeps things more realistic that he doesn't go full-wolf before he is able to compete at high levels, but it does leave less room for laughter at watching a hairy wolf kill at lacrosse.

Then there is Dylan O'Brien, who was given the impossible task of trying to compete with Levine's version of Stiles. The dude was so good that he inspired Tampa Bay Buccaneer Greg White to legally change his name to Stylez G. White. Once again, if you are from a more recent generation and are not familiar with the original movie, go check it out, if only for the unintentional comedy.

But O'Brien shows some promise after one episode. He's not nearly as cool as the original Stiles thought he was, but he is just as goofy in the role. Stiles is there for comic relief, and with how dark and ominous the rest of this show seems to be, he will be needed at times.

Speaking of the darkness, the twists and turns of Scott waking up in the middle of nowhere, wrestling with his maker in the woods, and getting shot with an arrow by what are known as "hunters," show promise for the action side of things. There seem to be plenty of avenues that this first season may go in, and it all starts with the new girl's father.

As soon as Allison mentioned her father, I said "The HUNTER!" If you figured that out before me, good for you. Even if you didn't realize it until he stepped out from behind the car, I hope it gave you as much of a creepy feeling as it did me. With the new love of Scott's life being the daughter of the werewolf hunter that is sure to be coming after him, things could get very tricky in the near future.

That has me excited for the next episode, and to see where this series goes in the future. What did you all think of the series premiere of Teen Wolf? And will you be sticking around for tomorrow night's second episode?

Dan Forcella is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow him on Twitter.