BBC Fantasy THE FADES Promo

BBC already has a couple of U.S. hits with Doctor Who and Sherlock, and now the network is venturing into supernatural territory with The Fades, but you’ll notice after viewing the trailer that this isn’t your normal spin on people with otherworldly powers.

17-year-old Paul (Iain De Caestecker) just wants to enjoy his geeky life, and maybe one day get a date with a girl, but destiny has other plans for him. He thought things were rough when he was having apocalyptic dreams but now his out-of-this-world visions are turning out to be real and it’s up to him to defend the world against Fades, ghosts and spirits that are trapped in our realm… and none of these ghosts have anything in common with Casper.

The new trailer, shared by The Hollywood Reporter, reveals that while Paul has the glowing hands of doom that can defeat the undead army, he has a little help from his best friend Mac (Daniel Kaluuya) and his twin sister Anna (Lily Loveless). On the other hand, his mom seems undecided on her son’s odd little quirks, saying she doesn’t know if she should be scared for him or scared of him.

Ordinary people with extraordinary powers can be a hit-or-miss proposition. Heroes started off strong but faltered after Season 1, and No Ordinary Family stumbled right out of the gate. However, NBC’s Grimm shows that an ordinary guy tackling the supernatural can be done right so The Fades might not have a problem with finding an audience.

The Fades launches in the U.S. on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 9 p.m.

Will you give it a try?