It may lack the emotional depth of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but like that modern classic, Teen Wolf isn't joking about friendship and loyalty in the gnarly face of terror.
Like The Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf successfully blends horror, mystery, romance, teen angst and plenty of reasons for cast members to show some (tasteful) skin.
If only the series had some atmosphere; whether the action unfolds at the school or out in the woods after dark, it has practically none, which is a serious failing for a show that hopes to mint its own mythology.