The problem with most so-called reality shows is that they're just not very real. The characters spend too much time on these shows engaged in navel gazing or sniping at each other incessantly, virtually mugging at the camera or at least acting much unlike a real person. Living with the Wolfman shows a more real side of reality television, although the eponymous lead character, Wolfman Shaun Ellis, seems very unreal most of the time.

Originally a feature in the United Kingdom before coming to the US now courtesy of Animal Planet, Living with the Wolfman showcases Ellis and his residential experiment in the south of England. Living with wolves has been featured dramatically in movies like Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf, and there are other more stereotypical depictions of the wolf in its natural element throughout movie history. Ellis is first and foremost a researcher, and the show is about how he chooses to study wolves in captivity through a large, sculpted enclosure in the Combe Martin Wildlife & Dinosaur Park. If you've watched many nature shows about wolves, you'll know that they are difficult to study in the wild. Ellis uses the controlled environment at Combe Martin as a leaping-off point to keep the wolves as wild as possible, trying to understand more about their behaviors and culture.

The stated goal for all this is to help protect wolves from being further decimated by humans that generally have in mind the protection and longer lifespan of a sheep, goat, or cow. These being tasty treats for any wolf, the intersection where ranchers and wolves meet is generally problematic. Fear and ignorance combine in people to create a deadly state of affairs for the wolf population, as evidenced by the rapid decline of wolves in the wild over the past century. Ellis seems to be succeeding in his goal to understand the wolves, but apart from the science education, Living with the Wolfman makes for damn good television. The notion that a lifelong researcher will live among wolves makes sense, but the fact that he's convinced his girlfriend to join him and become a member of the pack establishes a really kooky dynamic.

Not everyone will see the humor or appreciate Shaun Ellis as anything more than a crank. He's worlds away from crank status, as you see him operate in a responsible fashion around these animals. The investment in science and discovery is foremost, rather than going for laughs or drama. The drama works itself in through Shaun's girl, trying desperately to build her relationship with him by way of this wild wolf pack. You get the sense she's convinced that if the wolves don't accept her, she'll get her walking papers from Shaun. He can seem one-minded and obsessed with the wolves, but Ellis has real human affection, both with his girl and people around town that obviously are star-struck in his presence. Unlike most reality shows, one has the sense that Shaun Ellis on-camera is exactly what you'd find off-camera. Unlike the characters in most reality shows, he actually has a mission and a purpose. Living with the Wolfman contains a series of episodes that aren't thematically connected as you might expect in a narrative series, but the amount of time you get to watch special events play out for Shaun and his pack makes this a worthy purchase for anyone interested in animals, ecology, preservation, and good television.