Perhaps Lifetime should air Canadian imports more often. "Blood Ties" (10 p.m. Sunday), a vampire show from north of the border, is more entertaining than any drama series that American Lifetime execs have conjured up in recent years.

Photo courtesy Lifetime Television Got blood?

"Ties" premiered last month but Lifetime never sent me a review copy/announcement about it. It's pretty easy to catch up and this Sunday's episode, with guest star Julian Sands ("24"), offers easy entry for newcomers.

Based on "The Blood Books" series by author Tanya Huff, "Blood Ties" follows a Toronto love triangle consisting of private investigator/former cop Vicki (Christina Cox), her former partner/former lover Mike (Dylan Neal, "Dawson's Creek") and her new partner/potential love interest, the 450-year-old vampire Henry Fitzroy (Kyle Schmid), the illegitimate son of England's King Henry VIII. (The elderly vamp has the appearance of a 25-year-old rock star.)

"There are things out there that people can't or don't see," Vicki says, explaining her willingness to take on bizarre, dangerous cases. "Now that I've seen them, I'm not going to just walk away."

In each episode, Vicki investigates paranormal cases; Henry, a graphic novel artist by day, pitches in when the going gets weird and Mike burns with jealousy. The series lacks the complexity of "Angel" or "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -- although producers do occasionally use "Buffy"/"Angel"-style flashbacks showing Henry hundreds of years ago -- and the dialogue can be amusingly cheesy.

"How many times has he sucked your blood, Vicki?" Mike demands in this Sunday's episode.

This is before Mike, distrusting Henry, sells the vampire out to a Spanish priest (Sands) who claims Henry is a killer and wants to neutralize him with an offer of "salvation." To the show's credit, Henry acknowledges he has killed, but blames it on his lineage, not so much the vampire thing.

The timing for "Blood Ties" works out favorably: With "The Tudors" airing on Showtime (at the exact same time, unfortunately) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as King Henry, it's sort of a perfect match to imagine "Ties' " Henry as the supposed son of the king.

"Blood Ties" tries to rewrite some aspects of vampire lore (vampires can be seen in mirrors, it turns out), but not everything: Once again, the vamp is a soulful pretty boy with long hair.

By no means great television, "Blood Ties" is at least entertaining melodrama with plenty of gooey relationship touchstones -- longing glances, the Romeo and Juliet-ness of a human and vampire coupling, etc. -- to satisfy fans of gothic character drama.