I was late to the party when the series Misfits started airing on Hulu. It didn’t get a lot of press and Hulu doesn’t have the promotional power that Netflix has (even though I think Hulu debuted their instant streaming before Netflix) but I’m a sucker for superhero-themed shows and a real sucker for British accents so I figured why not.
Now, if you’re not familiar with British TV lemme give you a slight lesson. THEY LOVE TO SHOW THE SEX AND SWEAR LIKE SAILORS! I know a lot of you are used to Doctor Who and well, maybe just Doctor Who and there’s nothing wrong with that. I am a HUGE fan of Doctor Who, but how many of y’all have watched its wicked redheaded stepchild Torchwood? And we all remember what was in Torchwood; the sex and swearing like sailors!
Misfits is no different from Torchwood. A group of 20-somethings are sentenced to community service for various misdemeanors when a freak storm happens that gives them super powers. For the first three seasons the cast consisted of Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) who could go back in time, Simon (Iwan Rheon) who could become invisible, Kelly (Lauren Socha) who was telepathic, Alisha (Antonia Thomas) who could turn men into a sexual frenzy just by touching them, and Nathan (Robert Sheehan) who was immortal.
After the characters learn about their new powers, you would think the series would follow the typical superhero formula: they would learn to properly use their powers for the betterment of mankind, but where’s the fun in that? What Howard Overman did with these characters, instead of making them fly around and save people’s lives, was make the show about the insecurities that come along with having super powers, and a few dead probation workers.
One of the great things that Overman does with his characters is give them powers that reflects their personalities, for example, Simon can turn invisible because he’s so shy you’d hardly notice him. Nathan continuously calls him “Barry” throughout most of the series, because he doesn’t matter to him. Curtis wishes he could go back and change a mistake he made because he had a promising track career, Kelly is sensitive about what people think about her because of her looks and the way she talks (her accent is very thick).
It’s a smart move by the writers of the show because believe me, if a storm hit in Memphis giving me super powers I dread to think what part of my personality it would showcase (the power to stay up all night and binge watch Lost?)
The “villains” they face aren’t your typical Marvel of DC types as well. Most of them are just as confused about these new abilities as the main characters. And in the end they all just go to the pub for a few pints and get ready for the next day of community service.
I’ll admit that during the first few episodes I wanted the cast to use their powers more than bitch and moan about being on community service, but the more I stuck with the show the more I realized that the show was actually a coming of age drama for British millennials. Having their super powers is a metaphor for the era they live in and the choices they made.
Now, the show gets a little bit off during the third season (Sheehan exits the series and is replaced by Joseph Gilgun as Rudy and Rudy Too), but stick with it! The cast changes, but the storylines are just as funny and, interestingly enough, heartbreaking.
By season 4 there’s a whole new cast of characters including Jess (Karla Crome) who has the power to see through things, Finn (Nathan McMullan) who’s telekinetic, Abby (Natasha O’Keeffe) an amnesiac, and Alex aka The Handsome Barman (played by Matt Stokoe) who has the power to…you’ll just have to wait and see with him.
What I love about the show is how addictive it is, but let me give you some advice. After you binge watch the entire first two seasons, give yourself a few days rest before going to the 3rd season. It takes a few episodes to get use to, but trust me season 3 is worth the changes. There have been talks about doing a feature length film due to the cult status of the show. If that does happen I hope they keep it as underground as possible.
The popularity of Misfits happened because a bunch of people like us got on social media and tweeted or Facebook posted the HELL out of it and I think that would ruin it’s popularity if Hollywood got its greedy hands on it and tried to release it in 3000 theaters. Another thing that’s great about the show is that there’s NO WAY IN HELL that there can be a ‘Merican reboot. Remember “Coupling?”
Us ‘Mericans just aren’t mature enough to handle the sex on regular TV unless it’s American Horror Story (but I’m sure they’re going to try) so take pride in watching Misfits in it’s pure uncensored HULU form.
You’re welcome.
Side note: I have nothing against redheads.
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