Misfits - The Best Show About Teens With Superpowers On TV - Too Bad It'll Never Be on Your TV (If You're In the US)

Y'know, when I first heard the "high concept" behind the British TV show Misfits, namely "six teenagers and their adult counselor suddenly find themselves with superpowers", my reaction was "Ok, so this is going to be their version of the X-Men. Could be cool."

I couldn't have been more wrong. Or more right.

First off, where I was wrong: These kids may have powers, but they ain't no X-Men. Yeah, I could go all geeky and point out that the X-Men are mutants who are born with their powers, while these kids actually get theirs from being struck by lightning from a so-far unexplained suddenly-appearing storm, but that's not what I mean. Much like the original concept of the X-Men being mutants was simply an easy way for Stan Lee to get a new batch of heroes without having to come up with origins for them, the storm that strikes these kids is really simply a way to give them their powers. After that it's simply background.

No, the difference here is in what happens after they become super-powered.

Simply put, these teens may have powers, but they aren't superheroes. They're not the type who say "Hey, I've got powers! Better start sewing some tights and a cape!" Nor, for that matter, are they villains. "BWAH HA HA! Tonight I'll take over the world!" So what are they? Well, I guess you could say they're simply people trying to cope with what's happened to them.

Ok, let's back up a bit, and start with a bit of background. If you take a look at the picture below, you'll probably notice the orange jumpsuits. That's right, even before they get powers, these are what I suppose you would call "troubled teens". The whole reason that they are together when the lightning strikes is that they have been arrested for various crimes and sentenced to community service rather than serving time. Oh, and that "counselor" that I mentioned in the first paragraph? Yeah, actually he's their probation officer.

Moreover, these are not your stereotypical Hollywood teens. They're not all beautiful. They have acne, one has an almost unintelligible accent, one is homeless. To be honest, when I first started watching the show I wasn't sure I was going to like them enough to care what happened to them. They certainly don't care anything for one another.

Here, let's take a look at a scene from the opening minutes of the first episode. This clip shows the crew gathering for their first day of community service, then cuts to the main title sequence:



Ok, a few things that should be obvious from that clip. First off, obviously, this is not a show for the kids. It's sexy. (There is shagging!). It's violent. (Not everyone makes it through the first episode alive.) It has very harsh language. In other words, it has rough teenagers actually acting like rough teenagers. Secondly, the writing. If you had a hard time catching some of the overlapping dialog, well, that's something that you simply have to get used to. These kids talk like kids. They interrupt each other, they talk over each other, they are smartasses and they flip each other off. But the dialog is also quite brilliant and there are times when it really shines. Third, despite all of their rough edges, there is something, and even now I'm not sure I can tell you what it is, about these actors and these characters that is truly compelling.

Oh, and obvious thing number four? It'll probably never be hitting American TV. Certainly not without being edited to the point of becoming unintelligible.

I mean, sure, there's always the possibility that HBO might pick up the rights and try to do an Americanized version of it. Which might turn out to be pretty good, considering how good True Blood has been. On the other hand, it might fall into the hands of SyFy (the network so ashamed to be associated with its roots it had to change its spelling to something completely nonsensical). They have picked up the BBC's Being Human (another really surprisingly good genre show from across the pond) to make their own version. In that case, we might at least get a Region 1 DVD release of the original to coincide. (As is actually happening with Being Human, which releases a first season DVD set in July.) As far as BBC America? Heck they can't even show Dr. Who without cutting bits out to make room for commercials, there's no way they're gonna let this onto the schedule without completely butchering it.

So what we're talking about here is a truly quality Sci-Fi "superhero" show, one that won the BAFTA (basically the British Emmy) last year for Best Drama, and the only way that an Americans are likely to see it is if they have a region-free DVD player, are willing to watch it in clips on youtube, or through other questionable means. Which is a shame, because this is a show that really deserves a bigger audience.

Oh, by the way. Up above where I said my first impression was both wrong and right? Yeah, I was wrong about it being the X-Men. But I was right about it being very cool.