The Superhero Dramedy Hidden Gem You Need To Watch On Hulu
The superhero genre tends to follow a prescribed formula that has proven effective since its inception. Essentially, an unsuspecting individual, often a teen or young adult, discovers they possess superhuman abilities. For some, like Marvel's X-Men or DC's Superman, those powers are a result of genetics, while others gain their abilities through a freak accident such as a spider bite or gamma radiation exposure. The audience then reads or watches as the newly powered individual attempts to strike a balance between living a normal life and possessing superhuman gifts.
Sometimes the enhanced choose to operate on their own, while others join teams of similarly affected people. Although superhero teams like the Titans, the Avengers, and the Umbrella Academy currently hog the spotlight, Hulu is home to the British series "Misfits" — a superhero team of sorts that puts a unique spin on the genre while still adhering to its tried and true formula.
The Misfits are unlikely heroes
Created by Howard Overman in 2009 for the British channel E4, the story of the Misfits begins when a supernatural electrical storm imbues various people with special abilities. At the core of the dramedy is a group of young offenders who are caught in the electrical storm while completing court-mandated community service. Though the cast of main characters changes over the course of the series' five seasons, the original team includes Kelly, who gains telepathic abilities; Curtis, who can rewind time; Alisha, whose touch sends people into a sexual frenzy; Simon, who can turn invisible; and Nathan, who eventually learns he is immortal and can communicate with ghosts.
Instead of battling supervillains, the original team mostly deal with their probation worker whose exposure to the storm drove him insane. Probation workers serve as a running joke throughout the series due to a variety of accidental deaths, usually at the hand of the young criminals. As "Misfits" progresses, the threats they face grow in scale to include a Satanic cult and efforts to remove Hitler from history.
The cast of Misfits have gone on to big projects
One of the charms of "Misfits," in addition to superb writing, is the cast. The first season includes Robert Sheehan as Nathan and Iwan Rheon as Simon. Genre fans will recognize Sheehan from "The Umbrella Academy" and Rheon from his time on "Game of Thrones." Antonia Thomas, who plays Alisha, is another breakout star from the inaugural season. Thomas is currently on the CBS medical drama "The Good Doctor."
Later additions to the cast include Natasha O'Keeffe, currently on "Peaky Blinders," who joined the cast for Seasons 4 and 5 as non-powered Abbey. Karla Crome also joined the show for its last two seasons playing Jess, who gained X-ray vision in the storm. Crome is currently a lead on Amazon's "Carnival Row." Beginning in Season 3, Joe Gilgun became a lead on "Misfits." Gilgun's character Rudy has the ability to physically multiply when experiencing extreme emotions. Gilgun was a series lead for the four seasons of AMC's "Preacher."
From its well-portrayed unlikely heroes to its decidedly British comedic bent, "Misfits," which currently holds an impressive 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes, is a show that ended too soon, but should be a staple for any fan of the superhero genre. All five seasons of the BAFTA-winning "Misfits" are currently available to stream on Hulu.