Misfits – Series 1

(Don't say 'Skins meets Heroes'. Don't say 'Skins meets Heroes'. Don't say 'Skins meets Heroes'…)

Misfits is essentially Skins meets Heroes. (Shit.) Reviewing this show is unusual in that I only tried out the first episode a few days ago and now, after just six episodes, it's already over. That is what's so great about it though – it remained a consistently entertaining show over those six episodes and, unlike the other two shows mentioned, hasn't even had a chance to outstay its welcome.

The premise? Five social misfits are undertaking their enforced community service when a freaky storm hits and gives them all special powers. Their probation officer, also caught up in the storm, becomes a psychopath and tries to murder them all, getting killed himself in the process. The youths thus have to deal with two secrets – covering up their probation officer's death, and the new abilities that they've acquired. As it turns out, these guys weren't the only ones affected by the storm…

Yeah, so it won't win any awards for originality. In addition, the mythology is a bit hard to swallow – perhaps that's an obsolete comment to make for a show about superpowers, but it holds. Throughout the series, it's never made entirely clear (except perhaps in Alicia's case) whether these characters have control over their abilities and can use them at will. The spontaneous use of their powers, besides being conveniently helpful to the narrative at any given occasion, is unsatisfyingly random. Added to this, some of the powers that show up in peripheral characters are frankly a bit shit (power to make people bald, anyone?) but then again that just adds to the whimsical nature of what is essentially a teenage comedy-drama-hybrid-thing in the mould of Skins.

And this is where Misfits succeeds. In the same manner as Skins, we're introduced to a set of characters who are not only quite heavily stereotyped, but all rather reprehensible in their own way. I watched the first episode and immediately hated every single one of the bastards. It says something of a show that, after only six episodes to play around with, I like them all now! You could argue that it was easier to do here as there were only five characters to focus on, and Skins (like Lost before it) certainly gives credence to the idea that the 'character-centric episodes' format does help to create more of an empathy with the protagonists. Take Nathan, if you will. He's the quintessential mouthy twat, in the manner of Tony or Cook from Skins, a deplorable bellend who initially filled me with feelings of annoyance, hatred and mild indigestion (that last one was probably just from the curry I ate). But once some crazy stuff happens to him in the second episode – something I daren't spoil here as it's one of the strangest, sickest and funniest twists I've seen in television of late – and he reacts to these bizarre situations with a very human attitude, I began to sympathise with him. By the finale, I actually loved him for his aforementioned twattishness and was sad the series had already finished. The other characters went through less of a transformation (at least my perceptions of them did) but, on the whole, they were a lot more endearing to me than I thought would be possible in such a short timespan. Bravo to the show's producers for picking such an impressive young cast.

Misfits is, as it stands in the current TV climate, a rather unique show. Despite being obviously concocted as a mixture of previously successful formats, the uneasiness and darkness of the probation officer's storyline, along with the surreal humour on display throughout, makes it stand out. I do seriously recommend it (it should all still be on 4od for at least a few weeks) and hey – it's only six episodes, so you're not committing to a crumbling mess of a show of Heroes-like proportions.

On a final note, how awesome were the closing credits in the last episode?!