I have always considered British showrunners better than Americans because they seemed to act as if they cared more about artistic integrity than cashing in. Even if a series was wildly popular and audiences were begging for more, the series would just end when the story would end, and no one could do anything about it. Misfits seemed to be the exception to that rule. It clearly should have ended after three seasons, but kept going for two more seasons to the point where no one from the original cast was in the series, and it took awhile to regain its footing and establish a new rhythm, which it eventually did only to lose it again in the series finale. I am not saying that Misfits stopped being varying levels of fun, but the show rebooted while it was still airing, and it was impossible not to notice.
Misfits is about a group of young adults who are sentenced to do community service and while serving their sentence, get different powers while outside during a freak storm. They are not the only people on the estate that the storm affected so the series is about how they face the surreal challenges and do their time while balancing ordinary concerns such as getting shagged or a relationship, being taken seriously or figuring out what they want to do with their future. Do not come for the special effects, which range from serviceable to pretty good for a television series. It is all about the chemistry between the characters, and the actors bringing their characters to life while charming each other and us. This series ended up in my queue at a time when I preferred British shows to American shows, and I generally enjoy any series if powers are involved, but since it originally aired from 2009 through 2013, television has really skyrocketed in quality so while it is a solidly entertaining sci fi comedy, it may not feel as fresh as it probably did when it initially aired. It also may not help that some of the initial players are recognizably famous now so actors who were supposed to be virtually anonymous come with associations from more recent roles which may color your perception of their characters.
Misfits consisted of five seasons and only had a total of thirty-seven episodes with each episode runtime being around forty-five minutes. I consider this series low commitment because you could theoretically finish a season in a day if you had the time, and it would not even take up the majority of your day if you chose to do so. The first season was six episodes, and the second season was seven, but the subsequent seasons were always eight episodes. Depending on your perception of the quality of each season and how engrossed you become in the characters and the story, you may or may not be able to multitask while watching the show. If you do decide to multitask, I would recommend straight ahead multitasking—if you are doing something else, still be in a position where the television is directly in front of you, not to the side where you could accidentally stop watching and not notice that you are treating it like a radio show. To do so would be a mistake. It is definitely worth watching.
The first time that Misfits really began to gain traction and delivered a solid episode was Season 1 Episode 4. It also did not hurt that it repeatedly played Skepta’s Rolex Sweep (Vandalism Remix), which is fire and thank you for introducing it to me. In the second season, one major character gets a major reboot from creepy to hot, and Misfits hits its stride at believably pairing characters and making me buy that they love each other. It also learned that other characters could also have a makeover and still retain earlier credibility. My favorite season was the third season, and after that, most of the episodes basically recycle earlier storylines with different characters and slight changes. When the last original member left the cast, it was possibly the most disappointing episode of the entire series although if you are into film noir homages, maybe you will like it.
Misfits could have done a more gradual replacement of the entire cast and had a less abrupt transition because the series did effectively introduce new characters, specifically Nikki, played by Ruth Negga, whom I always associate as Ms. Flowers from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Rudy, played with comedic brilliance by Joseph Gilgun. Some episodes of the final season are just stupidly hilarious, and I found myself overcome with laughter because of some of the epic nonsense soliloquies that Rudy delivers. Gilgun made a professional like Game of Thrones’ Iwan Rheon turn into Jimmy Fallon as he tried not to break character and fallout in tears of hilarity. Instead because the characters get switched so obviously, and there is less balance in the overall psychological makeup of the entire cast, it is a bit startling. It is also obvious that they were going for an overall superficially hotter, older cast. They went from being generally attractive, but believable young adults to perfectly coifed, and I am supposed to still buy that they are screw ups. Also the cast was suddenly less diverse, which did not substantially hurt the show, but was noticeable.
Also while Misfits was still fun, the series began to mix metaphors and take random supernatural tropes, bringing in demons and evil rabbits that were not connected to any specific person’s powers. I am not saying that in a world where people are bestowed powers by some unknown force they cannot coexist with the devil or homicidal, humanoid bunnies, but now we are going into Looper or Alfred Hitchcock Presents territory where you already had a premise that gave you a pretty broad scope of weird shenanigans, and you still had to step outside your mandate to shake things up.
Misfits can be problematic. With the exception of Kelly, who was really developing into a strong series regular, especially in the Nazi episode, most of the women characters’ primary characteristic was being defined by their romantic relationships. I thought Jess was a strong character because of her ability to immediately know if something was wrong with the other characters, but she was really defined by her love interest of the day. I am not even certain what she did to get community service. Also the show had a really rapey vibe, including by deception. I defer to gay viewers, but I also wondered if one of my favorite characters, Greg, the probation worker, was a case of being laughed at, not with. I would have been happy to watch a series starring Greg, no powers, but there were some episodes that felt like a depiction of the gay panic legal defense. Shaun Dooley, who plays Greg, is another British treasure whom I may have seen before, but hopefully will remember from this point forward.
I would have happily kept watching Misfits if it went on long past its expiration date, but it is best for everyone that they pulled the plug when they did. There were rumors of an American reboot. Dear Lord, please no! Don’t we have enough powered shows without taking another country’s shows?!? Misfits should be available on Hulu and can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime. Especially in a global pandemic, you need all the laughs that you can get. It is medicinal.