With the US turning out so much quality genre TV series, which seems to be inhabited with British talent, it’s’ a pity that all we can seem to manage at the moment is Being Human, and Doctor Who, which is 40-years old. That’s not to say there isn’t any decent Brit drama on TV, it’s just a bit sparse. Then along comes Misfits. It’s not entirely original, as parallels can easily be drawn with Heroes, and the popular yoof series Skins, but it is a fresh approach to the ideas.
Forget all the good-looking Heroes, these teenagers really are a bunch of Misfits that are doing community service for a variety of misdemeanours when a freak storm hits and endows them with special powers. Party-girl Alisha (Antonia Thomas) can send people into a sexual frenzy with just one touch; lovable chav Kelly (Lauren Socha) can hear peoples’ thoughts; while one-time sporting hero Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) discovers he has the power to turn back time; Simon (Iwan Rheon), the clever but shy one, discovers he can turn invisible; and smart-alec Irish charmer Nathan (Robert Sheehan) is furious to discover that he is the only one of the gang apparently unaffected by the storm. The biggest mystery about him remains how he got his community service order in the first place – all he says is it was an incident involving some pick-n-mix. However, donned in orange jumpsuits and ankle tags, and forgetting they are selfish teenagers with criminal inclinations, does mean they aren’t racing around helping those less fortunate than themselves. In fact, from initial discovery of their powers they are covering up a couple of murders.
Even though this has just shown on TV, this DVD release has an 18 rating for its swearing and sex scenes that are a match for HBO’s True Blood, except the sex is more bizarre and the swearing more frequent. Thankfully, being a British show, it also has plenty of humour, especially from Nathan, and while the series does address some pertinent issues its primary aim is entertainment, which is does with a great balance of pathos and comedy.
What is great about the show is it doesn’t rely on flashy locations and special effects. In fact most of it is shot in and around a community centre on a large housing estate (Thamesmead, where A CLOCKWORK ORANGE was shot), so most of the focus is on the story and the characters.
On the DVD release the images look fantastic, even on a big TV, which is hardly surprising given that it was shot on a RED camera, which is starting to develop a very distinct and identifiable look of its own. It’s a pity there is no Blu-ray release to take full advantage of the HD. There was only one behind-the-scenes short on the preview discs, but there are others on the final DVD release
With a great season finale, it has already been announced a second season has been commissioned. Let’s hope it can maintain its freshness and not get lost like Heroes did after its brilliant first season.
Misfits is out on DVD on December 28 from 4DVD and is available from Play and all good retailers.
We have three copies on DVD to give away, courtesy of 4DVD. Click on the link below to enter the competition, which closes on January 21, 2010.