Misfits (TV series)

Misfits
Genre	Action/Adventure Drama Science fiction Dark comedy Supernatural
Created by	Howard Overman
Written by	Howard Overman
Starring	Iwan Rheon Lauren Socha Nathan Stewart-Jarrett Antonia Thomas Robert Sheehan Joseph Gilgun
Opening theme	"Echoes" by The Rapture
Composer(s)	Vince Pope
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	16 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Petra Fried Murray Ferguson
Producer(s)	Kate Crowe
Location(s)	London
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	45 minutes
Production company(s)	Clerkenwell Films
Broadcast
Original channel	E4
Picture format	HDTV (1080i) SDTV (576p)
Audio format	Surround
Original run	12 November 2009 (2009-11-12) – present
External links
Website
Production website

Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television series about a group of young offenders forced to work in a community service programme, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm. The first series started broadcasting on 12 November 2009 on E4, and was produced by Clerkenwell Films. The show aired in Australia in 2010 on ABC2. In June 2011, it was made available online in the United States via Hulu,^[1] where it became one of the service's most-watched series.^[2]

Filming for the second series began on 24 May 2010, next to Southmere Lake, Thamesmead, Southeast London.^[3] The second series aired from 11 November 2010 to 16 December 2010 on E4. A third series was officially confirmed.^[4][5] A Christmas special, written by Howard Overman, featuring the whole main cast of the first series was broadcast on E4 in December 2010.^[6][7] The first series won the 2010 BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series.^[8]

On 10 April 2011, it was announced that actor Robert Sheehan would not be returning for the third series.^[9] A short entitled "Vegas Baby", released online in September 2011, covered the departure of Sheehan's character, Nathan. An extended trailer for the new third series was shown after the short. The third series started on 30 October 2011.^[10]

Premise

Misfits follows five early-20s delinquents on community service in Wertham (a fictional borough in London),^[11] who are caught outside during an electrical thunder storm and hail the size of bowling balls, and who acquire special powers. Kelly (Lauren Socha) gains the ability to hear the thoughts of others, Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) can rewind time after experiencing an immense sense of regret, Alisha (Antonia Thomas) sends people into a sexual frenzy when they touch her skin, Simon (Iwan Rheon) can become invisible, and Nathan (Robert Sheehan) does not discover his power until the end of the first series.

Plot synopsis

Series One (2009)

In the first episode, the Misfits are attacked by their probation officer, Tony, who acquired strange evil powers in the electrical storm, and accidentally kill him in self defense. The main plot of the first series is the five trying to stop anyone else finding out about the murder. Tony's replacement Sally is revealed to be Tony's fiancee, and she suspects that the gang know more than they claim to. Sally's suspicion grows and she forms a relationship with Simon, secretly pretending to like him in order to get information from him about Tony's disappearance. She steals his mobile phone, which has the video of Nathan saying they killed Tony, sees it, and tries to convince Simon to go to the police. When she tries to get away, Simon turns invisible, freaks her out a little, and then accidentally kills her in the struggle for his mobile. Other sub-plots of the series involve Nathan being made homeless after his mother kicks him out, beginning to live in the community center, Alisha and Curtis becoming involved in a relationship, Curtis accidentally changing time so he never split up from his ex-girlfriend Sam, and Simon's sense of loneliness and isolation from the rest of the group. There are also side-plots that only last for one episode, including the first series' finale in which a cult-like group begins to brainwash youths into adopting ultra-conservative behavior. The episode ends with Nathan's death after a struggle with the cult's leader. As his friends mourn, Nathan's power is finally revealed to be immortality in the final scene as he awakens unharmed in his coffin.

Series Two (2010)

In the second series, as the gang are approaching the end of their community service, they are stalked by a mysterious masked man who had previously saved Nathan from the Virtue cult. He assists them through dangerous situations and is seemingly aware of events that take place before they happen; he saves members of the group on multiple occasions such as saving Curtis from being strangled to death by a shapeshifter, saving Nathan from a car explosion when taking drugs makes him vulnerable to being killed, and saving Alisha from a mugger. When Alisha is attacked a second time, she falls down a flight of stairs and is taken back to the masked man's safe house. It is revealed that he is a time-travelling, future Simon, who Alisha falls in love with and learns she is to fall in love with the 'present' Simon. Future Simon both warns of an unspecified, upcoming crisis and shows that the superpowers will soon become public knowledge – which occurs in the sixth episode, only for that timeline to be erased. Throughout the series, sub-plots include Nathan discovering his immortality extends to mediumship, Nathan and Kelly's abortive attempt at a relationship, Curtis and Alisha breaking up, Simon slowly becoming more assertive and comfortable with himself, and Curtis starting a relationship with a girl named Nikki, who obtained her teleportation power from the heart transplant of a guy named Ollie, who originally had the power. Three months later, the Misfits give up their powers by selling them to a dealer with the ability to transfer powers from one person to another. Elliot, a disillusioned priest, purchases several powers from the same dealer including Alisha's and Nikki's, and uses them to pose as a reborn Jesus Christ. While the Misfits are celebrating the fact that they are free from their powers, a follower of "Jesus" holds up the bar where Curtis and Alisha are now working, robs them, and kills Nikki. The Misfits steal the money that the priest "Jesus" has gathered from his followers so they can purchase their powers back, accidentally killing him while doing so. The Misfits now have the option to buy any power they want, and the episode concludes with a flash of bright white light as Kelly is the first to undergo the process.

Series Three (2011)

Nathan has acquired the power to warp reality, heading to Las Vegas with Marnie and Nathan Jr. to use his power to cheat at dice in the casinos. He gets caught after using his power to roll a seven and four to get a winning eleven, not realising there is no number seven on a regular dice, and is put in prison. He is then allowed one phone call, and in desperation, he calls Simon. Back in England, Rudy answers the phone but as Nathan calls Simon "Barry", Rudy assumes he has the wrong number, telling Nathan there is no Barry. Rudy identifies himself as "the new guy" before hanging up and Nathan is then dragged away by guards screaming, "save me Barry!" as the telephone hangs from its station. The gang are still together and spend time in Simon and Alisha's underground flat. Each has acquired new powers following the events of series 2; Simon can glimpse into the future, Kelly has complete knowledge of rocket science, Alisha has a form of Clairvoyance which allows her to see what other people are doing and Curtis can change his sex at will. They believe Nathan is still in Vegas with Marnie. Rudy meets the gang when one of his doubles upsets an unstable girl with the ability to 'freeze' people who attempts to set him up for murder. After helping him out they go for a drive only to discover Rudy has stolen a car thus putting them all back in community service. While in Community Service, Curtis notices that there is a female athletics course happening at the Community Centre. He uses his power to change into a girl called Melissa, and joins the athletics. He meets a girl there who he begins to fancy, but as the girl thinks Curtis is a girl, she assumes Melissa (Curtis as a woman) is a lesbian, and she has a relationship with both Curtis and Melissa. The girl finds Melissa's dress at Curtis's house, and assumes he is having an affair with her, and dumps both Curtis and Melissa. Curtis then reveals his true identity to her. Simon meets a boy, who has the power of fate alteration, making events occur by drawing comic strips of it before it happens. He is impressed when Simon, dressed as SuperHoodie, saves him from being mugged, and he wants Simon to become a full time superhero, but Simon is against this, so the boy, using his power, makes Simon break up with Alisha and beat up his friends. Alisha, Curtis, Kelly and Rudy find the comics and rip them up, bringing Simon back to his normal self. Simon gets back with Alisha, and the boy writes a comic to make Simon kill him. Alisha tells Simon to burn the body, along with the SuperHoodie costume, but the boy has previously drawn a comic that makes Simon keep the costume; and hide it from Alisha, leaving the reappearance of 'super hoodie' unknown.

Cast

Main article: List of Misfits characters

Cast member	Character	Series	Powers
Joseph Gilgun	Rudy Wade	3 - present	Emotionally induced cloning
Iwan Rheon	Simon Bellamy	1 - present	Invisibility initially upon feeling ignored but later at will (series 1-2) Precognition (series 3)
Robert Sheehan	Nathan Young	1 - 2	Immortality and mediumship (series 1-2) Reality warping ("Vegas, Baby!")
Lauren Socha	Kelly Bailey	1 - present	Telepathy (series 1-2) Genius-level knowledge of rocket science (series 3)
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett	Curtis Donovan	1 - present	Ability to rewind time when feeling regret (series 1-2) Ability to change sex (series 3)
Antonia Thomas	Alisha Bailey	1 - present	Induction of hypersexuality with skin contact (series 1-2) Clairvoyance (series 3)

Episodes

Main article: List of Misfits episodes

The first series comprised six episodes, airing from 12 November to 17 December 2009 on E4.

The second series started filming in May 2010^[12] and aired on E4 from 11 November to 16 December 2010. This series had seven episodes, including a Christmas episode.

An exclusive short film, "Vegas Baby!"', premiered on E4's official website on 15 September 2011, focusing on Nathan's departure.^[13] The third series began premiered on 30 October 2011 on E4. It includes new character Rudy (Joe Gilgun) and will be eight episodes long. Unlike the first two seasons, Howard Overman has not written all the episodes, instead bringing new writers on board.

Production

Filming locations

The show is filmed in South East London, mostly on location around the Southmere Lake in Thamesmead.^{[citation needed]} Other exterior shots were filmed on the Heygate Estate.^{[citation needed]} Many interiors were filmed in sets built in the old Runnymede campus of Brunel University.^{[citation needed]} The scenes under the flyover are in Boston Manor Park in Brentford, London.^{[citation needed]} The bar in the second and third series was not located in South Street, Brunel; it was a set built specifically for the show.^{[citation needed]}

Marketing

The first series was accompanied by an online viral marketing campaign produced by Six to Start, on social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter. For example, in a British first, the characters Simon and Kelly tweeted during the initial transmission of each episode, with the content of the tweets provided by writers Sam Liefer and Ben Edwards, under the direction of lead writer Howard Overman and executive producer Petra Fried. These tweets and other website postings provided additional narrative material, and amongst other things did not ultimately reveal the identity of a key character who appeared only in episode six.^[14][15] Additional strategic components included direct-to–YouTube video clips and an online game based on the show.^[14]

Reception

Critical response

British reviews have been very positive. The Times gave it four out of five stars, calling it "a new union — salty British street humour with whizz-bang special effects" which should "keep E4's core audience happy".^[16] An online review by The Guardian said that it was "confident enough to operate in its own universe and set up something new" and that it was aimed at showing us "real people" rather than the stereotype of the "ASBO teenager".^[17] The Guardian's print reviewer was also enthusiastic, saying: "Misfits is indeed silly — sillier, even, than it sounds — but it's also brilliant: sharp, funny, dark and, in places, quite chilling. Both the writing and the performances ensure that everything but the preposterous central premise remains entirely believable."^[18] The Daily Telegraph drew special attention to Howard Overman's script which, it said, "sparkled from the off, introducing his posse of social outcasts as a bunch of total losers, but each one distinctively and memorably so."^[19]

The Irish media have also been impressed with the show. The Evening Herald called the debut episode "dark, hilarious, exciting and beautifully produced". It went on to say that "the spark comes from Overman's razor-sharp script, yet a lot of the credit also has to go to the well-chosen young cast, who are uniformly superb."^[20]

Awards

Both the series and its writer Howard Overman were nominated for RTS Awards in March 2010.^[21] The series won the 2010 BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series.^[8]

Television ratings

Series 1 ^[22]

Episode	Air date	Viewers			Rank
		E4	E4+1	Total	E4	E4+1
One	12 November 2009	574,000	213,000	787,000	#4	#9
Two	19 November 2009	569,000	169,000	738,000	#2	#11
Three	26 November 2009	592,000	88,000	680,000	#1	#11
Four	3 December 2009	632,000	78,000	710,000	#5	#11
Five	10 December 2009	598,000	72,000	670,000	#8	#21
Six	17 December 2009	592,000	68,000	660,000	#6	#21

Series 2

Episode	Air date	Viewers			Rank
		E4	E4+1	Total	E4	E4+1
One	11 November 2010	1,185,000	238,000	1,423,000	#1	#5
Two	18 November 2010	1,055,000	250,000	1,305,000	#1	#2
Three	25 November 2010	1,119,000	251,000	1,370,000	#1	#4
Four	2 December 2010	1,075,000	341,000	1,416,000	#1	#2
Five	9 December 2010	1,074,000	355,000	1,429,000	#1	#1
Six	16 December 2010	1,201,000	392,000	1,593,000	#2	#1
Christmas Special	19 December 2010	1,420,000	278,000	1,698,000	#1	#3

Series 3

Episode	Air date	Viewers			Rank
		E4	E4+1	Total	E4	E4+1
One	30 October 2011	1,471,000	323,000	1,794,000	#1	#2
Two	6 November 2011	1,308,000	298,000	1,606,000	#4	#4
Three	13 November 2011	1,144,000	323,000	1,467,000	#1	#3
Four	20 November 2011
Five	27 November 2011
Six	4 December 2011
Seven	11 December 2011
Eight	18 December 2011

References

1. ^ "The hipper side of Hulu". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-28/entertainment/ct-ent-0728-hulu-shows-20110728_1_hulu-andy-forssell-misfits. Retrieved 11 September 2011. 
2. ^ "An imported black comedy in orange jumpsuits". Los Angeles Times. http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/08/04/misfits-an-imported-black-comedy-in-orange-jumpsuits/#/0. Retrieved 11 September 2011. 
3. ^ E4 announce the return of ‘Misfits’ Blogomatic3000, 28 May 2010
4. ^ "Facebook - Misfits". 17 December 2010. http://www.facebook.com/e4misfits/posts/184870784856321. Retrieved 17 December 2010. 
5. ^ "Series 3 Hoorays". E4. Channel 4. http://www.e4.com/blog/misfits-blog/post/vxnrplytxuvjz7lm7hrecx/view.e4. Retrieved 20 December 2010. 
6. ^ Wightman, Catriona (17 June 2010). "'Misfits' Christmas special to be made". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a228770/misfits-christmas-special-to-be-made.html. Retrieved 17 June 2010. 
7. ^ "Misfits: Christmas Special". Sky.com. News Corporation. http://tv.sky.com/misfits-christmas-special. Retrieved 13 December 2010. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "Television Awards Winners in 2010". BAFTA. http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/television-awards-nominations-in-2010,1095,BA.html. Retrieved 6 June 2010. 
9. ^ "Robert Sheehan not returning to 'Misfits'". Digital Spy. 2011-04-10. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s145/misfits/news/a313767/robert-sheehan-not-returning-to-misfits.html. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
10. ^ "They're back". E4.com. E4. 19 October 2011. http://www.e4.com/blog/misfits-blog/post/v2fkswtglv4y4gvcqpzmr7/view.e4. Retrieved 30 October 2011. 
11. ^ As well as the name of Wertham Community Centre, the newspaper Wertham Chronicle is seen at the start of episode 6 of the second series
12. ^ "Misfits – Power Changes For Series Two". SFX. Future Publishing. 8 March 2010. http://www.sfx.co.uk/2010/03/08/misfits-%E2%80%93-power-changes-for-series-two/. Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
13. ^ "Misfits: VEGAS BABY!". http://www.channel4.com/programmes/misfits-online-vegas-baby/4od. 
14. ^ ^{a b} Dowell, Ben (28 October 2009). "E4's Misfits characters to post on Twitter". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/28/misfits-e4-twitter. Retrieved 14 November 2009. 
15. ^ Emmerson, Keith (5 November 2009). "TV Preview: Misfits, E4". hecklerspray.com. http://www.hecklerspray.com/tv-preview-misfits-e4/200941210.php. Retrieved 14 November 2009. 
16. ^ Teeman, Tim (13 November 2009). "The Restaurant; Wonderland; Misfits; Octomum: Me and My 14 Kids". TimesOnline. entertainment.timesonline.co.uk. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article6914519.ece. Retrieved 14 November 2009. 
17. ^ Vine, Richard (13 November 2009). "Misfits: Series one, episode one". TV & Radio Blog. guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2009/nov/13/misfits-c4-episode-one. Retrieved 14 November 2009. 
18. ^ Dowling, Tim (13 November 2009). "Misfits and Wonderland: Seven Pups for Seven People". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2009/nov/13/misfits-review-asbo-superheroes. Retrieved 14 November 2009. 
19. ^ O'Donovan, Gerard (12 November 2009). "Misfits, E4, review". The Daily Telegraph. telegraph.co.uk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6555277/Misfits-E4-review.html. Retrieved 14 November 2009. 
20. ^ Stacey, Pat (13 November 2009). "Ideal superheroes for the 21st century". Evening Herald. Dublin, Ireland: herald.ie. http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/ideal-superheroes-for-the-21st-century-1941985.html. Retrieved 14 November 2009. 
21. ^ French, Dan (March 1, 2010). "'Inbetweeners', 'Misfits' land RTS nods". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a205952/inbetweeners-misfits-land-rts-nods.html. Retrieved 2 June 2010. 
22. ^ Weekly Top 10 Programmes. Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved on 18 June 2010.

External links

• Clerkenwell Films official site
• official website
• Misfits at channel4.com
• Misfits at the British Comedy Guide
• Misfits at the Internet Movie Database
• Misfits at TV.com
• BAFTA interview with the Misfits cast recorded at Latitude Festival 2011

Awards
Preceded by Wallander	British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Series 2009	Succeeded by Sherlock