MisBrits

Alright, I'm not one for British television. I don't know what it is, if it's the accents, the dull colors, or perhaps the Brits are just inferior at making television. I never really liked the British version of The Office (yes, I watched it before watching the American version <3 Jim and Pam), I definitely didn't care about Skins, but I've found the exception to my rule, the rule being British TV is Bollocks (thank you Spike). Misfits, a drama about 5 teenagers sentenced to community service who happen to get super powers from an electrical storm. Sounds REAL lame. Luckily, I have so much free time at work and had watched everything else out there that I took a chance on it, mostly because I'm a comic book fan and thought maybe this would somehow slip into a similar television type genre.

Mistake.

Not a mistake to watch the show. My assumptions were all mistakes. It doesn't fit into a typical superhero power driven show ala Heroes, No Ordinary Family, *insert any sci fi show you want. These kids get powers, but the story line doesn't follow the typical A) OMG how do we control these powers my life is so hard because I'm instantly better than most humans or B) Hey! Let's go save the world now because we're like super powerful and super awesome. There are no moral dilemma's about how when or why they should use their powers, they don't sit around trying to figure out how to control them, and the creator didn't give them any novel or marvelous (see what I did there with Marvel) super powers (Mind reader, time traveler, invisibility, etc.).

The story focuses on their actions separate from their powers. The characters are all very good ranging from hilarious to unsettling creepiness. Basically, they kill their probation worker who was made crazy from the storm out of self-defense, and being criminals already they have to bury him. However, his fiance steps in as the new probation officer with the intent to figure out what they did to him even though she has no real evidence. On top of an entertaining story, the music throughout the series is phenom.

This gives the show more of a chance to develop the characters rather than focusing upon how their super powers affect their lives. Even better the powers aren't just completely random to their character traits. The guy who was ignored his whole life can turn invisible. The future Olympic track star is able to rewind time, though not of his own free will. The insecure girl who sleeps with everyone gets more of a curse than a power similar to Rogue's power from the X-men in the sense that she can't touch any one's skin or they instantly blackout and try banging her as long as they stay in contact with her skin, and of course she's pretty damn hot too.

Throughout the series they discover other people with abilities, but again, these don't dominate the story line. In one episode Kelly goes bald and can't figure out why, then realizes that when she sees the boyfriend of a girl she recently punched, he is also bald and figures out that this girl got a power to make people go bald if they make her angry.

Basically, if you're someone who likes a show more character/plot-centric rather than gimmick-centric, you should watch Misfits.

Also, if you've watched every TV show imaginable, but have yet to watch this show, you should watch Misfits.