Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television programme that aired on E4. The show premiered on 12 November 2009 and concluded on 11 December 2013 in its fifth series. Misfits is about a group of young offenders sentenced to work in a community service programme who obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm.
Production The first series of Misfits started broadcasting in the UK on 12 November 2009 on E4 and was produced by Clerkenwell Films. The programme aired in Australia in 2010 on ABC2, and in New Zealand, it screened on FOUR. In June 2011, it was made available online in the United States via Hulu, where it became one of the service's most-watched programmes.
Recording for the second series began on 24 May 2010, next to Southmere Lake, Thamesmead, Bexley, Southeast London.E4 announce the return of ‘Misfits’ Blogomatic3000, 28 May 2010 The second series aired from 11 November 2010 to 16 December 2010 on E4. A Christmas special, written by Howard Overman, featuring the first series’ main cast, was broadcast on E4 in December 2010. The first series won the 2010 BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series. The third series began airing on 30 October 2011, and ended on 18 December 2011. The fourth series premiered in October 2012, and the fifth in October 2013.
Marketing The first series was accompanied by online viral marketing 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. Since then other characters have appeared, such as Rudy Wade and Alisha Daniels, as well as a fan-based "observer" character named "That Guy". Additional strategic components included direct-to-YouTube video clips and an online game based on the show.
Cast and characters
Antonia Thomas, Iwan Rheon, Lauren Socha, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Robert Sheehan are introduced as Alisha Daniels, Simon Bellamy, Kelly Bailey, Curtis Donovan, and Nathan Young respectively. Sheehan left after the second series and was replaced in the third by Joseph Gilgun as Rudy Wade. After the third series, it was announced that Rheon, Thomas, and Socha had left and would be replaced by new cast members Karla Crome, Nathan McMullen and Matt Stokoe, as Jess, Finn, and Alex respectively. Midway through the fourth series, Stewart-Jarrett left while Natasha O'Keeffe joined the cast as Abbey Smith.
Character Portrayed by Series Season 1(2009) Season 2(2010) Season 3(2011) Season 4(2012) Season 5(2013) Main Curtis Donovan Nathan Stewart-Jarrett colspan="4" colspan="1" Simon Bellamy Iwan Rheon colspan="3" Kelly Bailey Lauren Socha colspan="3" Alisha Daniels Antonia Thomas colspan="3" Nathan Young Robert Sheehan colspan="2" colspan="1" Rudy Wade Joseph Gilgun colspan="3" Jess Karla Crome colspan="2" Finnley Aran Samson Nathan McMullen colspan="2" Abbey Smith Natasha O'Keeffe colspan="2" Alex "From the Bar" Matt Stokoe colspan="1" colspan="1" Recurring Sally Alex Reid colspan="1" colspan="2" Pete Michael Obiora colspan="1" colspan="1" Tony Morecombe Danny Sapani colspan="1" colspan="1" Louise Young Michelle Fairley colspan="1" Mike Young Dexter Fletcher colspan="2" Gary Josef Altin colspan="1" colspan="1" Rachel Jessica Brown Findlay colspan="1" colspan="1" Shaun Craig Parkinson colspan="2" Nikki Ruth Negga colspan="1" Seth Matthew McNulty colspan="1" colspan="2" Lily Catrin Stewart colspan="2" Tim Matt Cross colspan="1" colspan="1" Melissa Kehinde Fadipe colspan="1" Marnie Gwyneth Keyworth colspan="2" Lola Lucy Gaskell colspan="1" Nadine Gillian Saker colspan="1" Sadie Imogen Doel colspan="1" Greg Shaun Dooley colspan="2" Sam Michael Winder colspan="1" Maggie Ruth Sheen colspan="1" Helen Ellie Kendrick colspan="1" Stuart Oliver Lansley colspan="1" Karen Kate Bracken colspan="1"
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 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. The third series began airing on 30 October 2011 on E4. It introduced a new character, Rudy (Joe Gilgun), and was eight episodes long. Unlike the first two series, Howard Overman did not write all the episodes, instead writing six of the eight with Jon Brown writing the other two. Series four began on 28 October 2012, introducing new characters Finn, Jess, Greg, Alex and Abbey. This series also saw the departures of Seth and Curtis. Like series three, Howard Overman penned six episodes, and Jon Brown wrote the remaining two. Series four came to a close on 16 December 2012.
Story overview
Series 1 (2009) Misfits follows five delinquents on community service at a community centre who are caught outside during a supernatural thunderstorm and who acquire special abilities. Initially, the show focused on five young adults, each gaining a superpower which mirrors their character. Kelly Bailey (Lauren Socha)—constantly judged for her class ("chav")—gains the ability of telepathy, Curtis Donovan (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett)—trying to escape a mistake from his past—can rewind time after experiencing an immense sense of regret, Alisha Daniels (Antonia Thomas)—a woman who is extremely comfortable with her sexuality and body—sends people into a sexual frenzy when they touch her skin and Simon Bellamy (Iwan Rheon)—often ignored or not acknowledged—can become invisible. Nathan Young (Robert Sheehan) appears unchanged.
The group are attacked by their probation officer, Tony, who was driven insane when he acquired his strange powers in the electrical storm and is accidentally killed by Kelly in self-defence. The main plot of the first series is the five trying to stop anyone else from finding out about the death. Tony's replacement, Sally, is revealed to be Tony's fiancée, 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 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, intentionally unnerves her while doing so, and then accidentally kills her in the struggle for his mobile.
Other subplots of the series involve Nathan living in the community centre after his mother kicks him out of her house, Alisha and Curtis becoming involved in a relationship, Curtis accidentally changing time so he never split up from his ex-girlfriend Sam, Nathan trying to figure out what his power could be, and Simon's sense of loneliness and isolation from the rest of the group.
After disposing of Sally's body, the delinquents discover the Virtue cult, a group of young people who have begun adopting ultra-conservative behaviour. Nathan and Simon find that this is the fault of Rachel, a conservative young woman who gained the power of suggestion due to the storm. During a struggle on a rooftop, both Rachel and Nathan are killed, and the brainwashed youths are freed. As his friends mourn, Nathan's power is finally revealed to be immortality as he awakens in his coffin, unharmed and buried alive.
Series 2 (2010) As the gang approaches 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 and saves members of the group on multiple occasions, such as revealing to Kelly that Nathan is still alive, saving Curtis from being strangled to death by a shapeshifter, saving Nathan from a car explosion when taking drugs makes him temporarily mortal, and saving Alisha from a mugger. When Alisha is attacked a second time, she is taken back to the masked man's safe house. It is revealed that he is a time-travelling, future Simon, with whom Alisha falls in love and learns she is to fall in love with the present Simon. Future Simon warns of an unspecified, upcoming crisis and shows that the superpowers will soon become public knowledge– which eventually occurs, only for that timeline to be erased. Future Simon sacrifices himself to save Alisha, prompting Alisha to reveal the truth to present Simon.
Throughout the series, subplots 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 a heart transplant.
Three months later, the Misfits give up their powers by selling them to Seth, a former drug dealer who can 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 Elliot has gathered from his followers to purchase their powers back, accidentally killing him while doing so. Curtis attempts to repurchase his power so that he can save Nikki from the shooting. However, Seth informs him that his power has already been given to an old Jewish man who wanted to kill Hitler and change history. The Misfits use the money to buy new powers from Seth, with Kelly being the first to volunteer.
Series 3 (2011) Simon, Kelly, Alisha and Curtis acquired new powers following their encounter with Seth; Simon can glimpse into the future, Kelly has complete knowledge of rocket science and mechanical systems, and Alisha has a form of clairvoyance which allows her to see through the eyes of others and Curtis can change into a woman at will. Nathan is absent, having gone to Las Vegas hoping his new magic ability will make him a millionaire. A young man on community service named Rudy, with the ability to split himself into two separate people based on the different aspects of his personality, meets the gang when he upsets a woman, causing her to use her power to freeze people within proximity to wreak havoc on Rudy. Rudy's actions accidentally put Simon, Kelly, Alisha and Curtis back into community service. Major subplots include Simon and Alisha's relationship, Simon's progressive transformation into his 'future self', Rudy's womanising and philandering, Curtis's experimentation as a female, Kelly's infatuation and eventual relationship with Seth, and Seth's obsessive search for a mysterious power. Additional minor plots include Simon being manipulated by a cartoonist with a time-altering power and Alisha pushing him not to become "the man in the mask". Someone with a time travel power fails to kill Hitler, resulting in the Nazis winning World War II, causing an alternate time stream where the misfits are a band of rebels. Rudy contracts a superpower-made STD in the confusion of a club, going on a hunt to find the person responsible.