It started with a storm. Not the poetic, cinematic kind, but a weird, orange-tinted London sky that dumped oversized hailstones on five teenagers in orange jumpsuits. If you haven't seen the Misfits British TV series, you might think it’s just another "superhero origin story." It isn’t.
Honestly, it’s the exact opposite of a Marvel movie.
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When E4 dropped the first episode in 2009, the landscape of British television shifted. We were used to Skins—all glitter, drugs, and teenage angst—but Howard Overman decided to mix that gritty realism with a sci-fi twist that felt remarkably grounded. These weren't heroes. They were young offenders doing community service for things like littering, theft, or, in Nathan’s case, being an absolute nuisance in a bowling alley. They didn't want to save the world; they just wanted to finish their shift without getting yelled at by their probation officer.
The Lightning Bolt That Changed Everything
The brilliance of the Misfits British TV series lies in how the powers were assigned. It wasn't random. Each ability was a cruel, ironic manifestation of the character's deepest insecurities or personality flaws.
Take Kelly. She’s "chavvy," aggressive, and constantly worried about what people think of her. So, she gets telepathy. She's forced to hear the judgmental thoughts of everyone around her. Simon, the awkward loner who feels invisible to society? He literally becomes invisible. Curtis, who is haunted by a mistake that ruined his athletic career, gets the power to rewind time—but only when he feels intense regret. It’s smart writing. It’s character-driven sci-fi that prioritizes the "human" over the "super."
Most shows would have the group form a league. They’d get costumes. They’d fight a big bad. Instead, the first thing these kids do with their powers is accidentally kill their probation officer because he turned into a literal monster and tried to axe-murder them. It sets a tone. This is a show where the stakes aren't global—they’re survival-based. If they get caught, they go to jail. Or worse.
Why Robert Sheehan Was the Secret Sauce
We need to talk about Nathan Young.
Robert Sheehan’s performance as Nathan is probably one of the most iconic turns in 21st-century British TV. He was annoying. Genuinely irritating. He was the kind of guy who wouldn't stop talking, even when a knife was at his throat. But he was also the heart of the show’s first two series. The mystery of his "missing" power became a massive talking point for fans. While everyone else was rewinding time or seeing the future, Nathan seemed... normal. Until he wasn't.
When he finally discovered he was immortal—after being impaled on a spiked fence—it was a game-changer. It allowed the show to push the limits of dark comedy. You could kill the lead character in every episode and he’d just wake up in a coffin, screaming to be let out. It was morbid, hilarious, and perfectly suited for the E4 demographic.
However, Sheehan’s departure after Series 2 was a massive risk. Most shows die when their breakout star leaves. Misfits didn't. They brought in Joseph Gilgun as Rudy, a man who could split into two versions of himself: the brash, vulgar "Alpha" and the sensitive, weeping "Beta." It shouldn't have worked, but Gilgun’s raw vulnerability actually gave the show a longer lifespan than it probably deserved.
The Gritty Aesthetic of South East London
The setting is basically a character itself.
Filmed largely around the Thamesmead estate in London—the same place Stanley Kubrick used for A Clockwork Orange—the show feels industrial. Grey concrete. Brutalist architecture. The Southmere Lake. It’s a stark contrast to the bright, flashy colors of American superhero media.
The Misfits British TV series thrived on a shoestring budget. You can tell. The CGI isn't always great, but it doesn't matter because the writing carries it. They used the environment to ground the high-concept stuff. When a character uses a power, it doesn't look like a magic spell; it looks like a glitch in reality. It’s uncomfortable and messy.
Addressing the "Later Seasons" Problem
Let's be real. The show changed a lot by Series 4.
The original cast was gone. Iwan Rheon went off to be a villain in Game of Thrones. Antonia Thomas and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett moved on to massive projects. Bringing in a whole new "gang" (Finn, Jess, Abby, and Alex) was a tall order.
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Some fans checked out. They felt the "magic" was gone. But if you actually rewatch those later episodes, there’s a lot of merit there. The show leaned harder into the absurdity. We had a guy whose power was controlled by his shadow, and a girl who was actually a dynamic manifestation of an imaginary friend. It got weird. Really weird.
But the core theme remained: being young is hard, being an outcast is harder, and having superpowers doesn't actually make your life any easier. It usually makes it a lot more complicated.
The Cultural Legacy and Where to Watch
It’s easy to see the DNA of Misfits in shows like The Boys or Umbrella Academy (which, ironically, also stars Robert Sheehan). It proved that you could do "genre" television in the UK without it being Doctor Who. It was rude, it was crude, and it was unapologetically British.
The soundtrack also deserves a shoutout. The Breeders' "Cannonball" as the theme song? Inspired. The show introduced a whole generation to indie and electronic tracks that perfectly captured that late-2000s zeitgeist.
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If you’re looking to dive back in, the entire run is usually available on Channel 4's streaming service (formerly All 4) in the UK, and it frequently hops around platforms like Hulu or Netflix in the US.
Actionable Next Steps for the Misfits Fan
If you've finished the series and are looking for that same "gritty British" itch to scratch, here is how to navigate the post-Misfits landscape:
- Watch 'Extraordinary' on Disney+: This is the closest spiritual successor we’ve had in years. It’s about a world where everyone gets a power at 18, except the main character. It’s funny, London-based, and has that same "powers as metaphors" vibe.
- Track the Cast’s Career: Watch Iwan Rheon in Game of Thrones to see how he flipped Simon’s "shy guy" trope into one of TV’s most terrifying villains. Check out Antonia Thomas in Lovesick for a completely different tonal experience.
- Seek out the 'Vegas Baby' Webisode: If you missed it, there’s a short online-only finale for Nathan’s character that explains exactly how he ended up in a Las Vegas jail. It’s the closure you need.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: Find a "Misfits E4" playlist on Spotify. It’s a masterclass in music supervision for the 2010s.
The Misfits British TV series wasn't perfect. It was messy, sometimes inconsistent, and definitely didn't know when to quit. But in a world of polished, billion-dollar superhero franchises, there is something deeply refreshing about five kids in orange jumpsuits just trying not to get killed by their social worker. It remains a high-water mark for British cult television.