The edgy British supernatural drama Misfits is getting the American adaptation treatment, but just how well will it translate with U.S. audiences?
On the heel of the very exciting news that Freeform (which was formerly ABC Family) is bringing the Greek cast back for a reunion movie comes the slightly less exciting announcement that the network is also rebooting Channel 4’s Misfits.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the U.S. Misfits will be helmed by former Gossip Girl bosses Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz.
The concept of Misfits is fairly evergreen: A group of twenty-something delinquents is exposed to a supernatural substance, and develop unpredictable super powers (see also Fantastic Four, The Flash, Heroes, and Agents of SHIELD).
Credit: Misfits Wikia
What sets Misfits apart from the rest is its commitment to genuinely disturbing, hilarious and uncomfortable storytelling. In the original Channel 4 version, there was no real cap on language, nudity, or inappropriate storytelling elements (one example includes lead character Kelly having sex with a man who later turns out to be a monkey), leaving audiences with an odd feeling that they’ve just watched something they shouldn’t have (and certainly shouldn’t have enjoyed!).
The tone of Misfits can best be described as social realist dramedy, a mix between Skins and Being Human (both of which have also been adapted for U.S. television) with a dash of Jackass.
The original series was brilliant, in a decidedly flawed sort of way, with some extraordinary storytelling elements (the Simon/Alisha romance probably going down as one of the most controversial yet affecting love stories in TV history) mixed in with a fair bit of trial and error.
Credit: Tumblr
Its characters were weird but wonderful, the highlights being the impossible-to-hate-yet-horrible-human-being Nathan (Robert Sheehan) and the perverted-yet-lovable (no really) Simon (Iwan Rheon).
Most of the cast had been swapped out by the final season as the show attempted to move into a Heroes-style format of ever-changing super-people, but that was never to be — at least, not in its first incarnation.
In theory, a Misfits reboot doesn’t have to be a bad thing. However, as many fans have already pointed out, sometimes it’s best to leave the original alone. Considering recent reactions to controversial storyline developments on network TV, we’re certainly not predicting a bright future for the show that aims to make its viewers uncomfortable.
Even more worrying is of course that it’s landed on the network formerly known as ABC Family, with a pair of showrunners who, albeit talented, have a shared highlight reel consisting of Hart of Dixie, The Carrie Diaries, The O.C., and The Astronaut Wives Club. Hardly the first people we’d think of to adapt a show like Misfits, but maybe they’ll surprise us!