Cult Superhero Series "Misfits" Features Both Eye and Brain Candy

If you know anybody who watches the U.K. series Misfits, there's almost certainly a chance that they've tried to get you to watch Misfits. Do yourself a huge favor: trust them. Watch Misfits.

Often described as Heroes meets Skins (The British version, guys. The good one.), Misfits follows five young delinquents who gain supernatural abilities after being struck by lightning from a mysterious storm. Unfortunately, the storm affects others in the city as well, superpowering some individuals with even less noble intentions.

The show has become quite popular in the UK, and since it started streaming for free on Hulu, it's gained a significant following in the US as well.

What sets Misfits apart from Heroes is that most of the time, it takes itself incredibly un-seriously. The Misfits usually aren't out to save the world. They just want to finish their community service (and maybe have a bit of fun while they're at it). In fact, they often end up causing more trouble than they prevent. It really is based upon the premise of what would happen if the maladjusted, sex-crazed characters of Skins gained superpowers. You can expect plenty of raunchy humor mixed with dry, British wit and some genuinely interesting storylines.

The episode plots and premises tend to sound a little silly on paper. A guy with the power of telekinesis that only works on dairy products. A zombie cheerleader attack. A girl with the power to make dongs fall off. No, really.

And yet, there are actual stakes involved; sometimes it even gets unexpectedly dark. In spite of all the silliness, it's just a much smarter show than Heroes. For example, when a character dies (and trust me, this happens fairly often), they rarely get infused with deus ex machina “resurrection blood” or replaced with a long-lost identical twin. They typically stay dead. It's this sort of dedication to continuity and world-building that gives Misfits real emotional impact, even in the presence of zombie cheerleaders.

The bad news: very little about this show is explicitly gay. True, there's a bit of lesbianesque confusion in this most recent season when a character gains the ability to switch genders, but so far the closest we've gotten to guy-on-guy action is an episode where a supernatural tattoo causes the aggressively heterosexual Nathan to become infatuated with the equally heterosexual Simon.

The good news: oh my goodness have you seen Simon shirtless?

Simon (actor Iwan Rheon)

The fact that each season is only a handful of episodes long really helps maintain the “focus” of the series and keeps it from going too far off the rails (looking at you, Heroes), but it's also quite unpredictable, fun, and surprisingly addictive. I can't recommend it enough (and neither can anyone else you know who's watched it).

Misfits has just completed its third season run in the UK. U.S. viewers can watch the series online via Hulu.