Misfits (2009-2013)

Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television show about a group of young offenders sentenced to work in a community service program, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm.

The cast of the show have changed a lot over the course of its five-season run, to the point where the original five actors were completely replaced by the beginning of season 4. Originally starring Antonia Thomas, Iwan Rheon, Lauren Socha, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Robert Sheehan as Alisha Daniels, Simon Bellamy, Kelly Bailey, Curtis Donovan, and Nathan Young respectively, fans of the show grew to love these characters, so as you can imagine Robert Sheehan’s departure at the end of season two left fans distraught at the idea of Joseph Gilgun replacing beloved character ‘Nathan Young’ with ‘Rudy Wade’. However, fans of the show came to love Rudy, and new members of the group slowly began to replace the original five. By the beginning of the fourth season, the cast consisted of 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.

Misfits' cast from Season 4
Alex, Jess, Rudy, Finn and Abby

Misfits' original cast
Simon, Kelly, Nathan, Curtis and Alisha

Reviews of the show are overwhelmingly positive: The Times gave it four out of five stars, calling it "a new union – salty British street humour with whizz-bang special effects" which should "keep E4's core audience happy". The Guardian's Richard Vine said that it was "confident enough to operate in its own universe and set up something new" and that it was aimed at slowly presenting us the "real people" behind a seemingly "tabloid stereotype" of the "ASBO teenager", while also noting that the series Skins have also used that kind of technique for their show. The Guardian's print reviewer Tim Dowling was also enthusiastic, saying: "Misfits is indeed silly – sillier, even, than it sounds – but it's also brilliant: sharp, funny, dark and, in places, quite chilling. Both the writing and the performances ensure that everything but the preposterous central premise remains entirely believable."

Misfits is memorable and brilliantly written, fitting in perfectly with E4’s demographic, attaining millions of views per episode. The premise of the show, at the time, was different for E4: different was exactly what they needed, as E4 was strictly sit-coms at the time of Misftis’ first season. They created a devoted fanbase which was dedicated to the show and its success while keeping their existing viewers content. The show was cutting-edge and introduced the idea of the supernatural in a show about five seemingly-ordinary youths, giving the show a sense of verisimilitude: the characters were relatable and as iconic as their orange jumpsuits.