British Television Series ‘Misfits’ Worth a Watch

By CAITLIN SHEEHAN

If you’re looking for a new show to get into over winter break, “Misfits” might be just right for you. Originally airing across the pond on Britain’s E4 network, “Misfits” is about a group of young working-class adults and how they cope with mysteriously gaining supernatural powers.

The series opens up with a freak lightning storm giving regular people superpowers.

It centers around five main characters: Nathan, the lovable jerk, Kelly, a girl who is out to prove herself, Alisha, who has taken a new lease on life, Simon, the shy hero, and Curtis, who is looking for a second chance at an honest life.

Forced to work together, the group learns to deal with their newfound powers and bond during the process.

Even if you missed the first two seasons, fear not. Each season has a handful of episodes easily accessible on Hulu. Now in its third season, the series has dealt with a few changes. Robert Sheehan, who plays Nathan, which many fans have declared to be their favorite character, chose to leave the show. The series has done its best to find a fifth character to replace Nathan in Rudy, a character who we soon discover has a key connection to the original crew. I find that the show is still enjoyable and just as easy to get hooked on despite the loss of a key character.

Recently, Josh Schwartz (“Gossip Girl,” “Hart of Dixie,” “The O.C.”) has been speaking to the creators of “Misfits” to construct an American series. The question is: If “Misfits” is so successful on Hulu, is it really necessary to adapt it for American television?

“Misfits” was intended to be a British take on American super-heroes, but the amount of sex, drugs and curse words found in the original would make it difficult to “tone-down” for U.S. television.

If you find yourself unable to get into the original UK version, there is still hope in waiting out the possibility of an American version. Many fans have compared “Misfits” to the NBC show “Heroes,” so I predict the adaptation will be similar.

After you’ve finished your last final, I recommend any interested readers to look up “Misfits” on Hulu over break when you’ve finally got a minute to breathe, and see if you’ll become as addicted as I am.