Sunday, November 20, 2011

British Television FTW

British Humour is often touted as more sophisticated or edgier than American humor.  Mr. Bean not withstanding, I often agree with this.  Misfits, a British comedy about a gang of lovable juvenile delinquents with super powers, is a stellar example of the edginess of British humour.  Misfits follows a group of young adults sentenced to six weeks of community service.  After being struck by lightening in a freak storm, the group begins discover they have been imbued with wacky powers ranging from the awesome to the absurd.  The premise sounds ridiculous, right?  A little willful suspension of disbelief with not go unrewarding, fair reader.

Here is what sets this show apart:  The characters are all interesting.  It's not so much about emotional investment or relying on cheap sentimentality to get you hooked.  It's about creating characters and stories that are above all unpredictable.  There was never an obvious next move, which is a highly undervalued quality in a television show.  Also, the accents are effing amazing.

The sort of main character is a lovable creepster named Nathan.  He is truly one of the most interesting characters I have seen in a long time.  He is sympathetic and repulsive at the same time.  Nathan moves through the world with such an utter lack of interest in following social norms to make people around him comfortable.  It's like nails on a chalkboard and a simultaneous brain massage, which, to me, is profoundly interesting.

This show is definitely in the upper right on the weird to awesome scale.  It is both very weird and very awesome.  Misfits is currently playing on Hulu.  It's rated as Mature, so you have to signup for a Hulu account (free) to verify you are over 18.  5 out 5 ipods.