In Misfits, a group of young offenders serving community service are caught in an electrical storm and acquire superpowers. The premise gives the British series its supernatural turn, but its focus is as much on the five young people as on what they can do: their personalities, relationships and mistakes shape a comedy-drama that ran from 2009 to 2013.
A storm changes the terms of community service
The central group comprises Nathan Young, played by Robert Sheehan; Simon Bellamy, played by Iwan Rheon; Kelly Bailey, played by Lauren Socha; Curtis Donovan, played by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett; and Alisha Daniels, played by Antonia Thomas. Before the storm, they are young offenders serving community service. Afterwards, each has a distinct ability, turning an ordinary punishment into the starting point for an unpredictable supernatural story.
The powers are closely tied to the characters as the series presents them. Nathan’s immortality sits alongside his irreverent, boundary-pushing manner. Simon begins as an introverted and socially awkward young man; his invisibility gives physical form to a tendency to go unnoticed, while his story moves towards greater self-assurance. Kelly’s telepathy exposes the thoughts of people around her, including their prejudice and judgement, adding vulnerability to her brash exterior and sharp wit.
Curtis can manipulate time, a power associated with his regret over past mistakes and his struggle for redemption and second chances. Alisha’s touch provokes uncontrollable lust, creating difficult questions about desire, intimacy and how other people see her. Her changing self-perception and relationships form part of that story. Together, the abilities do more than supply spectacle: they press each character’s vulnerabilities and choices into the open.
Character before superpower
The show’s character-driven approach places its supernatural premise in the context of the group’s individual personalities and backstories. Their abilities do not erase the trouble they are already in, or settle what they should do next. Instead, each one creates fresh consequences: invisibility complicates Simon’s path towards being seen, time manipulation meets Curtis’s wish to undo past mistakes, and telepathy forces Kelly to confront thoughts that might otherwise remain hidden.
That tension between the fantastic and the recognisable gives Misfits room to explore alienation, identity and responsibility. Its young characters are not presented as conventional heroes simply because they have powers. The story draws on their shortcomings and relationships, using dark humour and an unvarnished portrayal of modern youth alongside the supernatural elements.
A place in British television
Misfits combines supernatural storytelling with the grit of urban life, and comedy with drama. Its treatment of existential unease and the demands of growing into responsibility helped make its unusual premise a vehicle for character stories rather than a sequence of powers and set pieces. The series’ style and focus on a group of young people gave it a distinct place in British television.
The show also became an important early point of recognition for members of its cast. Iwan Rheon, who played Simon, later portrayed Ramsay Bolton in HBO’s Game of Thrones. That later role is one example of the wider careers associated with the series, although Misfits is best understood on its own terms: as an ensemble drama whose supernatural conceit allowed it to turn everyday conflicts into unusual, sometimes unsettling stories.
Why Misfits deserves a place in British Legacy
Misfits deserves a place in British Legacy for the way it made a distinctly simple supernatural premise serve a character-led story. A storm gives five young offenders powers, but the series follows what those powers expose: Nathan’s recklessness, Simon’s wish to escape notice, Kelly’s encounter with other people’s unspoken judgements, Curtis’s regret and Alisha’s difficult relationship with desire and intimacy. These are not interchangeable abilities or decorative effects. They give the characters’ vulnerabilities and choices a form that drives the drama.
Its British television connection lies in that combination of dark humour, urban grit and stories about young people negotiating identity and responsibility. Rather than treating its characters as ready-made heroes, Misfits builds its comedy and drama from their flaws and changing relationships. Its run from 2009 to 2013 and the later recognition of cast members such as Iwan Rheon are part of its record; its more lasting interest is the way it used fantasy to make personal and social tensions dramatically visible. That blend gives the series a specific place in British screen culture.