Curto circuito

I remember to really have enjoyed this show as a kid. It had nice 80ies-TV-Action,suspense and characters you could relate to in contrast to Mutant X, that had only pretty people. Courteney Cox's intense performance was especially memorable. Her character Gloria was probably the most powerful of all the mutants, yet always sad. And man, was she beautiful! She was the main reason why I started watching Friends - resulting in owning 10 Seasons of DVDs ... I can't understand why they don't bring it out on DVD though - so much crap is released on DVD, but good shows like Misfits aren't. So, people, please, please release Misfits on DVD. I'll buy. I promise.

I was really into the show when it first aired. I remember being quite disappointed when the show got cancelled and was hoping for an eventual revival. But then one year later Dean Paul Martin met an untimely end in a plane accident, and then Kevin Peter Hall later died due to his medical condition. So much for that idea.

A couple of years ago I saw some episodes on TV Land. They hadn't aged quite as well but I still quite enjoyed them. I don't know if I could really recommend the show to someone coming in cold and who didn't have any childhood affection for the series, but it still has its moments.

Dr. Billy Hayes and Dr. El Lincoln are scientists working for Humanidyne and the military. They get fired after an incident with an iceman. Lincoln is a 7 foot tall black man who can't play a lick of basketball. He's been taking a serum to get smaller but he ends up with a shrinking ability. They have kept other mutants secret from the military. Johnny Bukowski is an electrically powered rock-n-roller with water as his greatest enemy. Gloria Dinallo (Courteney Cox) is a telekinetic teen with anger issues. Her sympathetic probation officer Jane Miller gets her out of the mental institution. Together in an ice cream truck, the Misfits of Science saves the world. Billy and El get back their jobs working under Dick Stetmeyer.

Yeah, I remember watching this show back in the day. It came and went after a few months. I remember the tall black guy who could shrink and the cute angst-ridden girl played by Courteney Cox not long after her Dancing in the Dark breakthrough. The writing is strictly 80's with a manufactured adventure every week. The show needs a consistent villain to give it a serial aspect. It struggles to come up with stories that could incorporate the group's abilities. More than anything, it needs a structure to generate the adventure for the show rather than this random generator from nothing. It has a light comedic feel although the funniest thing may be the naked giant black dude almost every week and the wacky one-liner experiments. It's not really that funny. This is not the best show but it has some passable fun and that unforgettable cute girl who danced with Bruce Springsteen.

It was an enjoyable series while it lasted. Though some powers seem more potent than others (the electricity guy), each episode seeks to explore more of all the other powers, and when used in combination, boy, it's fantastic. Talk about wishing you had some of those powers and then imagining what you can do with them.

This like any of the science projects at a science fair is another under the radar gem that got passed by, though this show isn't totally forgotten as is was mentioned in the book "Ready Player One". It's not exactly a sci-fi classic but it could have been worked on a little more.

I really like the concept which is a nifty idea you sort of a combo of both "Scorpion" and "X-Men", this show also technically the first live action super team super hero show which in a way makes the show predate some of the other that came after like "Doom Patrol", "The Defenders", and "Legends of Tomorrow". But what makes this super team unique is the fact it consists of people that are considers geeks, nerd, and outsiders to the public eye; and I really like that because it makes them people easy to emphasize and relate to since I'm one that falls into one or all those three titles. But also, the fact is all the members are underdogs that despite not getting all the breaks in life are going to do what is right to the best of their ability.

I really like the theme song which is an honorable mention in favorite themes in my book, it just has that cool 80's vibe. There is some pretty decent action as we see the character utilize some powers as well as scientific knowledge and plain common sense which to me I think makes a good combo; I always like seeing that in the super team stories showing them actually exercising intelligence which really helps the team actually act as a team but also actually solve the problem, where in most super team comics/stories it just seem like the answer comes instantly without much effort put in.

The characters are all solid, I really bought all of them are friends as they support and help each other out through thick and thin. I really like is Johnny whom is a cool character in both personal and power wise. He's probably the most powerful of the bunch as this guy has two powers to wield. From super speed like "The Flash" really like the effect which is like the one in the 90's flash. As well as electricity much like "Static Shock". His character is pretty much the bronze of the group as he is the one that takes the most action. But I also like the guy's persona as he's a guy that is a rocker with big dreams but has streets smarts and an aggressiveness, from romance but just the willingness to do what's right as well as help his friends.

Billy Hayes is the second character I really like, he's the leader and the brains of the bunch though his character is powerless. But he doesn't really need them, you can say he's already got one which is his brain as he has scientific knowledge which helps in deduction of the current case but also is sometimes inventive. His character is also a bit of a comic relief as he has some pretty good and comical lines and scenes. Though this guy has an Achilles heel which is being incredibly naïve and optimistic on a terrible scale, not always grounded with the real world, let alone doesn't always know when to shut up. Though these things can also be a bit of an advantage as those things really help point the team in the right direction, motives the team into doing what must be done. And we even see as he's involved in the situations, he's building up his own confidence and helps him exercise action; this slightly proves why being the hero/superhero business can be good for your health.

Gloria played well by Cortney Cox this was one of her debut roles and this was a pretty good start. She is also the bronze of the group, she's sort of like Jean Grey from "X-Men" as she has telekinesis which is utilized in a strobe effect; she can move things or even blow things up with her mind. But I really like her persona which is spunky, rebellious, but also just down to Earth, I like how she sometimes reacts to certain things, and really like how she always is doing what must be done despite disagreeing with whatever her friends (mainly Billy) drag her into.

My only real problem with the show is despite how much fun this show is, it's just not that memorable. The main problem is really in some of the writing and plotlines are by their nature kind of generic situation of the week fare. Though same could be said about a lot of other action and superhero shows out there with an episode or two. Though in those kinds of shows we're more focused and concerned about what the characters do so I can't complain too much. But the other problem is I don't feel the misfits get to kick much ass, the powers are just a tad underutilized, most of the time they use it at the most convent time or convenience that's there.

I wouldn't mind if this gets a revival, from having a bigger budget where we can crack it up in effects, better explanation as to how the misfits inherited their powers. But also have some stronger plotlines and arcs to really up the ante and just get tested more with those powers along with the scientific knowledge; like have them fight an evil science organization that also has people with superpowers. Maybe even have Cortney Cox back though it would have to be a different role maybe the Max Wright role where she is both the boss but also mentor figure for the Misfits sort of like who Zordon is to the "Power Rangers", but that would be a nice nod to the original show. Well like any scientific theory it's a least a though to consider.

Like any science project in a science fair this show is worth a watch.

Rating: 3 stars