No Ordinary Family

I might as well as just get this out in the open right now: "No Ordinary Family" is one of the best shows I've seen on TV in recent years. No, I'm not being hyperbolic. I mean, it really is that good. It was a show that kept me thoroughly entertained, and on the edge of my seat constantly waiting for the next big surprise (and episode).

And therein lies the problem: "No Ordinary Family" is not an Ordinary TV Show and therefore, it was just too unique to last beyond one single season with an open-ended cliffhanger climax before it was unceremoniously canceled by NBC, presumably for reasons related to poor ratings.

Due to my work schedule, I was unable to meet the demands of staying up late at night to watch "No Ordinary Family" while it was still airing regularly on TV; I'm actually quite unable to do this with many TV shows I want to see because of my schedule. Hence my review here is based on the season-one DVD, which I've spent the last three days getting caught up on (TV-on-DVD is a real life-saver).

It angers me that genuinely unique (if not totally original) TV shows are a rarity these days, especially in 2012. It happened when my favorite TV show within the last several years "Heroes" was unceremoniously canceled two years ago (and I was a huge, loyal fan of that show, by the way), and it happened when "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was canceled the year before. I think that when it comes to this sort of television - and I'm sure I'm not alone on this - Americans just have too short attention spans to even be able to handle "No Ordinary Family," which while not too intelligent or sophisticated, is at least entertaining, gripping, and watchable.

In speaking of the show's merits, it has many. Essentially, "No Ordinary Family" is a play on modern-day comic book superhero mythology. It borrows trace elements from the aforementioned "Heroes," as well as the animated Pixar hit "The Incredibles" (2004), and adds in a lot of humorous comic book references and family dramedy dynamics to make it stand alone on its own two feet. It's all done in light, fun, good humor and it's not pickled in angst or nostalgia (imagine if Christopher Nolan was behind this series - personally, I'm glad he wasn't because his so-self-serious intensity would have killed any and all fun to be had here). And it also boasts some impressive, movie-quality special effects on-hand here, as well.

As a superhero fan and comic book reader, just being a superhero fan and comic book reader are just two of the reasons why my curiosity caused me to wander around to "No Ordinary Family"; it's a delight to watch the show and its self-knowing characters work with and around contemporary and traditional comic book lore to make every episode count in some way toward the bigger picture.

This series had me hooked from the word "go". It gets off to a bit of a slow start, but quickly finds its proper footing halfway through the first season.

Things begin with a plane crash in the Brazilian jungle. The four bickering members of the Powell family, on a family trip, miraculously survived, but are forever transformed by the event. Of course, the experience has caused them to bond closer to each other than they were before, but they've also unexpectedly gained superpowers. So the once-normal, boring, and "Ordinary" Powells are thus turned into an "Extraordinary" family of super-powered super-folks:

• Family patriarch Jim Powell (Michael Chiklis), a police sketch artist, gains superhuman strength and durability, like Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible from "The Incredibles" and Ben Grimm/The Thing from the Fantastic Four (in a strange little irony, Chiklis portrayed the latter in the two live-action "Fantastic Four" movies), and uses these abilities to battle crime on a daily basis

• Mother Stephanie Powell (Julie Benz, of "Dexter"), a noted research scientist and driven careerist - the rest of the family was accompanying her on a scientific expedition when their plane crashed in Brazil - acquires superhuman speed and a rapidly increased metabolism (which allows her to heal almost instantaneously from any injury)

• Teenage daughter Daphne Powell (Kay Panabaker) develops telepathy, meaning she can read minds, which later evolves into "pushing," being able to "push" thoughts into people's heads; both abilities allow her to increase her social standing/status a little bit at high school

• And teenage son JJ Powell (Jimmy Bennett) acquires higher cognitive functioning, which basically makes him a super-genius able to instantly understand and comprehend post-graduate-level mathematics, learn new languages almost immediately, and understand & comprehend complex machines and structures; I really wish I had this ability for my high school math classes.

So obviously, they need to keep their powers a secret but as the series progresses, they try to learn the source of their powers while also battling all sorts of crime high and low. Eventually, powerful forces will cause this family to use their special abilities and bond together as one to face an even more dangerous threat to humanity. Also along to help them are Stephanie's perky comic book fan-girl lab assistant Katie Andrews (Autumn Reeser) and George St. Cloud (Romany Malco), Jim's twice-divorced best friend who is also an assistant district attorney and also establishes their base of operations in his garage.

As I stated earlier, this is a great, fun, funny, action-packed superhero TV series that doesn't take itself too seriously; it's all good fun. But also to reiterate my points from before, people seem to have increasingly diminishing attention spans, which more than likely led to this show's premature demise after only one season. This last part made me especially angry upon learning the truth about its fate.

In short, it was too fun, and too "Extraordinary," to last.

8/10

The story of Jim Powell(Michael Chiklis) and his wife Stephanie(Julie Benz) decide to take a family vacation, in hopes to do something has a family, and take there kids along, Daphne(Kay Panabaker) and JJ(James Bennett). But quickly have a plane accident, and land in a pond of special water, special because when they get back something strange comes on all of them, Jim has superhuman strength, and is almost unbreakable, Stephanie is super fast, pretty much faster than a speeding bullet, Dapine has the ability to read minds, and is overwhelmed by it, and JJs mind is like super computer. We wonder what adventures will come The Powells way?

An entertaining series, awesome effects, and good chemistry between the cast. It's easy to see the comparisons between Fantastic Four and Heroes. I hope it keeps getting clever has it goes on.

Wow! There's just so many positives to this show. The cast is perfect for the roles they've been given, the villains are intriguing, and the special effects are a hell of a lot better than most of the cheap-ass special effects that I've seen on other TV shows (including a lot of the shows that are on SyFy.) However, what's best about this show is the sarcasm from the sidekicks, as well as the son and the daughter on the show. Most of the humor for the mom and dad comes off as corny, but the humor from the others is both fresh and biting. My fiancé and I have both been watching the show since the beginning. The more we watch the show, the more that we get drawn in by the series. I can't believe it's getting canceled.

This was actually one of better show's on paranormal/superpower ability's I have watched in a long time, and that I was able to watch with my family . ABC shame on You.

If Desperate housewife's got what 4 seasons and it is so freaking clear that it is horrible show this should have gotten at least chance for second season.

Is it because it's about family? I donno but ABC has made some pretty bad choices in history and I am quite sure it will repeat.

Shame. I think I am not going to watch anymore of their shows ever coz I always get disappointed when I realize they are canceled.

Being a fan of superheroes and shows/movies based on them, I decided to give "No Ordinary Family" a chance and needless to say I was entertained. The show is lighthearted but there are some dark moments in it that really made it intense and kept my attention until the last few minutes of running time. The acting was for the most part above average, but it's the sense of intrigue that really makes the show; showing a family in crisis that are struggling to find common ground and I think that's one of the main themes in the show that makes it work. Heroes did this to a considerable degree but failed miserably in it's later seasons and I hope the show doesn't suffer that fate. The special effects were remarkable, thankfully not too much as to be a wannabe X-Men as I believe that less is more. But the highlights was the fight between Michael Chiklis's character and the guy who can disappear and faze through solid material. I'm just dying to see the next episode and the wild ride in the world of this (Ex)troardinary family.