Thanks to my obsession with following every former Whedonverse actor on Twitter, I was alerted by Julie Benz of a sneak preview of her new show No Ordinary Family available to 50,000 viewers through ABC. The show doesn’t premiere until September 28th, but here’s my sneak peak for you.
The show centers around the dysfunctional suburban Powell family. Mom Stephanie is a successful medical researcher, always on the go, while Father Jim is a police sketch artist who is desperately trying to hold their family together as he and Stephanie drift further apart. A family trip to Brazil with their teenage children Daphne and JJ turns life upside down for the foursome when a plane crash exposes them to some unknown substance that gives them all superpowers. Jim gets super strength, Stephanie super speed, Daphne is imbued with telepathy while JJ gets the brains. The bulk of the pilot is dedicated to the discovery of said powers while hinting at the true direction of the show which appears to be the formation of a crime fighting super family. This is reinforced by the introduction of a villain with Jumper-esque disappearing abilities who foreshadows a whole world of superheroes with the line “did you really think you were the only one?”
When I first heard about this show I knew I wanted to watch it, but I was very wary of the premise. This sort of plotline is rife with opportunity to take an exit on to the cheesy highway, and given ABC’s recent unsuccessful turn jumping on the fad (vampire) bandwagon with the show The Gates, I felt justified in approaching their take on the superhero genre with extreme trepidation. Suffice it to say I was pleased as punch to find the show well scripted, well acted, and all around enjoyable to watch. Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz shine as Jim and Stephanie Powell. They make both the real and surreal problems of their marriage believable and relatable. Speaking of, I think that is one aspect of the show I really enjoyed. It did not focus entirely on the super power aspect, but really combined both the ordinary and extraordinary to show this real family reacting to what most would find unfathomable. Of course their reactions weren’t quite as shocked as one might expect, but that’s the magic of TV, right?
I really think this show is going to do well. It’s a new twist on an old story with 21st century special effects to really give it a punch. I’m intrigued to see where they take the characters with their abilities. Will they really become a crime fighting super family or will they continue with their lives as status quo as possible while enjoying the perks their new abilities give them? Of course smart bets are on the latter, but I’ll be sure to tune in to ABC on Tuesdays this fall to find out where the Powell’s go next.
