No Ordinary Family – Pilot Review

Superheroes are dominating at the multiplex, so it’s only natural that they try to gain a foothold on the small screen, too.  It’s not as though they’ve never been here before – the fondest memories your average Joe has of Batman, Superman, or the Incredible Hulk are from their respective series.   Given the episodic nature of comics and television, it seems like a marriage made in heaven for adaptations of current material from DC,  Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Vertigo, etc.  But surprisingly, adaptations of popular series like Preacher or Fables have stalled, while original stories like Heroes have flourished. (And sputtered out, but I’m not going there.)  Now comes No Ordinary Family, a series that promises to be The Incredibles meets Family Ties.

The first episode starts off with a painfully average sitcom family. Jim Powell (Michael Chiklis) is suffering from middle-aged angst and emasculation.  His wife, Stephanie (Julie Benz), is a super busy scientist who has little time for him or their children.  His teenagers Daphne (Kay Panabaker) and JJ (Jimmy Bennett) are too busy texting or playing video games to spend time with him.  He has a depressing gig as a police sketch artist.  In a desperate bid to unite the family, he takes them on a trip to Brazil.   They’re so unenthused that his answer is to chart a private plane ride over the rainforest.  The Powells certainly end up with one hell of a bonding experience – their plane crashes.

The Powells survive, go home, and resume their busy lives.  But something happened to them deep in that rainforest.  Jim is the first to realize it. A violent incident at the police station leaves him reeling with the discovery that he can snatch bullets out of thin air. He’s overjoyed, and immediately begins experimenting with his gifts.   Stephanie is running to her car, and suddenly amasses so much speed that she winds up in the middle of the freeway.  Daphne is playing basketball when the thoughts of her classmates crowd in on her.   JJ is blowing off a math test when his brain begins doing complex calculations.

Family is drawing a lot from Unbreakable (Jim and Stephanie look and feel like a less dour version of Unbreakable’s David and Audrey Dunn) and The Incredibles, and it’s doing it self-consciously.  The Powells already know what superheroes are. Their frame of reference is the same as yours or mine. The moment Jim and Stephanie realize what they can do, they smile and say Superman.  Their friends greet the news with excitement, and gifts of a secret lair. (Not kidding!)  It’s pretty cute and bold, and is going to help the show overcome the existential “What am I? What do I do?” conflict that bogs down so many origin stories.

And as origins stories go, the Powells’ plays rather smoothly.  Pilot episodes are always a bit rough and on the nose, but this actually plays like a first issue of a comic book, with all of the expected leaps, exposition, and corniness that entails. It’s found a good tone – not too serious, not too campy – and I hope it can maintain it as the actors and characters settle into a groove.

As with so many superhero stories, the powers are a little too convenient, and are adorably tailored to the Powells’ insecurities and personal failings.  I suspect their special skills may actually be part of a bigger storyline, but even so, their gifts play a little too perfect and painless.  I mean, does no one wake up with a superpower of porcupine quills or fish gills? (One thing I always liked about Grant Morrison’s New X-Men was that he introduced mutants with truly crappy powers. More stories should take that angle!)

Family doesn’t completely escape those first episode woes, however.  The dialogue veered from solid to corny, often in the same scene, and the family dynamic is lacking. Chiklis and Benz are definitely the strongest performers.  Jim and Stephanie are real and likeable, and they’ve got a lot of chemistry. In fact, it’s hard to believe they’re having marriage troubles, because they click so well.  Their biggest problem is that they’ve reversed gender roles – Stephanie is the breadwinner, Jim is the househusband – which is actually an unusual and refreshing look at an American family.  I’m  anxious to see if Family maintains that clash, particularly since Jim is now enjoying a newfound sense of masculinity. There’s a ton of conflict to be mined there, and I’ll be disappointed if it’s dropped in favor of crimefighting.

Sadly, their scenes with their children are forced and unnatural, something not helped by the wretched performances of  Panabaker and Bennett.  Neither have invested Daphne or JJ with any warmth, weight, or likeable qualities. Both are saddled with teenage woes that should make you sympathetic – Daphne is an anxious virgin, JJ has a learning disability – but they just come off shrill and stilted.  As Family wound down, I honestly wished it was just about Jim and Stephanie, and kids could come in later.

But overall, if Family was a comic book, I’d definitely buy issue #2.  There’s a good cliffhanger, and enough lingering questions that I’m curious enough to keep tuning in.  I like that it’s self-aware without getting too silly, I appreciate its gender conflict, and I am relieved to see the Powells occupying an average America. Crime rates might be high, but there’s no M. Night Shyamalan misery or moping, or inner city gloom. They could be your family or mine. That’s a good hook. If Greg Berlanti and Jon Harmon Feldman can keep it cool and avoid heavy mythology or outlandish turns, No Ordinary Family will be a satisfying superhero story.