I picked this up recently because I liked the concept (superheros are my kryptonite, ha ha) and because it starred Michael Chiklis (who gets super strength and invulnerability) from The Shield and the first two Fantastic Four films.
And it has the Disney/abc tie-in
So here, from Wikipedia, is the rundown on this short-lived series:
No Ordinary Family is an American television series that aired on ABC and CTV in Canada. The one-hour science fiction comedy-drama was produced by ABC Studios for the 2010–11 television season. The series ran from September 28, 2010, to April 5, 2011, on Tuesdays at 8:00 pm ET/PT. The show centers on the Powells, a typical American family living in fictional Pacific Bay, California, whose members gain special powers after their plane crashes in the Amazon, Brazil.
Julie Benz (Mom, who gets super speed), Kay Panabaker (the daughter, who can read minds), and Jimmy Bennett (the son, who becomes super smart) complete the family. Guest stars included Lucy Lawless, Cybill Shepherd, Rick Schroder (remember him?) and Robert Picardo (for all you Star Trek fans) to name but a few.
This was a fun superhero romp in the vain of The Incredibles with writing reminiscent of Heroes and Lost. The characters try to master their new powers while still balancing their somewhat flawed family. With others trying to learn their secret and more super powered humans popping up every day, most of them bad, the Powells have a lot on their plates!
Will they succeed? Will they keep their secrets? Will they save the world? We’ll never know for on May 13, 2011, ABC announced that No Ordinary Family had been cancelled due to low ratings. Although it was fun, it was a mature theme watered down for a family audience, which was likely why it couldn’t find a larger audience.
However, I still give it a 3.5 stars out of 5. The special effects were surprisingly good for a TV show budget and the acting was top-notch. It did have a sitcom feel at times. But without more episodes to watch, it’s hard to say if the premise would have carried into multiple seasons.
Other places you can find the cast:
- Julie Benz – played Rita Bennett on Dexter (2006–2010), for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is currently starring as Mayor Amanda Rosewater on the Sci fi series Defiance.
- Kay Panabaker – breakout role came when she starred in Summerland as “Nikki Westerly”, in the 2004–05 season. Also did voice work in Monsters Inc.
- Jimmy Bennett – He is known for his roles as a child actor in Daddy Day Care, Hostage, Poseidon, Orphan and as young James T. Kirk in the 2009 film Star Trek. He has been nominated for Young Artist Awards five times.
