---
name: "Howard Overman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/howard-overman"
fi1m_id: "howard-overman"
imdb_id: "nm1882744"
tmdb_id: 146863
wikidata_id: "Q1991859"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "1 January 1953"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 79
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-17T16:29:17.622799+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Howard Overman

## Identity

Howard Overman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/howard-overman
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** howard-overman
- **IMDb ID:** nm1882744
- **TMDB ID:** 146863
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1991859
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Overman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1991859, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1882744/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/146863

Writer. Born 1 January 1953 in Regno Unito.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 1 January 1953, Regno Unito
- **Active:** 2009–present
- **Average Fi1m score:** 79, as writer, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 80 (1), 2020s 78 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Overman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1991859, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1882744/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/146863

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Misfits*](https://film.one/tv/misfits.md) (80)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Howard Overman

> Howard Overman writes genre television in which extraordinary events leave people's shortcomings intact. We like him best when the comedy earns our patience with those people; *Misfits* does, though its unpleasantness sometimes wears thin.

Five teenagers doing community service acquire superpowers in *Misfits* (2009), but Howard Overman sees no reason to make them admirable. He gives the performers unlikely material and trusts them to make it sound convincing. We laughed because the cast deliver the silliness without embarrassment, making it easier to accept people we might otherwise find exhausting. This is sharp, dark comedy, and we recommend it despite the stretches when its characters become wearing. The writing usually finds enough humour in their shortcomings to justify staying with them.

Before that breakthrough, Overman wrote episodes of *Hustle* and *New Tricks* in 2005; his work on *Merlin* ran from 2008 to 2011. *Misfits* established him as a creator and lead writer, and the programme ran for five series. His subsequent work includes co-creating the mythological fantasy *Atlantis* (2013) and creating the modern H.G. Wells adaptation *War of the Worlds* (2019). His producing partners include Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy. The later work has taken him into different settings without abandoning genre storytelling.

*Crazyhead* (2016) combines tongue-in-cheek horror with humour, while *Future Man* (2017), which he co-created, continues the comedy. Across his work, extraordinary events tend to arrive among flawed people whose ordinary difficulties still matter. What interests us about that habit is the opportunity to let characters respond badly, selfishly or absurdly to something a more solemn programme might treat with awe. *Misfits* makes good use of that opportunity, helped by an ensemble willing to take the premise seriously.

The limit is how long disagreeable behaviour can remain entertaining without giving us anything more to enjoy or understand. In the weaker stretches of *Misfits*, Overman keeps returning to the unpleasantness when the joke no longer earns it. The performances remain committed, but they cannot supply what the writing has stopped finding. Start with *Misfits* for the dark humour and the ensemble; a little tolerance for difficult company will help.

## Biography

Howard Overman is a British television writer and producer. He created and wrote the E4 series *Misfits* (2009–2013), which won the 2010 BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series.

Overman began his career writing episodes for series including *Hustle* and *Merlin*. He has created or co-created *Vexed* (2010), *Dirk Gently* (2010), *Atlantis* (2013), *Crazyhead* (2016), *Future Man* (2017), *War of the Worlds* (2019) and *The One* (2021). He co-founded the production company Urban Myth Films.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *The Lazarus Project* (2022), Fi1m 78, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-lazarus-project.md)
- *Misfits* (2009), Fi1m 80, Creator, Writer, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/misfits.md)

## Complete filmography (17)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Hit Point* (2026), series, Writer
- *Has Fallen* (2024), series, Writer, Executive Producer, Creator
- *The Lazarus Project* (2022), series, Writer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-lazarus-project.md)
- *The One* (2021), series, Creator
- *War of the Worlds* (2019), series, Writer, Creator
- *Future Man* (2017), series, Story, Creator
- *Crazyhead* (2016), series, Creator
- *Atlantis* (2013), series, Writer, Creator
- *Dirk Gently* (2012), series, Writer, Creator
- *Misfits Christmas Special* (2010), Writer
- *Vexed* (2010), series, Writer, Creator
- *Misfits* (2009), series, Executive Producer, Writer, Creator — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/misfits.md)
- *Merlin* (2008), series, Writer
- *Spooks: Code 9* (2008), series, Writer
- *Perfect Day* (2005), Creator
- *The Crust* (2005), series, Writer
- *Hustle* (2004), series, Writer

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/howard-overman