--- title: "Misfits" year: 2009 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/misfits" fi1m_id: "misfits" imdb_id: "tt1548850" tmdb_id: 31295 wikidata_id: "Q589569" fi1m_score: 80 critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 7 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-17T10:41:02.797079+00:00" region: "IL" 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." --- # Misfits (2009) Created by Howard Overman · 45m · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Comedy ## Identity Misfits - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/misfits - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** misfits - **IMDb ID:** tt1548850 - **TMDB ID:** 31295 - **Wikidata ID:** Q589569 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1548850/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/31295, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q589569 **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 76 from 7 reviews *In a sentence:* Superhero duty is apparently no reason to acquire any manners > Howard Overman’s superhero comedy is sharp, dark and carried by performances that make unlikely material believable. The characters can become wearing, but the writing usually makes their unpleasantness funny enough to justify the company. ## Synopsis *Misfits* is a science-fiction comedy-drama created and written by Howard Overman, with the difficulties of being a superhero at its centre. Lauren Socha plays Kelly Bailey, Iwan Rheon plays Simon Bellamy, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett plays Curtis Donovan, Antonia Thomas plays Alisha Daniels and Robert Sheehan plays Nathan Young. The ensemble also includes Joseph Gilgun as Rudy Wade, Karla Crome as Jess and Nathan McMullen as Finn Samson. Running across five series, the programme combines fantasy, drama and comedy in episodes of 45 minutes, with an 18 certificate. ## Review Howard Overman’s *Misfits* is a funny, unsettling superhero comedy that puts considerable faith in its performers and is rewarded for it. The premise asks for indulgence, but the cast make accepting it surprisingly easy. Overman does not spend much effort making the characters admirable, and that gives the comedy a welcome freedom. We recommend it with one reservation: their unpleasantness occasionally outlasts the joke, and confidence alone cannot make those stretches entertaining. The useful starting point is that being a superhero might not be much fun. Superhero stories can accommodate personal difficulties without allowing their central characters to become difficult company; Overman is willing to risk that irritation. He gives the performers unlikely material and lets them make it sound convincing. That matters here, because any embarrassment about the silliness would make the whole thing harder to believe, and the ensemble show little sign of it. Lauren Socha’s Kelly Bailey, Iwan Rheon’s Simon Bellamy, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett’s Curtis Donovan, Antonia Thomas’s Alisha Daniels and Robert Sheehan’s Nathan Young give the comedy its persuasive ensemble. Their performances make the characters worth attending to without requiring us to approve of them. We laughed at people we had no wish to defend. The cast’s conviction explains that response: they make the characters’ disagreeable qualities entertaining while leaving enough discomfort for the darker material to work. Christopher Ross and Sam Care receive cinematography credits, and the photography supports the performances without becoming the principal attraction. Its contribution is to make the unlikely material feel sufficiently credible for the humour to survive. That is useful work in a programme which also wants to be disturbing. The visual confidence helps those ambitions sit together, although the writing and acting are what give the comedy its particular character. Barney Jordan, Crispin Green, David Head and Andrew MacRitchie are among the credited editors, and the pace contributes to the appeal. Mixing humour with menace can become laborious when every change of mood demands an announcement. Here, the cutting supports the cast’s confidence and keeps the silliness from exhausting its welcome too quickly. The programme can become disquieting without making the preceding laughter feel like a mistake, which is harder to manage than its apparent ease suggests. The weakness is the expectation that disagreeable behaviour will remain entertaining through persistence. Overman’s writing is sharp, but there are points when another helping of unpleasantness gives us little more to enjoy or understand. Those moments make the characters tiring, despite the conviction of the performances. The comedy works better when the writing finds something funny in their shortcomings than when it relies on our willingness to keep putting up with them. Even with that reservation, *Misfits* gives us good reasons to stay beyond curiosity about its superhero premise. The ensemble make the material believable, and the darker humour keeps the silliness from becoming comfortable. It suits an evening when easy charm would feel a little insufficient. Try it for the jokes, and allow yourself to dislike the people telling them. *Fi1m score 80, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like Misfits, and the praise gathers around the writing. The reviews describe the script as sharp, self-aware and funny, dark and chilling where it needs to be, and confident enough to make a preposterous premise (a group of young social outcasts gain superpowers after a storm) feel plausible on a small budget. The young ensemble draws steady approval, with more than one critic noting that the characters have few redeeming features and are engaging anyway. The reservations belong to the later years. The Times finds the second series opener leaning on a standard science-fiction plot, and The Independent thinks series two slightly misses the oddball charm of the first. Digital Spy judges the series four premiere over-clever in its flashbacks, though promising in its new characters. The AV Club, reviewing a premiere without Nathan, calls the plotting serviceable rather than special. The spread is narrow: no critic dislikes it, and the doubts are about sustaining the early energy through cast changes. ## Straight answers **Is Misfits worth watching?** *Misfits* is worth watching for anyone who wants a superhero comedy with no interest in making its heroes likeable, and we scored it 80. Howard Overman's writing is sharp and the ensemble, led by Robert Sheehan, Lauren Socha and Iwan Rheon, make the silly premise believable. The one reservation is that the characters' unpleasantness sometimes outlasts the joke. **How long is Misfits, and what is it rated?** *Misfits* has episodes of about 45m. It is a sci-fi & fantasy and drama series. **Where can I watch Misfits in Israel?** *Misfits* is not on any streaming or rental service in Israel at the moment. It is available in 22 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Misfits, and is it suitable for children?** *Misfits* carries an 18 certificate in the UK, so it is not suitable for children, and its language, sex and violence put it beyond most younger teenagers too. The humour is dark and deliberately abrasive, and the programme means to be disturbing as well as funny. Adults who dislike being asked to laugh at unpleasant people should also think twice. **How does Misfits compare to Attack the Block?** *Misfits* is the funnier and darker of the two, while [*Attack the Block*](https://film.one/film/attack-the-block) is the tighter and more affectionate. Joe Cornish's film has a stronger sense of place and a young cast you are asked to care about; Overman's series asks only that you find its people entertaining. Choose the film for a clear, frightening single sitting, and the series for longer, nastier company. **What should I watch after Misfits?** After *Misfits*, try [*Attack the Block*](https://film.one/film/attack-the-block) (2011, Fi1m 84): Young people, science fiction and abrasive humour, with a stronger sense of neighbourhood. Then [*Repo Man*](https://film.one/film/repo-man) (1984, Fi1m 83): Another science-fiction comedy with little patience for respectable behaviour or polite conversation; and [*Derry Girls*](https://film.one/tv/derry-girls) (2018, Fi1m 83): A loud, difficult ensemble whose performances make selfishness funny without excusing it. ### Reviews we read (7) - **The Telegraph**, Gerard O'Donovan (90/100, inferred): The critic is impressed by the new E4 series, praising its cracking script and engaging young cast of social outcasts who gain superpowers after a storm. It stands out for its humour, self-confidence and brio despite a low-budget premise. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6555277/Misfits-E4-review.html) - **The Guardian** (85/100, inferred): The critic finds Misfits silly but brilliant, sharp, funny, dark and chilling in places. The writing and performances make the preposterous premise believable despite the characters' lack of redeeming features. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2009/nov/13/misfits-review-asbo-superheroes) - **The AV Club**, Rowan Kaiser (B+): The review finds that Misfits can survive without Nathan, with the new character Rudy providing a solid but not spectacular focus for the season premiere. The episode's plot is described as serviceable amid the show's ongoing chaotic energy. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/misfits-series-three-episode-one-vegas-baby-1798170979) - **The Independent** (70/100, inferred): The DVD review of series two notes that the characters' bleakly comic approach to ordinary problems remains the show's strength amid surreal plots. It finds the series compelling and innovative though it slightly misses the predecessor's oddball allure. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-misfits-series-two-18-2172381.html) - **The Times**, Andrew Billen (60/100, inferred): The reviewer finds the second series debut dominated by a standard sci-fi plot but notes the show's hormonal energy, visual appeal and the vulnerable pubescent characters beneath the superpowers. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/last-nights-tv-misfits-9fsnlhhnrvb) - **Den of Geek**, Madeleine York (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the opening episode a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable start to the series, praising its witty, self-aware script and confident ensemble performances that deliver hilarious, good old-fashioned entertainment. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/misfits-episode-1-review/) - **Digital Spy**, Morgan Jeffery (60/100, inferred): The series four premiere stumbles slightly with overly clever flashbacks and an unreliable narrator but introduces promising new elements and characters like the sinister probation worker Greg. Overall it restores some faith while acknowledging the challenges of reinvention after cast changes. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a434033/misfits-review-is-the-series-four-premiere-a-hit-or-a-miss/) ## Details - **Created by:** Howard Overman - **Creator:** Howard Overman - **Director:** Wayne Che Yip, Tom Harper, Tom Green, Lewis Arnold, Lawrence Gough, Dušan Lazarević - **Writer:** Howard Overman - **Cinematography:** Christopher Ross, Sam Care - **Editor:** Crispin Green, David Head, Barney Jordan, Andrew MacRitchie - **Producer:** Matt Strevens - **Cast:** Lauren Socha as Kelly Bailey; Iwan Rheon as Simon Bellamy; Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Curtis Donovan; Antonia Thomas as Alisha Daniels; Joe Gilgun as Rudy Wade; Karla Crome as Jess; Nathan McMullen as Finn Samson; Matt Stokoe as Alex - **Runtime:** 45m - **Release (Israel):** 12 November 2009 - **Genres:** Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Comedy - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsBYXLYNZlE ## Where to watch in Israel Not streaming, renting or buying in Israel at the last check. Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, CA, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Attack the Block* (2011), Fi1m 84: Young people, science fiction and abrasive humour, with a stronger sense of neighbourhood — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/attack-the-block.md) - *Repo Man* (1984), Fi1m 83: Another science-fiction comedy with little patience for respectable behaviour or polite conversation — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/repo-man.md) - *The Host* (2006): A disorderly family gives this creature film its humour and its human stakes - *Derry Girls* (2018), Fi1m 83: A loud, difficult ensemble whose performances make selfishness funny without excusing it — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/derry-girls.md) - *Extra Ordinary* (2019): A smaller, gentler supernatural comedy, sustained by performers who take the absurd seriously --- © 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/tv/misfits