“No Ordinary Family” quickly became a standout show for me in recent years. It’s not hyperbole to say it genuinely captivated me. Each episode was a thrilling ride, always leaving me eager for the next twist and turn. This unique appeal, however, might have been its undoing. “No Ordinary Family” wasn’t your typical network series, and perhaps that’s why it only lasted a single season on NBC before being cancelled, leaving viewers hanging with a major cliffhanger, likely due to disappointing viewership numbers.
My busy schedule back when “No Ordinary Family” originally aired meant I couldn’t always catch it live. Like many great shows, life got in the way. Therefore, my deep dive into this series comes via the season one DVD, which I devoured over three days. Thank goodness for TV-on-DVD!
It’s frustrating how often truly original shows struggle to survive, especially now. It felt like a repeat of when “Heroes,” a personal favorite, was abruptly cancelled a few years prior, not to mention the premature end of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” Perhaps, and I suspect I’m not alone in thinking this, mainstream American audiences have increasingly short attention spans that couldn’t fully embrace a show like “No Ordinary Family.” While it wasn’t overly complex or intellectual, it was consistently entertaining, gripping, and thoroughly watchable.
What made “No Ordinary Family” so compelling? At its heart, it’s a clever, modern take on superhero mythology. It subtly nods to shows like “Heroes” and animated hits such as “The Incredibles,” blending these influences with humorous comic book references and relatable family dynamics to forge its own identity. The tone is light, fun, and refreshingly free of excessive angst or forced nostalgia. Imagine if Christopher Nolan had directed this series – thankfully, he didn’t, as his intense seriousness would have stifled the inherent joy of the show. Adding to its appeal were the impressive, movie-caliber special effects that elevated the superhero action.
As a long-time superhero fan and comic book enthusiast, “No Ordinary Family” was instantly intriguing. It was a genuine pleasure to see how the show and its self-aware characters played with and subverted familiar comic book tropes, making each episode meaningful within the overarching narrative.
From the very beginning, this series had me hooked. While the initial episodes take a little time to find their stride, the show hits its stride by the season’s midpoint and never lets up.
The premise begins with a family vacation gone awry. The Powell family – Jim and Stephanie, and their teenage children Daphne and JJ – are on a trip to Brazil when their plane crashes in the jungle. Miraculously, they all survive but are fundamentally changed. The near-death experience strengthens their family bonds, but they also develop extraordinary superpowers. The once-ordinary, perhaps even boring, Powell family transforms into an “extraordinary” family of super-powered individuals:
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Jim Powell (Michael Chiklis), the family patriarch and a police sketch artist, gains superhuman strength and invulnerability, reminiscent of Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible from “The Incredibles” and Ben Grimm/The Thing from Fantastic Four (a fun coincidence, Chiklis previously played The Thing in the “Fantastic Four” films). He uses these newfound abilities to fight crime.
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Stephanie Powell (Julie Benz), the driven and successful research scientist mother, was on a scientific expedition in Brazil with her family when the crash occurred. She develops superhuman speed and an accelerated metabolism, allowing for rapid healing from injuries.
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Daphne Powell (Kay Panabaker), the teenage daughter, gains telepathic abilities, able to read minds. This power later evolves to include telepathic suggestion, allowing her to influence others’ thoughts, which she initially uses to navigate high school social dynamics.
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JJ Powell (Jimmy Bennett), the teenage son, experiences enhanced cognitive function, essentially becoming a super-genius. He can instantly grasp advanced mathematics, learn languages fluently in moments, and understand complex systems and machinery – abilities any high school student would envy, especially in math class.
The family initially strives to keep their powers secret, but as the season progresses, they delve into the origin of their abilities while simultaneously battling crime. They eventually confront powerful adversaries that force them to unite and use their powers collectively to face even greater threats to humanity. They are aided by Stephanie’s bubbly, comic-book-loving lab assistant, Katie Andrews (Autumn Reeser), and Jim’s supportive best friend George St. Cloud (Romany Malco), a twice-divorced assistant district attorney who provides them with a base of operations in his garage.
As I mentioned before, “No Ordinary Family” is a genuinely fun, funny, and action-packed superhero TV series that doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s pure entertainment. But, as I also pointed out, it seems modern audiences’ shrinking attention spans likely contributed to its untimely cancellation after just one season. Discovering its fate was particularly disheartening.
Ultimately, “No Ordinary Family” might have been too enjoyable, too “Extraordinary,” to last on network television.
8/10
