Extraordinary (TV Series)

''Extraordinary'' is a British superhero comedy television series created by Emma Moran. It premiered on the Disney+ Star platform internationally, Star+ in Latin America and Hulu in the United States, on 25 January 2023. It received generally positive reviews, and was renewed for a second season on 23 January 2023, ahead of the series premiere. Season 2 became available to stream 6 March 2024 on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in other markets. The premise is that everyone in the world develops a superpower at the age of 18, and the show follows Jen, who, six years after turning 18, still hasn't discovered her superpower. The series was cancelled after two seasons.

Cast and characters

Main

* Máiréad Tyers as Jen, a 25-year-old costume-shop worker who doesn't have any superpowers. She struggles to deal with it in a world where almost everyone develops a superpower at the age of 18.
* Sofia Oxenham as Carrie, Jen's best friend and flatmate who can channel spirits of the dead. She works at a legal firm.
* Bilal Hasna as Kash, Carrie's boyfriend and Jen's other flatmate. He can rewind time and has aspirations of being a serious superhero.
* Luke Rollason as Jizzlord, a shapeshifter who was stuck as a cat for several years. Jen adopted (and named) him before learning what he was but allowed him to stay when it was revealed he had no memory of his previous life.

Supporting

* Siobhán McSweeney as Mary, Jen's mother who can control technology.
* Robbie Gee as Ian, Jen's stepdad who can sense emotions in other people.
* Safia Oakley-Green as Andy (series 1), Jen's half sister who is super strong.
* Ned Porteous as Luke (series 1), a guy Jen occasionally dates who has the power of flight.
* Darcey Porter-Cassidy as Ange, Jen's boss at the costume shop. She's in her 50s but looks like a preteen.
* Eros Vlahos as Gordon, a guy Jen goes on a date with who has the power to induce orgasms with a touch.
* Ardal O'Hanlon as Martin, Jen's deceased father (voice).
* Sam Haygarth as Seb (series 1), a member of Kash's team with the power to summon fish.
* Chris Lew Kum Hoi as Gregor, a member of Kash's team with the power of super speed.
* Shaun Mason as Randall, a member of Kash's team with a 3D-printing anus.
* Abraham Popoola as Ade, a member of Kash's team who can phase through walls.
* Patricia Allison as Hannah, another person without powers.
* Rosa Robson as Nora (season 2), a telepath from Jizzlord's previous life.
* Julian Barratt as George (season 2), Jen's power coach with the ability to enter mindspaces.
* Kwaku Mills as Clark (season 2), Carrie's coworker with the power of duplication.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2023)

Season 2 (2024)

Production

Emma Moran developed ''Extraordinary'' while completing her Master of Arts in Screenwriting at the University of Manchester, from which she graduated in 2020. Alongside '' Wedding Season'', ''Extraordinary'' was on the first slate of UK productions to be commissioned by Disney+ under the Star brand, as announced in April 2021. Sally Woodward Gentle, Lee Morris, and Charles Dawson of Sid Gentle Films as well as Johanna Devereaux of Disney+ executive produced the series. Charlie Palmer served as producer.

The cast were announced in December 2021, with Máiréad Tyers set to lead the series alongside Sofia Oxenham, Bilal Hasna, and Luke Rollason. Also joining the cast were Siobhán McSweeney, Safia Oakley-Green, and Robbie Gee. At the 2023 Edinburgh Television Festival, it was announced Julian Barratt, Rosa Robson, and Kwaku Mills had joined the cast of ''Extraordinary'' for its second season. Derek Jacobi would also make a voice cameo.

Principal photography took place in London.

Release

First look images of the television series were released in November 2022. It was later followed by a trailer in December. The first season was released on 25 January 2023 and consisted of eight episodes.

In late 2023, Disney+ struck a deal with British media company ITV to license ''Extraordinary'' (amongst other shows) to the company's UK streamer ITVX. The show is also set to get a linear broadcast on ITV2. The first season was released on ITVX on 12 February 2024.

Season 2 debuted on March 6, 2024.

The series was cancelled after two seasons.

Reception

Critical response

For the first series, Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7.10/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Amiable and cleverly constructed, ''Extraordinary'' grounds the fantastical and makes it all the more accessible and thrilling as a result." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Judy Berman of ''Time'' called ''Extraordinary'' an "instant classic among superhero comedies", writing, "True to its title, ''Extraordinary'' combines and tweaks familiar tropes into something genuinely unique." Keith Watson of '' Metro'' gave ''Extraordinary'' a grade of 4 out of 5 stars, saying, "Every once in a while there's a superpower show that promises to breathe fresh life into the over-exploited arena and Emma Moran's fresh comedy ''Extraordinary'', which slyly exploits the genre in much the manner of ''The Boys'' (with way less budget), stands out from the crowd." Polly Conway of '' Common Sense Media'' gave ''Extraordinary'' a grade of 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as an "amusing teen comedy".

Accolades

The series was one of 200 television series that received the ReFrame Stamp for the years 2022 to 2023. The stamp is awarded by the gender equity coalition ReFrame and industry database IMDbPro for film and television projects that are proven to have gender-balanced hiring, with stamps being awarded to projects that hire female-identifying people, especially women of color, in four out of eight key roles for their production.

''Extraordinary'' won Best Comedy Programme at the 2023 Broadcast Digital Awards. The series was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy and Tyers was nominated in the Best Female Comedy Performance category at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2024.

References

External links

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{{Star original programming

2020s British comedy television series
2023 British television series debuts
British superhero television series
British English-language television shows
Star (Disney+) original programming
Superhero comedy television series
Television series by BBC Studios
Television shows set in London