If you prefer your superhero stories to be Deadpool-daft rather than dark and gritty, Disney+'s (Hulu in the US) new superhero show could be the perfect binge-watch for you. Extraordinary, which has already been greenlit for a second season, is a superhero show with a difference – and that difference is that the hero isn't so super at all.
In this world, everybody over the age of 18 develops a superpower – except our hero, 25-year-old Jen. She's stuck in a crap job, has a crap sort-of-boyfriend and is incredibly cynical and caustic and so far at least, decidedly ordinary: unlike her peers, she can't turn anything at all into a PDF or 3D print objects with her bum. Is she cursed to be ordinary in a world of extraordinary people?
Is Extraordinary worth streaming?
Den of Geek's Louise Mellor says yes; it's "funny and filthy with a satisfyingly silly sense of humour... weirdness is Extraordinary's super power." Mellor compares it positively with oddball super-power comedy Misfits, and if you haven't seen that show you're in for a treat: it's currently streaming on All4, Sky, ITV X and Britbox.
You'd expect a fusty, staid paper like the Telegraph to be sniffily dismissive, but Benji Wilson loved it. "Emma Moran has created a delightfully fun, naughty show that ignores the superheroes of Marvel and DC and finds wonder in the mundane"; while "it meanders to a degree" over its eight and a half hours, "it's never dull".
The Guardian's Lucy Mangan was less thrilled, feeling that it becomes "underbaked" once the initial novelty has worn off". However, it's "a fun, effortless watch" with some "good set pieces", effectively "Encanto for grown-ups". And The New York Times' Mike Hale felt it was a "mixed bag" – although "the shows' various strains are combined in a charming and consistently amusing fashion" with a comic sensibility that is "dirty-mouthed and dirty-minded in a completely disarming, sometimes painfully funny way."
Neil Armstrong at iNews was much more entertained. "Packed with off-the-wall jokes and unexpected one-liners, the streamer’s second British-based production is a joy", he writes. And IndieWire's Steve Greene awarded it a B rating, praising some "incredible" performances and the quality of the writing.
Extraordinary is streaming now on Disney+ in the UK and Hulu in the US.
In a nice coincidence, grabbing the trailer (below) took me to another funny Extra Ordinary: the 2019 horror comedy starring Maeve Higgins. If you haven't seen it it's a wonderful, warm and often gut-bustingly funny movie, and it's currently available to rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google TV and other download services.
