No Ordinary programme....

I wasn't going to watch this at all. No, really, I wasn't, especially after seeing this trailer.



The trailer for ABCs No Ordinary Family. Cheesy cheesy cheesy. Excuse me while I have a strip wash to remove the overpowering smell of cheese. That's better.

But you know what? I actually really liked it. The whole programme is drenched in sunlight and good-natured charm. If it was an animal, it would be the Labrador Dug from the film Up. I kid you not. The show practically wags it's tail, jumps up and licks your face all the way through. I found myself saying "Gettoff!", but smiling and giving it a sneaky pat when no-one was looking.

I think Julie Benz (last seen lying dead in a blood-filled tub as Dexter's Rita) and Michael Chiklis (from the Shield) were deliberately cast because the parts they've played in previous shows were, frankly, a bit miserable (and in the case of Rita, a bit stupid too).

And boy, do they have fun as Jim and Stephanie Powell. And that's the point. This isn't Heroes. It's not even The Incredibles . There's not a great deal of angst going on here about getting superpowers, no sullen monologues about it, none of that crap.

They simply do what you or I would do if we suddenly discovered we had superpowers. They take 'em for a test ride! And take the piss out of the whole superhero business into the bargain. The best bits of the show so far are the scenes with Jim Powell and his best friend George (Romany Malco from Weeds), where they wander around like two little boys, trying out Jim's new powers in a wholly irresponsible way.

The things that jar slightly are the slightly unconvincing back story about the Powells being a dysfunctional family, and the slightly underwritten character of their son, JJ. Their daughter Daphne, played by Kay Panabaker (great name) is a bit more fleshed out. Another irritating thing is that there's a lot of chat directly to camera, Ferris Bueller-style. Let's hope they knock that on the head.

Oh yes, and it's got that bloke in it who played the pilot in Tales of the Gold Monkey as Stephanie's boss. Surely you remember that show. What do you mean you were in primary school? Er...yeah, so was I (cough). And he looks practically the same.



I'm still trying to work out some kind of grading system for new shows. Let's try 1970s Indian soft drinks for this one.

bad = Campa cola
ok I suppose = Limca
not bad = Thums-up cola
great = Mangola

If you want undemanding escapist entertainment, No Ordinary Family is definitely Mangola.

Hmm. maybe I need to rethink my grading system.