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Extraordinary is a British superhero comedy television series created by Emma Moran.[1] It premiered on the Disney+ Star platform internationally, Star+ in Latin America and Hulu in the United States, on 25 January 2023.[2] It received generally positive reviews, and was renewed for a second season on 23 January 2023, ahead of the series premiere.[3][4] Season 2 became available to stream 6 March 2024 on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in other markets.[5] 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.
| Extraordinary | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Emma Moran |
| Written by | Emma Moran |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Will Gregory |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Charles Palmer |
| Running time | 27–33 minutes |
| Production company | Sid Gentle Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney+ (Star) |
| Release | 25 January 2023 – present |
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Main
- Máiréad Tyers as Jen, a 25 year old costume shop worker who doesn't have any super powers. 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.
- Joshua Leese as PDF Man
- 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
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Series overview
Season 1 (2023)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [2] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Have Nots" | Toby MacDonald | Emma Moran | 25 January 2023 | |
|
In a world where everyone gets a superpower at the age of 18, 25-year-old Jen struggles being the only person she knows who is an ordinary human. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Magic Bullets" | Toby MacDonald | Emma Moran | 25 January 2023 | |
|
Jen and her friends try to induce a power in her by subjecting her to various forms of stress. Jen discovers that the stray cat she adopted is actually a shapeshifter who was stuck as a cat for several years. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Dead End Jobs" | Toby MacDonald | Emma Moran | 25 January 2023 | |
|
Carrie is asked to channel a dead musician who is less than respectful towards women and she asks for Jen's help. Kash holds auditions for his vigilante team and Jizzlord sits in to relearn how to be human. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Pet Project" | Toby MacDonald | Emma Moran | 25 January 2023 | |
|
Jen tries to help Jizzlord regain his memories by taking him on an adventure. Kash gets ready for the debut of his vigilante team, ignoring a sexually charged Carrie, who seeks out another outlet for her urges. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Jen Show" | Jennifer Sheridan | Emma Moran | 25 January 2023 | |
|
Jen and Carrie revisit their old school, which causes problems when an old classmate who can read people's memories shows Carrie just how awful a friend Jen has been. Jizzlord tries to comfort Kash after his debut as a vigilante failed dramatically. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Real Power Is The Friends We Made" | Nadira Amrani | Emma Moran | 25 January 2023 | |
|
Jizzlord tries to heal the rift between Jen and Carrie but Jen has made a new friend who also doesn't have powers. Kash seeks out his fellow vigilantes to apologize. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Merry Monarch" | Jennifer Sheridan | Emma Moran | 25 January 2023 | |
|
Jen tries to make some quick cash by convincing Jizzlord to enter a cat show and has a surprising realization about his place in her life. Kash blows off date night with Carrie to go crime fighting with his vigilante friends and she responds by embarking on an affair with the spirit of a dead royal. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Surprise!" | Jennifer Sheridan | Emma Moran | 25 January 2023 | |
|
Jen struggles to figure out her new dynamic with Jizzlord following their kiss but the situation is complicated by Luke unexpectedly turning up. Carrie tries to break up with Kash but he keeps turning back time to avoid having the conversation. In a cliffhanger ending, a young boy sees Jizzlord in a grocery and states that Jizzlord looks like his Dad. | ||||||
Season 2 (2024)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [6] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "The Void" | Toby MacDonald | Emma Moran | 6 March 2024 | |
|
Jen and Jizz struggle with the revelation of Jizz's secret family while Kash and Carrie struggle with their breakup. Jen starts seeing a therapist to help her find her power. | ||||||
| 10 | 2 | "Hello Stranger" | Toby MacDonald | Emma Moran | 6 March 2024 | |
|
Jen must deal with the arrival of Jizz's wife, Nora, and son, Alfie, and discovers that Nora has an ulterior motive. Carrie's insistence that Kash find a proper job leads to him becoming her new assistant. | ||||||
| 11 | 3 | "The Exorcism of Carrie Jackson" | Toby MacDonald | Emma Moran | 6 March 2024 | |
|
Jen encourages Carrie to "slut it up" on Halloween now that she's single and Carrie channels a dead Hollywood starlet who soon possesses her, leading Jen and Kash to attempt an exorcism. Jizz, overwhelmed with reacquainting himself with his old life, returns to cat form for a night and has a harrowing adventure. | ||||||
| 12 | 4 | "Ready to Rumble" | Toby MacDonald | Emma Moran | 6 March 2024 | |
|
Jizz tries to reconnect with his former best friend while Jen and Nora face off again at Nora's book launch. Carrie tries to find a new guy and strikes up a conversation with an invisible man. Kash struggles with his creative drought. | ||||||
| 13 | 5 | "Meet the Parent" | Jennifer Sheridan | Emma Moran | 6 March 2024 | |
|
Jen recounts to her therapist a recent family dinner where she tries to get closer with her mom but it becomes a disaster. Jizz is making a pro/con list to prove to Nora that Jen is a good person. Carrie and Kash agree to set each other up with new people which ends with an unexpected twist. | ||||||
| 14 | 6 | "Jen V Nora: Ultimate Showdown" | Jennifer Sheridan | Emma Moran | 6 March 2024 | |
|
Jen and Jizz go to Alfie's birthday party, which leads to another showdown with Nora. Carrie's struggles with Kash now dating his "work bro" Clark lead to her overcompensating by inviting his friends over to celebrate. After picking Nora over Jen, Jizz learns that his best friend and Nora were having an affair before he left, and Nora's child is not his. His profound upset at that time is the reason given as to why he is unable to remember his previous life. | ||||||
| 15 | 7 | "Be the Daddy You Want to See in the World" | Jennifer Sheridan | Emma Moran | 6 March 2024 | |
|
Jen tackles her Daddy issues, with her father telling her that they have to restrict seeing each other. After Jen crosses the line with her therapist, she encourages Jizz to "cheat" on her. Carrie and Kash realize that they miss each other, and would like to go back to being friends again. | ||||||
| 16 | 8 | "Well, Goodbye Forever" | Jennifer Sheridan | Emma Moran | 6 March 2024 | |
|
Kash premieres his musical, "The Vigilante". Jen's therapist tells her that to acquire her special power, she'll have to stop talking to her Dad. A tearful Jen has one last conversation with him and bids him goodbye. At the wrap party, Jen tries to discover her new power, but fails. Later, her mother asks Jen to drop off a microwave into the Void. She is about to do that, but Kash mistakenly knocks Jen into the Void with the microwave door, and is unable to summon her back. Jen ends up in a seemingly normal place which she seems to recognize, but is a cliffhanger for the audience. | ||||||
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Emma Moran developed Extraordinary while completing her Master of Arts in Screenwriting at the University of Manchester, from which she graduated in 2020.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]
Principal photography took place in London.[10]
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First look images of the television series were released in November 2022.[11][12] It was later followed by a trailer in December.[13][14] The first season was released on 25 January 2023 and consisted of eight episodes.[15][16]
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.[17] The first season was released on ITVX on 12 February 2024.[18]
Season 2 debuted on March 6, 2024.[9]
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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."[19] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]
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."[21] 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."[22] Polly Conway of Common Sense Media gave Extraordinary a grade of 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as a "amusing teen comedy".[23]
Accolades
Extraordinary won Best Comedy Programme at the 2023 Broadcast Digital Awards.[24][25] 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.[26]
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