The original British cast
Written by: Drew Pearce & Jeff Greenstein
Plot/Info: Superheroes are real. They interact in society just like regular people. The show follows four friends who are B-list “capes” and frequent the only superhero bar in New York called “The Watchtower.” The show is an adaptation of a British show which aired last year on ITV2.
I’m a pretty big fan of the original British version of the show, with its dry humour and great premise, so I was quite excited to hear that the show was being adapted for the US. In my mind it was gonna be another great adaptation like The Office, but despite having the original creator Drew Pearce involved it unfortunately all seems to fall a bit flat. The great thing about the original version is that the whole point of the show is to illustrate that being a superhero isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, and that there are still class divisions within that segment of society. The tone of the original show seemed to fit this much better than this script has done.
There have been changes to the characters in the adaptation, although I can’t figure out why they felt the need to do that other than to try and make the show more of their own. In the original version there was Alex who controlled heat, Sarah who controlled machines with her voice, Don who could see 60 seconds into the future, Jenny who had super-strength, and Devlin who was the alpha-male #1 superhero. The US version changes the majority of these, there’s now Pete who controls the cold, Callie who can be invisible for a limited time, Nigel who can read minds if he’s within 3 metres, Sandy who has super-strength, and Bradley who’s the alpha-male. In addition, the bouncer/doorman at the bar has been changed from Thundermonkey (who can calls his monkeys to do his bidding) to Horseforce (who does the same but with stallions).
One of the first things that struck me when I read the script was a glaring mistake. The title of the show comes from a sign on the outside of the bar which reads “”NO MASKS, NO POWERS, NO HEROICS” yet there’s this action almost directly under this:
They enter a bustling speakeasy. We catch glimpses of superpowers -- a glowing finger, someone levitating.
It seems pretty important to me that this integral element of the show should be maintained and not disregarded almost immediately. Maybe it’s just an oversight, but it’s a pretty damn big one wouldn’t you say.
The only saving grace of the script is the fact that Don/Nigel is still gay, and is British to boot, in the US version. I’m assuming they did this in order to appeal to a wider audience and to play off his accent and demeanour in combination with his sexual orientation, but the result is still not that great and the character, whilst essentially the same as the original version of the show, is not as well written. Overall he seems to lack the biting edge that he has in the British version. The other main downfall of the script is that it’s just not funny. In fact, this was the only section which I thought was any good:
A fairy-lit kids’ party with a makeshift stage. Pete, now in full costume, is backstage with the birthday girl’s dad. Pete peeks out at the crowd of expectant, sugar-high kids.
PETE
Are any of them biters? Because I’ve had trouble with biters before.
DAD
Not that I know of, Chillaxe.
PETE
Chillout. I mean, it’s fine if there are. But maybe we could have a little muzzle standing by? A little makeshift muzzle, just in case?
DAD
Where’s the invisible girl you promised?
PETE
What can I say? She disappeared!
Pete laughs uproariously at his joke. The dad does not.
PETE (CONT’D)
Yeah, she’s not coming.
DAD
So what am I getting for my money? You gonna do some flying?
PETE
Well, no, flying’s not really on the menu. But you can expect a cavalcade of frozen fun and sub-zero sensation!
DAD
You make crap out of ice?
PETE
I make crap out of ice.
DAD
Listen, don’t mess up my baby girl’s big day, okay? She’s got it hard enough, being in a wheelchair.
PETE
Really? Oh, man, that’s terrible.
(beat)
My three best disabled jokes just went right out the window.
Ultimately I think it was a good decision that ABC declined to pick up the show as this will leave all of us who are/were interested in the premise to seek out the superior British version when it becomes available on DVD.
Final Grade: C- (I could have rated it lower, but I still like the whole premise of the show)
