I’m going to withhold the quip about No Ordinary Family perfectly adhering to an exhausting list of clichés – or am I? The most unique aspect of this now-canceled show is just how well it works – in fact, I am just about to lament its cancellation. The premise here is a simple sell: a perfectly insignificant upper-middle class family with a father who works as a police sketch artist and a mother who’s a top-tier researcher. The dad, played by Michael Chiklis, who far more people know as Fantastic Four’s The Thing than Detective Vic Mackey of The Shield, wants the family to unwind and hopes that a trip to Brazil will mend the once-close clan. In no time flat, the plane has crashed and the family surfaces in the middle of an Amazonian forest. How they make it out is left up to the imagination and next thing we know they’re back at home and swallowed up in the daily grind once again – until each of them discovers a unique superpower.
It’s only natural that the powers raise the family out of the ennui of daily life and draw them into a superhero family circle not unlike, say, The Incredibles? Though the show doesn’t aim for such heights as the Pixar film occasionally reached (you are never genuinely concerned for the well-being of the main cast), No Ordinary Family has one element that it utilizes very skillfully and in proper doses: predictability. The show splits time between superhero antics aided by decent but sometimes spotty CGI and dramatic confrontations between wife Stephanie (Julie Benz of Dexter) and Chiklis’ Jim, or their children Daphne (Kay Panabaker) and JJ (Jimmy Bennett). It’s best to go into the series cold, especially since plot developments will be seen a mile away. The real wonder is that the show remains compulsively watchable, fast-paced, frequently chuckle-worthy, rarely challenging on an intellectual level but heartwarming without the poisonous cynicism that’s ever-present nowadays.
It’s a sad fact that this first season is all audience and fans will have to contend with, since this is a show that easily could have been allowed to grow and perhaps, in time, take chances and risks. The most enjoyable moments on the show come from the family members reveling in their powers and changing their lives for the better – a dream all of us have entertained at some point in our lives, even if it wasn’t rooted in comic book background.
A family of superheroes is fertile ground for so much exploration; how will they cope with inevitable fame? Will their powers always be utilized for good? Just some questions for what could be Unbreakable with a less gloomy bent. What we have an opportunity to experience instead is a lot of plot wheel spinning and some drama that quickly blows by. Not to worry though, the plot does grow more complicated mid-season and there is a move toward delivering on some answers. What remains largely the same is the family dynamic and messages of togetherness and love; mix it with some superhero vs. supervillain-of-the-week brawling and you have a show.
The DVD looks fairly bland, with 20 episodes spread out over four discs, plus the bonus features. To elaborate, it’s a muted color palate that's none too appealing, though brighter locales tend to look better than darker scenes. The sound mix is nothing to write home about; the dialogue is clear and the whooshes and bumps perfectly audible.
DVD Bonus Features
An odd habit of placing deleted scenes on one DVD haunts this series, and considering you’ve invested approximately 15 hours into the show, it’s likely you don’t remember what these deleted scenes are referring to. A blooper reel is also included.
"No Ordinary Family: The Complete First Season" is on sale September 6, 2011 and is not rated. Action, Adventure, Children & Family, Fantasy, Television, Thriller. Directed by David Petrarca, Paul A Edwards, David Paymer, Terry Mcdonough , David Semel. Written by Created by Greg Berlanti & Jon Harmon Feldman, Teleplay by Jon Harmon Feldman, Ali Adler, Zack Estrin, Marc Guggenheim, Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, Zack Estrin, Kate Barnow, Elisabeth R. Finch, Leigh Dana Jackson, Sallie Patrick, Andrew Major, Emily Silver, Elisabeth R. Finch. Starring Jimmy Bennett, Julie Benz, Michael Chiklis , Kay Panabaker.
