No Ordinary Family
A family gains powers after a plane crash.
No Ordinary Family is an American science fiction comedy drama that aired on ABC during the 2010–2011 television season. The series follows the Powell family, who acquire superpowers after a plane crash in the Amazon rainforest. ABC canceled the show after one season due to declining ratings.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy drama
- Science fiction
- Crime drama
- Superhero
- Creator
- Greg Berlanti, Jon Harmon Feldman
- Starring
- Michael Chiklis
- Julie Benz
- Kay Panabaker
- Jimmy Bennett
- Autumn Reeser
- Romany Malco
- Stephen Collins
- Josh Stewart
- Composer
- Blake Neely
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 20
Facts from the source article.
Cast and characters
Michael Chiklis portrays James "Jim" Powell, Sr., a police sketch artist with super-strength capable of lifting 11,000 pounds, near invulnerability, and the ability to leap a quarter-mile; his powers fail when in contact with cinoxate. Julie Benz plays Dr. Stephanie Powell, a scientist at Global Tech who gains super speed, running 10 miles in under five seconds, and a fast metabolism enabling rapid healing; after an attack by Lucas Winnick, she receives the Trilsetum coronis serum, allowing her to possibly temporarily run faster than light and time travel. Kay Panabaker is Daphne Nicole Powell, the 16-year-old daughter with telepathy and the ability to view others' memories; she later discovers she can influence behavior through telepathic suggestion, a power sometimes called "pushing," and can erase memories. Jimmy Bennett portrays James "JJ" Powell, Jr., the 14-year-old son with enhanced intelligence, speed-reading, photographic memory, and the ability to learn languages fluently in minutes; his powers fail under intense emotional stress, and he is immune to Daphne's telepathic push.
Development and casting
ABC green-lit the pilot on January 25, 2010, written by Greg Berlanti and Jon Harmon Feldman, with David Semel directing. Michael Chiklis joined first in early February 2010 as Jim Powell, followed by Autumn Reeser as a colleague of Jim's wife and Romany Malco as Jim's best friend. March 2010 casting added Julie Benz as Stephanie Powell and Christina Chang as a police officer; Tate Donovan played the mysterious pilot. Kay Panabaker and Jimmy Bennett were cast as the Powell children. ABC picked up the series on May 12, 2010; Allison Adler joined the writing team, and later Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin also joined. Donovan and Chang left in June 2010 due to completed storylines, with potential guest returns. Stephen Collins was promoted to series regular, and Josh Stewart joined as the Watcher. A full-season order was given on October 25, 2010, later cut to 20 episodes on February 26, 2011. In March 2011, Chiklis and Benz signed for CBS pilot offers, and Disney temporarily moved the series' sets.
Reception
The premiere drew 10.69 million viewers, dropping to 8.99 million for the second episode. Metacritic gave the pilot a score of 65 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews from 28 critics. Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times praised the show's "calmer, more restrained fantasy" but questioned whether it could sustain interest. Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle noted promise in drama, action, and comedy. Glenn Garvin of The Miami Herald called it "a perceptive and engaging comedy drama about domestic dysfunction" and praised Benz and Chiklis. Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe appreciated seeing Chiklis and Benz in different roles and cited their chemistry. Verne Gay of Newsday criticized Chiklis' performance as a "spectacular...case of miscasting."
International broadcasts
The series premiered in the U.S. and Canada on September 28, 2010, and in Latin America on October 8, 2010 on SET. It was among the first U.S. Fall 2010–2011 series to premiere in South Africa, airing on M-Net Series from November 2010. Italy saw the premiere on October 6, 2010 on Fox Italy, and the United Kingdom on January 11, 2011 on Watch. New Zealand aired it from February 3, 2011 on TV2; the fifth episode, "No Ordinary Quake," was not broadcast due to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake but was available via TVNZ's on-demand service. Greece premiered on March 3, 2011 on FX, Hong Kong on March 24, 2011 on TVB Pearl, Russia on April 4, 2011 on Fox Life, Australia on May 2, 2011 on the Seven Network, India on May 2, 2011 on Zee Cafe, and Slovakia on June 27, 2011 on TV JOJ. Malaysia scheduled a premiere for July 10, 2025 on TV2 and Singapore for February 7, 2026 on Mediacorp Channel 5; the series also premiered in 2010 on TV3 (Malaysia) in the Aksi slot.
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