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Notable quotes

“The Good of man is the active exercise of his soul's faculties in conformity with excellence or virtue, or if there be several human excellences or virtues, in conformity with the best and most perfect among them.”
— Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (1934 translation by H. Rackham), book 1, chapter 7, section 15, p. 33. President John F. Kennedy often paraphrased this idea. On May 8, 1963, he said to a group of foreign students: "The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along lines of excellence". The Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1963, p. 380.
“Zahlreich sind die Lehrkanzeln, aber selten die weisen und edlen Lehrer. Zahlreich und groß sind die Hörsäle, doch wenig zahlreich die jungen Menschen, die ehrlich nach Wahrheit und Gerechtigkeit dürsten. Zahlreich spendet die Natur ihre Dutzendware, aber das Feinere erzeugt sie selten.”
— Numerous are the academic chairs, but rare are wise and noble teachers. Numerous and large are the lecture halls, but far from numerous the young men who genuinely thirst for truth and justice. Numerous are the wares that nature produces by the dozen, but her choice products are few.
“All societies need elites. Whether for pilots, brain surgeons, or special forces, at some point an objective standard must be met if we are to maintain excellence.”
— Simon Hankinson, "State Department Says Not Adopting DEI Is A ‘National Security Threat’", The Federalist (July 25, 2024)
“The excellent man is he who condemns what he finds in his mind without previous effort, and only accepts as worthy of him what is still far above him and what requires a further effort in order to be reached.”
— José Ortega y Gasset, The Revolt of the Masses (1929), p. 63
“Difficult, say you? Difficult to be a man of virtue, truly good, shaped and fashioned without flaw in the perfect figure of four-squared excellence, in body and mind, in act and thought?”
— Simonides of Ceos, The Oedipus Tyrannus of Sophocles (1920 translation by J. T. Sheppard), Introduction, p. xxxi.
“Above all, don't be satisfied to do only fairly well what ought to be done very well. Someone is going to do it better than anyone else; why not you?”
— Clarence Monroe Bookman, Business Arithmetic (1914), p. 4 To The Pupil

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Article

Extraordinary is a British superhero comedy television series created by Emma Moran. It premiered on the Disney+ Star platform internationally, Star+ in Latin America and Hulu in the United States, on 25 January 2023. The series received generally positive reviews from critics and was renewed for a second series on 23 January 2023, ahead of its premiere. The second series was released on 6 March 2024 on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ in other territories. In January 2025, the series was cancelled after two seasons.

Contents

Premise

Extraordinary is set in a world where every person develops a superpower upon turning 18. The series follows Jen, a 25-year-old woman who has yet to manifest any ability, making her an anomaly in a society where superpowers are the norm.

Jen works in a costume shop and lives with her best friend Carrie, who can channel the spirits of the dead, and Carrie's boyfriend Kash, who can rewind time and aspires to be a superhero. Their lives are disrupted by a shapeshifter who had been trapped as a cat for several years and has no memory of his previous life, quickly earning the nickname Jizzlord. As Jen searches for her own power, the series explores themes of identity, belonging, and adulthood through a comedic lens.

Cast and characters

Main

Máiréad Tyers as Jen, a 25-year-old costume-shop worker who doesn't have any superpowers. 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.

Patricia Allison as Hannah, another person without powers.

Rosa Robson as Nora (series 2), a telepath from Jizzlord's previous life.

Julian Barratt as George (series 2), Jen's power coach with the ability to enter mindspaces.

Episodes

Production

Emma Moran developed Extraordinary while completing her Master of Arts in Screenwriting at the University of Manchester, from which she graduated in 2020. 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. Charlie Palmer served as producer. Toby MacDonald and Jennifer Sheridan directed across both series'. Episode six in series one was directed by Nadia Amrani.

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.

Principal photography took place in London.

Release

First-look images for the series were released in November 2022. A trailer was released in December 2022, providing the first full preview of the series’ premise and characters.

The first series premiered on 25 January 2023, and consisted of eight episodes released simultaneously across Disney+ internationally, Star+ in Latin America, and Hulu in the United States. The series was renewed for a second series prior to its premiere.

In late 2023, Disney+ entered into a licensing agreement with ITV to make several of its titles, including Extraordinary, available on the UK streaming platform ITVX, with additional planned linear broadcast on ITV2. The first series was made available on ITVX on 12 February 2024.

The second series premiered on 6 March 2024.

In January 2025, it was confirmed that the series would not be renewed beyond two series, effectively concluding the show.

Reception

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 site's critics consensus stated, "Amiable and cleverly constructed, Extraordinary grounds the fantastical and makes it all the more accessible and thrilling as a result." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Critical commentary highlighted the series’ use of the superhero genre to explore everyday life and relationships. Judy Berman of Time described it as an "instant classic among superhero comedies", noting that it "combines and tweaks familiar tropes into something genuinely unique". Keith Watson of Metro awarded the series 4 out of 5 stars, praising its subversion of superhero conventions and comparing its tone to The Boys, albeit with a smaller production scale. Polly Conway of Common Sense Media also gave the series 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as an "amusing teen comedy".

Accolades

Extraordinary was among 200 television productions to receive the ReFrame Stamp for 2022–2023, an award administered by the gender equity coalition ReFrame and IMDbPro recognising productions with demonstrated gender-balanced hiring practices across key creative roles.

The series won Best Comedy Programme at the 2023 Broadcast Digital Awards. At the 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards, the series was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy, while Máiréad Tyers received a nomination for Best Female Comedy Performance.

Article from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), where it is maintained by volunteer editors.