# No Ordinary Family
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 29, 2010, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459 "2010-09-29T12:02:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/1 "2010-09-29T12:02:24Z")
Anyone else catch the premiere of No Ordinary Family last night? I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it’s a live action version of The Incredibles, but it was a more enjoyable comic book then Heroes ever was. I’ll stick around for a few more episodes and see what happens.
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### Author:  [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/2 "2010-09-29T12:09:33Z")
I’m hoping it turns out to be something my son and I can watch together. So far, so good.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/3 "2010-09-29T12:52:02Z")
Watched it. It was okay. Michael Chiklis’ “Good Guy,” with the goofy smile and stuttering and shit, tends to come off as “high-functioning retarded” to me.
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/4 "2010-09-29T13:05:46Z")
Despite Chilkis’ turn as The Thing in the Fantastic 4 movies, I was expected more Vic Mackey. I hate when I stereotype actors (and realize I’m doing it), but he did such an awesome job in The Shield it will probably take me a few episodes to see him in this role instead of always seeing Mackey.
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### Author:  [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/5 "2010-09-29T13:07:27Z")
It’s a show with Julie Benz in it, right? I’m in.
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### Author:  [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/6 "2010-09-29T13:51:18Z")
It wasn’t bad, but I was too distracted because every 5 seconds I thought Vic was about to pull a gun on someone.
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/7 "2010-09-29T14:00:28Z")
Man that was bad. Really, really bad. Poorly thought out. The pilot could have done all sorts of interesting things with the family discovering their powers, but what they did was almost the lamest thing of all. (The father’s discovery was almost okay.)
For most of the episode I kept thinking that Michael Chiklis was just miscast. But then I realized it wasn’t him. Bad writing, bad directing, bad production.
(I guess more specific stuff needs spoiler boxes?)
[spoiler]The mind-reading thing is a terrible choice of superpower. Never a good one to have story-wise. It’s way too powerful for day-to-day use.
The mother and father cause a huge amount of damage with no concern. So these people are basically narcissistic sociopaths. Great.
On the plus side, there are “others”, bad guy others. They at least might be interesting.
The “don’t kill anyone” taboo of old-style comics superheroes is violated. That may not be a good thing.[/spoiler]
Let’s see, Julie Benz has been on _Supernatural_, _Angel_, _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ (same character), _Taken_, _Roswell_, and _Sliders_. But at least she has the American version of _Coupling_ on her resume to break the monotony.
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### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/8 "2010-09-29T15:05:11Z")
spouse was watching. i caught some.
you would the first thing a natural products scientist would do is go back and get a sample of the water. the only thing scientist about her behavior is being busy with science.
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### Author:  [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/9 "2010-09-29T15:17:58Z")
> [@ftg](#):
>
> Man that was bad. Really, really bad. Poorly thought out. The pilot could have done all sorts of interesting things with the family discovering their powers, but what they did was almost the lamest thing of all. (The father’s discovery was almost okay.)
>
> For most of the episode I kept thinking that Michael Chiklis was just miscast. But then I realized it wasn’t him. Bad writing, bad directing, bad production.
>
> (I guess more specific stuff needs spoiler boxes?)
>
> [spoiler]The mind-reading thing is a terrible choice of superpower. Never a good one to have story-wise. It’s way too powerful for day-to-day use.
>
> The mother and father cause a huge amount of damage with no concern. So these people are basically narcissistic sociopaths. Great.
>
> On the plus side, there are “others”, bad guy others. They at least might be interesting.
>
> The “don’t kill anyone” taboo of old-style comics superheroes is violated. That may not be a good thing.[/spoiler]
>
> Let’s see, Julie Benz has been on _Supernatural_, _Angel_, _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ (same character), _Taken_, _Roswell_, and _Sliders_. But at least she has the American version of _Coupling_ on her resume to break the monotony.
This sums up my impressions really well. I was underwhelmed.
I’ll also mention a minor point- I have an irrational hatred for shows that have ‘unnecessary technology’ just because it was in the production budget. The lab where the wife works has a multi-million dollar conference room, and it irritated me. In a show like _Alias_ I bought it because it was part of the plot- she works at a place where they need all that high-tech to do their jobs. But there doesn’t seem to be a good reason for the conference room to be so outfitted- I don’t know if half of that technology really exists at the level that is displayed in the show.
Anyway, that nitpick aside, I was also bothered by the wanton disregard for destruction of infrastructure, among other things.
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### Author:  [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/10 "2010-09-29T16:01:51Z")
Anyone else thinking “The **TICK**!!!” when Chiklis pounded from rooftop to rooftop?
[QUOTE=ftg]
Let’s see, Julie Benz has been on _Supernatural_, _Angel_, _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ (same character), _Taken_, _Roswell_, and _Sliders_. But at least she has the American version of _Coupling_ on her resume to break the monotony.
[/QUOTE]
Don’t forget _Dexter_, where we got regular side-boob shots every time she is on-screen and some very nice boobie shots from time-to-time.
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### Author:  [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/11 "2010-09-29T17:02:49Z")
I was very pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this show, and I’m hoping it keeps up the writing in the pilot.
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### Author:  [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/12 "2010-09-29T18:13:20Z")
I thought it was fun. I think I’ve watched almost every new show this season (with the notable exceptions of Lone Star & Hellcats) and this is the first one that I liked.
There were plot holes and I’m not sure what they’re going to do with the kids’ superpowers (mind reading, useful. Ability to see equation answers, huh?) But it was fun. Chiklis and his best friend trying stuff and ending up with a lair with wi-fi was fun (“single _bound_” hee). Benz telling her subordinate “I’m really fast” while holding the Kitty Pryde doll was fun. There were a bit too many long lingering looks of regret, but in general, I liked it.
If they don’t Heroes it away, it’ll be a fun show.
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### Author:  [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/13 "2010-09-29T19:34:05Z")
> [@thinksnow](#):
>
> Anyone else thinking “The **TICK**!!!” when Chiklis pounded from rooftop to rooftop?
No, I was thinking “everyone will be thinking he’s like the Hulk but really he’s more early Superman before leaping tall buildings turned into flying”
Anyway, I liked it. It was like Heroes without all the pretentiousness.
The son kinda got shafted powerwise. Ooh, the power of math problems solving themselves, lol
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### Author:  [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/14 "2010-09-29T19:59:41Z")
I hated it. And I am usually so on board with anything supernatural or superheroes. Giving the daughter telepathy was the last straw for me. Giving women touchy-feely superpowers gets old pretty fast. Also, the kids are total brats.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/15 "2010-09-29T20:05:35Z")
I caught the last half-- was flipping channels and just decided to veg on that. It was OK. Seemed too derivative, but I guess it’s hard to do superpowers without being derivative. Looked like a family show, though, so I’m probably not the demographic they’re shooting for.
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### Author:  [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/16 "2010-09-29T22:48:25Z")
What was the boy’s superpower? Math is not a superpower. Other than that, I liked it.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2010, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/17 "2010-10-06T11:39:10Z")
The latest episode was overloaded with predictable clichés. That’s really pedestrian writing. I still like the idea of the series, and will keep watching, but it was a mightily disappointing second episode.
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### Author:  [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2010, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/18 "2010-10-06T11:57:06Z")
My hope was a show my son and I would watch together, not expecting it to be superior writing or ground breaking. I don’t know how long we’ll stick with it. Last night his reaction was that he’d like more action and less marriage angst. He’s hoping we’ll find out that the son’s brain power extends to other subjects. We both think the way they handle the running is a little silly. My son even asked about her shoes and whether they’d be torn up.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/19 "2010-10-06T12:42:44Z")
I saw the first episode when it was rerun on Saturday. I was very underwhelmed and probably won’t watch again.
It was very routine – we’ve seen the “Hey, now I have superpowers” shtick hundreds of times before. And the angst about a dysfunctional family was idiotic – there was nothing particularly dysfunctional about them – the problems were those faced by even the most well-adjusted family.
And when they brought in “You think you were the only one” – and then immediately killed the bad buy, I gave up. How many plane crashes in the Amazon are there? And then why kill the villain? Next thing, they’ll bring him back to life somehow to be an arch enemy (or have they done that already?).
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### Author:  [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-ordinary-family/555459/20 "2010-10-06T13:19:47Z")
I turned it off and deleted it from my recording queue when he broke the mayonnaise jar. As if landing on concrete and tearing it up without ruining his shoes wasn’t bad enough.
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