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Extraordinary
Genre	Superhero Comedy
Created by	Emma Moran
Written by	Emma Moran
Starring	Máiréad Tyers Sofia Oxenham Bilal Hasna Luke Rollason
Composer	Will Gregory
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producers	Sally Woodward Gentle Lee Morris Charles Dawson Johanna Devereaux
Producer	Charles Palmer
Running time	27–33 minutes
Production company	Sid Gentle Films
Original release
Network	Disney+ (Star)
Release	25 January 2023 (2023-01-25) – present (present)

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. It received generally positive reviews, and was renewed for a second season on 23 January 2023, ahead of the series premiere. Season 2 became available to stream 6 March 2024 on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in other markets. The premise is that everyone in the world develops a superpower at the age of 18, and the show follows Jen, who, six years after turning 18, still hasn't discovered her superpower.

Cast

Main

• Máiréad Tyers as Jen, a 25 year old costume shop worker who doesn't have any super powers. 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.
• Joshua Leese as PDF Man
• Patricia Allison as Hannah, another person without powers.
• Rosa Robson as Nora (season 2), a telepath from Jizzlord's previous life.
• Julian Barratt as George (season 2), Jen's power coach with the ability to enter mindspaces.
• Kwaku Mills as Clark (season 2), Carrie's coworker with the power of duplication

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2023)

Season 2 (2024)

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.

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 of the television series were released in November 2022. It was later followed by a trailer in December. The first season was released on 25 January 2023 and consisted of eight episodes.

In late 2023, Disney+ struck a deal with British media company ITV to license Extraordinary (amongst other shows) to the company's UK streamer ITVX. The show is also set to get a linear broadcast on ITV2. The first season was released on ITVX on 12 February 2024.

Season 2 debuted on March 6, 2024.

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

Judy Berman of Time called Extraordinary an "instant classic among superhero comedies", writing, "True to its title, Extraordinary combines and tweaks familiar tropes into something genuinely unique." Keith Watson of Metro gave Extraordinary a grade of 4 out of 5 stars, saying, "Every once in a while there's a superpower show that promises to breathe fresh life into the over-exploited arena and Emma Moran's fresh comedy Extraordinary, which slyly exploits the genre in much the manner of The Boys (with way less budget), stands out from the crowd." Polly Conway of Common Sense Media gave Extraordinary a grade of 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as a "amusing teen comedy".

Accolades

Extraordinary won Best Comedy Programme at the 2023 Broadcast Digital Awards. The series was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy and Tyers was nominated in the Best Female Comedy Performance category at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2024.

References

1. Dickinson, Kelsie (27 January 2023). "Extraordinary: Jen struggles to find her power in Hulu series". HITC. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
2. ^ Echebiri, Makuochi (15 December 2022). "'Extraordinary' Trailer Shows an Ordinary Peeps in a World Full of Superpowers". Collider. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
3. Steven, Goldberg (26 January 2023). "Disney+ Greenlights Second Season Of Superhero Series 'Extraordinary' From 'Killing Eve' Producer Sid Gentle". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
4. Perine, Aaron (25 January 2023). "Disney+ Renews New Superhero Series Extraordinary Before First Season Premiere". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
5. Press Release, Disney (1 February 2024). "SEASON 2 OF AWARD-WINNING DISNEY+ ORIGINAL COMEDY SERIES "EXTRAORDINARY" SET TO PREMIERE MARCH 6". Disney.co.uk.
6. "Extraordinary Season 2 - Episodes Guide and Summaries". Next Episode. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
7. "Screenwriting Graduate's comedy show 'Extraordinary' greenlit for Disney+". University of Manchester. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
8. Richardson, Jay (15 April 2021). "Disney+ orders superhero comedy Extraordinary". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
9. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (23 August 2023). "'Extraordinary' Season 2 Adds Julian Barratt, Rosa Robson, Kwaku Mills and Derek Jacobi (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
10. "Disney+ announce casting as production begins on UK original comedy series 'Extraordinary'". Disney UK Press. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
11. Hibbs, James (1 November 2022). "Disney Plus releases first look at UK superhero comedy Extraordinary". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
12. Devibar, Ira (1 November 2022). "Killing Eve team share first look at new Disney+ superhero series". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
13. Goldbart, Max (14 December 2022). "Disney+ Unveils Trailer For 'Extraordinary' From 'Killing Eve' Producer Sid Gentle". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
14. Warrier, Vishnu (23 January 2023). "Extraordinary release date and time on Hulu". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
15. Echebiri, Makuochi (15 December 2022). "'Extraordinary' Trailer Shows an Ordinary Woman in a World Full of Superpowers". Collider. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
16. Draper, Joe (25 January 202). "Extraordinary – how to watch Derry Girls star's new show". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
17. Yossman, K.J. (23 November 2023). "Disney+ Shows 'Extraordinary,' 'Under the Banner of Heaven' Heading to U.K. Streamer ITVX". Variety. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
18. "Extraordinary". ITV Press Centre. ITV. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
19. "Extraordinary". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
20. "Extraordinary". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
21. Berman, Judy (25 January 2023). "'Extraordinary' Is an Instant Classic Superhero Comedy". Time. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
22. Watson, Keith (25 January 2023). "Extraordinary review: It stands out from the crowd compared to other shows". Metro. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
23. Conway, Polly. "Extraordinary TV Review | Common Sense Media". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
24. McHugh, Marian (5 July 2023). "Dave, Yeti and Channel 4 win big at Broadcast Digital Awards". Broadcast. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
25. Guide, British Comedy (6 July 2023). "Extraordinary wins at Broadcast Digital Awards". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
26. "RTS PROGRAMME AWARDS 2024". RTS.org.uk. 7 March 2024.

External links

• Extraordinary at IMDb

• 2020s British comedy television series
• 2023 British television series debuts
• British superhero television series
• British English-language television shows
• Star (Disney+) original programming
• Superhero comedy television series
• Television series by BBC Studios
• Television shows set in London