Fall in love with Misfits this holiday season

You can watch Misfits here on YouTube, no fuss. Or via SideReel links. There. You have absolutely no excuse not to watch this show.

A couple weeks ago, I blogged about the brilliance that is Misfits, the British dramedy about a group of kids in a community service program who are suddenly given supernatural powers. The synopsis of the show sadly underscores how entertaining and fascinating the show is, so please do not judge the show based on the synopsis alone.

Well, since I blogged about it, the show only became more brilliant. I don't want to give too much away, but the second season of the show made the show even more addicting. New characters and character pairings were created and embraced by the show's fans. Episodes that are filler are still jarringly gut-wrenching (literally - I warn you now, while season 2, episode 6 is great, don't eat or drink anything while watching it) and emotionally affect the viewer. I don't like to waste time when I'm watching TV - I like plot forwarding episodes. But if an episode that doesn't really forward the plot can still be good, that's the sign of a great TV show in my eyes.

I realize I'm being really obtuse in my descriptions, but I don't want to inadvertently give anything away. Being surprised is half of the fun.

I liked to places to watch the episodes above. There's only six episodes in season one and seven in season two, so it's not a major time commitment. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I have never heard of someone who watched the show and didn't like it. It's charming, fascinating and addicting.

TV addicts, make a wise decision during the holidays and watch Misfits. Plus, when it's inevitably poorly remade for American television in a few years, you can say you knew about it before anyone else.

Misfits is one of British television's finest

The above image explains exactly why Misfits, a sci-fi dramedy airing on Channel 4 in the UK, is so engaging and addicting.

The show centers around a group of young delinquents who are performing community service in London. During an electrical storm, the group is given superhuman powers and must deal with the outrageous fallout that results (it sounds familiar, yes, but unlike Heroes, it doesn't take itself too seriously). I would give the rundown of their powers, but I think it's more fun to discover them as the episodes unfold, because it creates a sense of suspense and intrigue. These characters are not the only ones who are affected by the storm, and, without giving too much away, as the above gif hints at, at least one of their probation workers ends up dead, and the gang has to work to cover up the death.

The fist six-episode season aired last fall/winter in the UK, and season two began on Thursday, and it came back with a solid episode that reminded me exactly why I enjoyed the first season. I'm not normally a fan of sci-fi shows, but I love this. I think my love partially stems from the fact that it's not simply a sci-fi show. The mythology of why the characters got their powers is fairly secondary to their subsequent dealings with them.

There are numerous moments of hilarity from the sharp-tongue characters, especially Kelly and Nathan. There is high drama from start to finish. Simon (otherwise known as Barry) is a character that is just so down on his luck, you can't help but feel sympathy for him. There's plenty of violence and sex, suspense twists and turns. And the second episode is incredibly heartbreaking. The show does a fantastic job of running its audience through the emotional gamut.

I realize my synopsis may be vague, but I have a feeling that the majority of regular readers have never even heard of the show, and I don't want to give much away. I began watching the show fairly blindly, and I'm glad I did. It made the experience so much more rewarding.

With Dexter falling short of its previous season, my own schedule preventing me from watching Chuck and Breaking Bad off the air until July (yes, I know AMC's Walking Dead is supposed to be great; I have not had time to watch it yet), Misfits is providing me with my drama fix. It won the prestigious 2010 BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series for a reason.

For those of you who are in the UK, or have an IP proxy, Channel 4 has each episode on their website. How I wish I could recommend NinjaVideo to everyone as a means to watch the episodes in high-quality. Since that's no longer possible, I'll recommend Sidereel to get the links (MegaVideo is my source now, but zshare and wisevid are good, too, if possible).

Anyone else familiar with Misfits?

Hulu highlights, part two

For many students, it's almost time for spring break, which means there are numerous exams, papers and projects due before break. Therefore, we all need some television to distract us. Last week, I provided a few shows to waste your time, but if you're a procrastinator like me, you need more. Therefore, I offer part two of my "Hulu highlights" series.

"Spaced" (Channel 4 UK, 1999-2001): Before Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright brought "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" to American audiences, they were a part of this absurd look at the lives of twentysomethings struggling to find their place in the world. Pegg and Jessica Stevenson star as strangers who pretend to be a couple in order to secure a London flat, and the show chronicles their lives and their friends’ antics. Filled with rapid-fire popular culture references and jokes both subtle and absurdly obvious, "Spaced" is a great look at what it’s like to live in the modern world: you’re without a purpose, but popular culture keeps you sane. Plus, on a personal note, I see a lot of Stevenson’s character’s struggles as my present and future attempts to be a writer.

"The Unusuals" (ABC, 2009): I bet ABC is regretting the cancellation of this offbeat New York City police comedy-drama last year. Its star, Jeremy Renner, wasn’t well-known when the show premiered last year. Now? He may win the Best Actor Academy Award for "The Hurt Locker" on Sunday night. Harold Perrineau and Adam Goldberg’s hilarious characters steal the show, and you’ll find yourself missing them incredibly when the ten episodes are done.

"The Larry Sanders Show" (HBO, 1992-1998): Jeremy Piven pre-hair plugs. I could probably leave that as the only reason to watch this show. Garry Shandling, George Bluth Sr. (sorry, I mean Jeffrey Tambor), Don Geiss (or, my favorite alleged bank-robber, Rip Torn), and Romy and Michele’s classmate Heather Mooney (alright, that one’s a bit obscure, I’m referring to Janeane Garofalo) star in this show-within-a-show about the ins and outs of running a late-night talk show. In light of Conan O'Brien’s drama with NBC (side note, make sure to follow Conan on Twitter!), this show proves especially poignant, and it’s a great show for people interested in the media.

Enjoy!