Misfits of Science is the kitschy hour-long superhero show that ran 16 episodes on NBC from Oct. 4, 1985 – Feb. 21, 1986.

A precursor to Heroes (in fact, episode 9 was written by Heroes creator, Tim Kring), Misfits of Science broke new ground in the TV superhero genre. Less campy than Batman and not as dramatic as The Incredible Hulk, Misfits employed the ensemble cast theme from comic books like X-Men, Fantastic Four, and The Avengers. Unlike the lone superhero model, this one allows for some interesting relationships and many entertaining group dynamics.

Starring Dean Paul Martin (Dean Martin’s late son), Kevin Peter Hall (the man behind the “Predator” mask), Courtney Cox (from her smokin’ hot, “Dancing in the Dark” video days), Mark Thomas Miller, (who retired from acting after a disfiguring accident), and Max Wright (“Willy” from Alf), Misfits gave us the light fun of fantasy without the intellectual weight of science fiction.

The team of misfits includes Dr. Hayes (Martin) as the ironically power-less leader; Dr. Lincoln (Hall), the seven-foot-four, socially awkward scientist who shrinks when he presses a special nerve on his neck; Johnny (Miller), the electricity-powered rock star; Gloria (Cox) the telekinetic and troubled teen. And they all drive around together in an ice cream truck.

Like great music videos, The Electric Company, and O.J. Simpson commercials, Misfits of Science is one of those must-have TV badges of 80’s honor we thirty and forty-somethings wear with pride.

I loved Misfits. It had car chases, odd-ball plots (a lost caveman, a deadly bunny, buried Mayan treasure under Beverly Hills, and even a foray into an alternate reality), and a great visual appeal where the superheroes looked like Revenge of the Nerds with inexpensive, in-camera powers.

In the end, though, the show inevitably folded, not buckling under its own weight as much as floating off into the television ether. Superhero shows with big powers rarely translate well to the small screen. Attempts tend to turn out over-the-top like Batman, tongue-in-cheek like The Greatest American Hero, ridiculously inadequate like The Amazing Spider-Man, or darker teen-centric dramas like Angel. Some, like Six Million Dollar Man and Wonder Woman, manage to resonate enough with viewers and are lucky enough to be well-scheduled so that they achieve a solid degree of ratings success.

Misfits falls somewhere in the middle. Do you play it serious or do you go for laughs? There’s snappy patter and some cute one-liners. It uses a music soundtrack like a movie, and they don’t go too over the top with the characters’ powers. On the downside, there are no real actors in the bunch, and much of the dialogue sounds like it was written by interns.

Team superhero shows are tough to construct. It’s too easy to have the characters’ powers take over the show. (Which is what caused the demise of Heroes, a fine show until everyone got powers and set out to wage a contrived war against a completely non-existent and implausible “persecution.”) You can’t let it be all about the powers. The Incredible Hulk got it right – we needed to see David Banner “Hulk-out” at fifteen minutes into the show and then again at the forty-five minute mark. No more. No less. Multiply that by the number of characters in a team superhero show, and you’ve got no room left for those little incidentals like quality dialogue, character development, and plot.

I miss Misfits. It wasn’t perfect, but I guess it wasn’t trying to be. It was just a quirky idea wrapped around a group of second-rate actors and a series of rather spindly plots. It may not have carved out as deep a niche in popular culture as some other shows in the genre, but it left an indelible mark in the annals of 80’s lore.

Misfits of Science was ahead of its time, teased, underestimated, and it never really fit in. But like all misfits, you can’t help being kind of attracted to it anyway.

  -- Malcolm Matthews