Cancelled Cast: No Ordinary Family

The Overdue Leading Role for Julie Benz

This week Jonah⁠ tells ⁠Keeks⁠ the tale of the short lived ABC superhero series No Ordinary Family, starring Michael Chiklis and pod favorite Julie Benz. 

Jonah discusses the special effects and what makes the story unique to the superhero genre. Something like open communication between family members and close friends about super powers was rare at the time. This show came out when many drama series, especially teen dramas, used secrets to drive conflict in their stories.  Buffy was one of the few characters that had friends in on the secret, but her mother wasn’t brought into the fold until the second season.

What led to the cancellation of this series? Did ABC want to create a super series on the heels of Smallville’s 10 season run? Was the Disney subsidiary looking to dip their toes in superhero television after their 2009 acquisition of Marvel? Or, were low ratings to blame?  Watch, or listen, to find out.

Things to Know about No Ordinary Family

No Ordinary Family was created by Greg Berlanti and Jon Harmon Feldman. Berlanti and Feldman also served as showrunners for the short lived series. The series starred the aforementioned Chiklis (Jim Powell) and Benz (Stephanie Powell) along with Kay Panabaker (Daphne Powell), Jimmy Bennett (J.J. Powell), Autumn Reeser (Katie Andrews), and Romany Malco (George St. Cloud).

This superpowered family drama debuted on ABC  for streaming on Paramount + with Showtime on September 28, 2010 and wrapped April 5, 2011. At the time of the recording, the series had a Tomatometer score of 71 percent and a Popcorn Meter rating of 83 percent.

No Ordinary Family Synopsis

No Ordinary Family is a 2010 fantasy drama TV series that follows the Powell family, who gain superpowers after surviving a plane crash in the Amazon rainforest. Jim, the father, discovers he has super strength; his wife, Stephanie, gains super speed; their daughter, Daphne, can read minds; and their son, JJ, develops genius-level intelligence. As they try to balance their new abilities with everyday life, they uncover a deeper conspiracy involving others with powers. 

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