No Heroics

No Heroics is a British comedy television series, which began on 18 September 2008. The show is ITV2's first original sitcom. The series concerns the love lives and day-to-day trials of a group of friends who just happen to be off-duty superheroes.

Characters

Devlin "Excelsor" – Patrick Baladi

Devlin is the most successful man in costume; he can basically do everything – the Brad Pitt of the superhero world and the bane of Alex’s life.

Powers include but arent limited to: flight, Laser eye beams, force field creation and manipulation

Alex "The Hotness" – Nicholas Burns

Alex controls heat and is desperate to be famous for saving the world (or at least someone), but somehow Excelsor always manages to save the day before him.

Sarah "Electroclash" – Claire Keelan

Sarah can control machines with her voice. However she would rather steal a pack of cigarettes from a machine than help the ‘normal’ world with her power. Seen as the most rock ‘n’ roll of the bunch, Sarah is the daughter of famous superheroes and Alex’s on-off love interest. Sarah was a member of the short lived superhero team known as Ladytrouble, alongside Jenny (She-Force).

Don "Timebomb" – James Lance

Don can see sixty seconds into the future. However, these days this homosexual Spaniard only uses his flash force to his friends’ advantage, as he is retired only taking the on some jobs to keep the cash rolling, he is also an ex drug addict.

Jenny "She-Force" – Rebekah Staton

Jenny has super-strength and is the third strongest woman in the world, but totally despises being a superhero. She would much rather spend her days at her desk, waiting for Mr Right to come along and revels in her everyday guise. Jenny was a member of the short lived superhero team known as Ladytrouble, alongside Sarah (Electroclash).

Simon "Thundermonkey" - Jim Howick

Simon works in the Fortress as a bouncer, whose job it is to ensure that the regulars play by the rules. However the regulars treat him as a bit of a joke, particularly Sarah. He is allowed to use his powers in the fortress as part of his job. His power is that of summoning "thundermonkeys"; however given they take so long to respond to his calls, they've never been seen on screen. Although recent developments have allowed him to half their response time.

"Norse Dave" - The bartender for the fortress and an ex war superhero who sports injuries from the gulf conflict, his powers are as yet unknown
"Praying Mantis" - Tony Way
"Miasma" - Banned from the Fortress for unknown reasons, his power is to become completely invisible at will.

Episodes

"Supergroupie" (18 September 2008)
"The Fantastic Chore" (25 September 2008)
"Mean Gills" (2 October 2008)
"Back Issues" (9 October 2008)
"Origin And Tonic" (16 October 2008)
"Monkey Gone To Heaven" (23 October 2008)

Influences

The series contains a lot of references to comics in the props, touching on both American comic books as well as British comics like 2000 AD – the latter being the home of Grant Morrison's Zenith, which was "the germ of it", according to the writer Drew Pearce.

Reception

The show has been surprisingly well-received by the broadsheet and mainstream press. Stephen Armstrong of The Times thinks that No Heroics is "possibly the first genuinely amusing sitcom on any ITV outlet since, well — any suggestions? Also at The Times, Michael Moran expresses similar sentiments, suggesting that it "is edgier than My Hero though – closer perhaps to cult favourite Mystery Men" and that while "Episodes one and two might be a slow burn ... [b]y the third instalment though, the hapless heroes are established as a superior sitcom characters that deserve a spot in the pantheon of loveable loser comedy that stretches from Tony Hancock to David Brent." .

Jane Simon in "The Mirror" thought that "the affectionate yet satirical tone is gauged just right to appeal to super-nerds and regular viewers, and is packed with tiny details to reward aficionados.. "What's On TV" called the show "inspired" whilst The Times continued their support of the show by saying "ITV2’s new comedy No Heroics is fast, funny and a little ingenious. Drew Pearce, the creator/writer, established an engaging collection of pretenders to the throne: The Hotness, a sexually inadequate “cape” with a penchant for heat; Electroclash, who let a shop owner get shot and suffer from his injuries because he was sexist; Timebomb is Spanish, depressed, unhinged; She Force is a superhero with the twittering insecurities of Carrie Bradshaw.

In addition, the influential British comic book creator Warren Ellis showed a warm display of support for the show on his blog by saying that "it’s funnier than a comedy show about superheroes has any right to be. It’s a miracle it got on the air at all. Full points to creator/writer Drew Pearce for coming up with something that should translate to a general audience because it’s black humour first and everything else second.

However, comic book writer Steven Grant disagrees, saying "boy, does it suck. Nothing but mindless, pandering sex jokes (would-be jokes, anyway) and The Beano level schoolboy shenanigans. Sentiments shared by Anna Lowman of TV Scoop, who thought that "[t]he main problem with this comedy is that the writers have apparently decided to replace the jokes with an unremitting coarseness ... and to produce characters that no-one in their right mind could give too hoots about" concluding that "No Heroics is just another reason why ITV is known as the graveyard of comedy. Robert Hanks of The Independent also picks up on similar angles: "It is quite a nice idea, certainly a much better idea than My Hero ... but so far Drew Pearce's script is too ready to fall back on the drink and the sex every time it needs a laugh."