Yet another show about powered individuals is set to hit screens this week – but we implore you to hold back that sigh rising in your chest. We have a feeling you're going to like this one.
With Supacell, British rapper Rapman steps into the superpowered arena and offers a brand-new perspective, something that becomes instantly clear from the opening scene. It's powerful, loaded and insanely dark, setting the tone for what's to come.
The six-part series, which stars Doctor Who's Tosin Cole, is set on the streets of south London and sees a group of Black, newly powered individuals forced to band together for a greater purpose.
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First off, one has to applaud Rapman for not just lumping his characters into a fictional 'south London' but giving the show an authentic feel of the area through the music, the slang and general vibe. It just makes the world so much richer.
It's got a little bit of Misfits – owing to the mis-matched chemistry of the superpowered group – paired with a Top Boy energy that seeps through the grounded feel of the world. Yet what Rapman has built is something more than we've seen before.
Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we've become (far too) accustomed to, Supacell is not interested in having its enhanced individuals save the world (at least not yet anyway).
They're more concerned about saving their own personal worlds in their own way, which adds more intimacy to the viewing experience. You care about their struggles, their whys, their choices (morally ambiguous as some certainly are) and as the story picks up pace and the pieces align you are brought right back to its chilling opening scene.
While viewers get to spend time with each powered individual, the story is largely filtered through Michael's (Tosin Cole) lens and his mission to save his fiancée Dionne (The Responder's Adelayo Adedayo) from a future event which will claim her life.
As the trailer says: to save her "you need all four. If one dies, she dies."
It's a pulsating pressure that leads to Cole's erratic, jumpy and purposefully uncomfortable performance.
His desperation to unite his fellow powered people is the pressing tension that propels the story forward. But when Josh Tedeku's Tazer draws us into his world on the streets, you can't help but be compelled. It's hardened and dangerous but scratch a little deeper and you'll find so much more.
What makes the show truly special goes beyond just its Blackness, though having the narrative set and filtered through the Black experience is something worth embracing. Diverse representation in the fantasy world is opening up to include stories from marginalised communities, but this is still one of the few occasions where Black characters get to lead the story, adding nuance in allowing new conversations to be had in this space.
Rapman seems to have developed the perfect formula for exploring a myriad of social issues in a finite amount of time, giving each weight without making it feel tokenistic or forced.
This all combines to make a show that is an intoxicating mix of heart, dread and excitement as we watch these different beings adapt and respond to their new powered realities in unique ways. Calvin Demba's Rodney also brings the fun, his comedic talents shine through Rodney's cheeky-chappy tone and the way Demba plays with his physicality.
Ultimately, Supacell is an intelligent, unique watch that will cure anyone's superhero fatigue.
All episodes of Supacell are available to stream from Thursday, June 27 on Netflix.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
