Mix The Incredibles, Heroes, and Modern Family together and what do you get? Arguably, a bloody mess, particularly if you use one of those Magic Bullet blenders. Fortunately, No Ordinary Family escapes this fate. Although the pilot is bit too facile, the adult leads are likable and sympathetic in their roles (although the jury's still out on the kids) and are blessed with dynamic, pleasant sidekicks. Here, let me show you...

We open with police sketch artist-dad Jim Powell (Michael Chiklis: The Commish and The Shield) giving a talking-head segment about his wife, kids and life. Oh, Ricky Gervais, what hath thou wrought? Have we now forgotten how to do scripted television without this sort of device? It was so fresh when The Office (UK) burst on the scene. It was still fun when the U.S version of The Office debuted, but as that was years ago, I'm still trying to figure out why the sitcom Modern Family is doing it. Now, if you've read any couple of my recaps, you know I'll employ the occasional aside (or parenthetical)...(see). It's not like I don't get the why this is fun. And hey, I'm a child of the 80s. I still get a kick out of Ferris Bueller breaking the fourth wall, but I think I'm ready to watch a show where the characters don't assume someone is paying attention to their lives. Why can't they think they're floundering in obscurity? You know, like the rest of us. In the case of No Ordinary Family, we'll later learn Jim Powell and his wife mostly do think they're floundering in obscurity. They are just giving their backstory to a couples' therapist. Thank goodness for small favors, but I still spent the lion's share of the episode feeling otherwise, and was not at all happy with it, which is why I'm revealing the set-up, right up front for you. I am grateful there's no docudrama premise here, so I'll end this digression, and get back to the Powells. I just want TV to know I'm ready to welcome non-narrated fictional TV back into my life with arms, eyes and ears wide open. Anyhow...

About the Powells: they are drifting apart on the sea of post-modernity. Mom Stephanie (Julie Benz: Darla, Angel; Rita, Dexter) has a successful but demanding career as a scientist. Son JJ (Jimmy Bennett) struggles with a learning disability, when he's not lost in the boob-tube, and the Most Blessed Virgin Daughter Daphne really likes text messaging, her boyfriend Lucas, and holding fast to her virtue while bitching about it. And Jim? He needs to read some Betty Friedan, acknowledge his struggle with The Problem That Has No Name and get a life.