History YMMV / Misfits

* {{Replacement Scrappy}}: Rudy to some fans. Somewhat inevitable given Nathan's popularity.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** Simon's weirdness is toned down after the first series; after that his behaviour evolves into a he's-just-socially-awkward thing but in the first few episodes he genuinely appears to be a little deranged. ("I want to piss on your tits", anyone?) This is because the writers originally intended him to be the villain, but he was unexpectedly popular so they rewrote it, and eventually [[spoiler: he is arguably the most heroic and noble character that has ever been on the show.]]
** In the first season, Superhoodie seems to be far too short to be [[spoiler:Simon]], and gives the impression of being a much younger boy than the other characters. See the Trivia page for more evidence that his eventual identity was a later choice.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: Though Nathan remains far and away the most popular character of the ensemble, Simon had far more fans than expected [[spoiler:culminating in him having a much bigger role than what was expected when it was planned that he would be killed off at the end of the first season.]]
** Though he becomes more of a straight JerkAss later, Shaun was surprisingly popular for being a DeadpanSnarker who gets by via plainly ignoring the Misfits' shenanigans because he can't be bothered to deal with them -- but won't let them get arrested, either.

* AcceptableTargets: Religion and spiritual beliefs were constantly getting dunked on. ''Constantly''. At least four villains were in some way related to religious beliefs. It got to particularly obnoxious levels in the Christmas episode.

** All the cast in the Christmas special. [[spoiler:The show goes to great pains to insist that their powers bring them nothing but problems, making them eager to sell them off for a relatively small sum. While it makes sense that Alisha would want to get rid of her millstone power, you have characters like Curtis whose power has only ever been useful (outside of having to repeatedly break up with his girlfriend) and it's agonizing that nobody else seemed to bother to either train to get control over their powers (Nikki) or even just brainstorm ways to make them useful (Kelly), outside of Simon. Sure, the previous episode had AnAesop about not exploiting powers to get famous, but there are still myriad other ways to use them productively that should be obvious to a group of troublemakers.]]

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Sally on paper has reasons for her behaviour. She is worried about Tony (they were together) and she suspects something is going on. However the way she goes about finding this out takes away a lot of sympathy from her. Namely manipulating Simon - read: an emotionally vulnerable teenager with a crush on her - and borderline seducing him for information. And she also physically attacks him when he discovers the truth.

%%* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Brian, the "Milk Guy." Many hoped for what was essentially the season finale and the end of their community service [[spoiler:and, as it would turn out, the last time the cast all had their original powers, and one of the last times they were all together]] to make a serious discussion of fame and give the cast a chance to all use their powers as a team to defeat an apparently unstoppable bad guy. Instead, [[spoiler:the morals don't really matter because Curtis resets everything, and Brian easily kills everybody except Curtis, meaning there was never a time everyone's power came into play at once.]]

** Nathan and Simon. It starts off as Nathan essentially sexually harassing Simon for shock value, but as their friendship develops, Nathan's teasing seems to evolve into genuine affection. And then there's the episode in which Nathan is mind-controlled into falling genuinely in love with Simon, much to the latter's bemusement, since Nathan's attentions go from obnoxious to sweet and gentle.

** Nathan and Marnie. He's willing to be her baby's father the same episode where she's introduced just before being PutOnABus.
** Happens with Alisha and [[spoiler: Future!Simon]]. Their relationship is developed over the course of two episodes, Alisha only falls in love with him because [[spoiler: he tells her she will, and because he's the only person that can touch her]].

* BrokenBase: After [[spoiler: the original cast sold their powers]] and especially after [[spoiler: the complete cast overhaul]] the entire fanbase was completely split as to whether the show was still good or not.

*** Finding a shapeshifter.

* {{Memetic Mutation}}: SAVE ME BARRY!

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: "Little Donkey". Lampshaded when they all break off, embarrassed.
** It seemed like a typical ChristmasEpisode moment. And even the titular misfits are capable of recognizing a sweet moment and reacting to it.
** Greg, the DrillSergeantNasty probation worker singing "The Power of Love".
* CrossesTheLineTwice: [[spoiler:Nathan stomping on Marnie's afterbirth thinking it was an alien baby who needed to be killed.]]
--> "It's the afterbirth, you dickhead!"

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Simon's weirdness is toned down after the first series; after that his behaviour evolves into a he's-just-socially-awkward thing but in the first few episodes he genuinely appears to be a little deranged. ("I want to piss on your tits", anyone?) This is because the writers originally intended him to be the villain, but he was unexpectedly popular so they rewrote it, and eventually [[spoiler: he is arguably the most heroic and noble character that has ever been on the show.]]
** Also, in the first season, Superhoodie seems to be far too short to be [[spoiler:Simon]], and gives the impression of being a much younger boy than the other characters. See the Trivia page for more evidence that his eventual identity was a later choice.

* FridgeLogic: In Series 1 Episode 2, Ruth produces a set of keys, giving the impression that she is a member of staff and has permission to be in the community centre after hours. As it turns out she is actually a client-there is no reason for her to have the keys or to be hanging around the community centre when it is closed.
** Given that the place has the security of a wet paper bag, it's not too hard to imagine she stole them.
* HilariousInHindsight: In 2.5, when asked why he bothers to try and rescue Simon from danger, Nathan replies: "The little bastard gets under your skin, doesn't he?". A couple of years later, Creator/IwanRheon, the actor playing Simon, joined the cast of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' as Ramsay Snow, Lord Bolton's AxCrazy [[BastardBastard bastard]] son who enjoys flaying people alive.

** [[Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019 Won't be the last time]] Creator/RobertSheehan plays a character in a superhero show who can [[ISeeDeadPeople see ghosts]].
*** A lot of Nathan's lines become, such as calling adopted kids nutjobs and walking around wearing the wedding dress, become a lot funnier after The Umbrella Academy was released.
* HoYay: Nathan and Simon. It starts off as Nathan essentially sexually harassing Simon for shock value, but as their friendship develops, Nathan's teasing seems to evolve into genuine affection.
** And then there's the episode in which Nathan is mind-controlled into falling genuinely in love with Simon, much to the latter's bemusement, since Nathan's attentions go from obnoxious to sweet and gentle.
** Season 3 brings us Rudy and [[spoiler: his other self, what with the wrestling and talk of [[ScrewYourself fucking himself]].]]
*** The Season 5 premiere {{lampshades}} this, with Rudy Too's attempts to get Rudy One to join a superpower support group sounding like an effort to make him join couples therapy.

* IdiotPlot: Season 2 episode 4 could have been easily resolved at any time by Simon turning invisible and killing the Grand Theft Auto guy from ambush.

* {{Narm}}: Super Hoodie does a big badass jump from the top of a building and throws... a bag of peanuts. Granted they do save the day later but it's still an incredibly silly moment.

* StrangledByTheRedString: Nathan and Marnie. He's willing to be her baby's father the same episode where she's introduced just before being PutOnABus.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Many of the villains can be perceived as this. Most of them were always down on their luck {{Butt Monkey}}s before they got their powers, such as Brian the "Milk Guy". He led an incredibly mundane life, then his powers made him famous, then when other people with better powers came along everyone started to ignore him again.
** Then again, Howard Overman did state in an interview that he tried to avoid creating wholly "good" or "evil" characters, and tried to give all of the antagonists at least ''some'' logical motives for the way they behaved. So most of them were probably intended to be somewhat sympathetic.

* TheWoobie: Painfully shy and lonely Simon endured years of bullying prior to the show, and still doesn't get off lightly mostly due to his and Nathan's personality clash.
** Rudy's [[spoiler:literal split personality has this in the introverted one, who admits that Rudy tried to kill himself after he lost his virginity to Alisha and she treated him badly.]]
*** Later on, his womanizing ways stop and he genuinely falls in love with a sweet, innocent girl [[spoiler: who dies]].

** [[Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019 Won't be the last time]] Creator/RobertSheehan plays a character in a superhero show who can [[ISeeDeadPeople see ghostos]].

** In an episode of Series 1, Nathan pretends to be Bono from U2, but no one else gets it[[note]]His clue? "I'm an annoying [[CountryMatters cunt.]]"[[/note]]. Robert Sheenan later appeared in the movie Killing Bono.
** [[Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019 Won't be the last time]] Creator/RobertSheenan plays a character in a superhero show who can [[ISeeDeadPeople see ghostos]].

** [[Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019 Won't be the last time]] Creator/Roberts Heenan plays a character in a superhero show who can [[ISeeDeadPeople see ghostos]].

* MagnificentBastard: Nathan in spades. He's too damn funny to hate.
** Shaun the probation worker - he's a total {{Jerkass}} but he's hilarious, and does not take any of the gang's shit.

** A good deal of the problems from Seasons one and two could have been quickly and easily resolved with Kelly simply using her mind reading powers, but it's rarely even suggested. Examples include, but are not limited to:

* JustForFun/XMeetsY: ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' meets ''Series/{{Heroes}}''.

** Curtis loses his athletic career, [[spoiler: his girlfriend dies, he gets himself pregnant, his next girlfriend uses him and tries to kill him, then finally he becomes a zombie and shoots himself to save the rest from infection]].

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Simon's weirdness is toned down after the first series; after that his behaviour evolves into a he's-just-socially-awkward thing but in the first few episodes he is genuinely appears to be a little deranged. ("I want to piss on your tits", anyone?) This is because the writers originally intended him to be the villain, but he was unexpectedly popular so they rewrote it, and eventually [[spoiler: he is arguably the most heroic and noble character that has ever been on the show.]]
* FridgeBrilliance: The existence of [[spoiler: Psycho!Rudy makes sense when you take a long look at Rudy's behavior: he wet the bed into his late teens, suffers from stifling levels of social awkwardness, deeply suppresses his emotions and traumas, and over the course of the series has shown a distinct lack of empathy, at least when nothing directly effects him]]

** In an episode of Series 1, Nathan pretends to be Bono from U2, but no one else gets it[[note]]His clue? "I'm an annoying [[CountryMatters cunt]]"[[/note]]. Robert Sheenan later appeared in the movie Killing Bono

* MagnificentBastard Shaun the probation worker - he's a total {{Jerkass}} but he's hilarious, and does not take any of the gang's shit.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The show takes pains to educate people on what can be considered rape. If you didn't get it when it was implied by Alisha's use of her powers, it was later explicitly called rape by Curtis. Then there was the coach drugging his athletes and even later a very clear explanation from Simon that having sex with someone who's asleep is rape. Finn also counsels against having sex with very drunk girls.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Many of the villains can be perceived as this, most of them were always down on their luck {{Butt Monkey}}s before they got their powers, such as Brian the "Milk Guy". He led an incredibly mundane life, then his powers made him famous, then when other people with better powers came along everyone started to ignore him again.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Sally on-paper has reasons for her behaviour. She is worried about Tony (they were together) and she suspects something is going on. However the way she goes about finding this out takes away a lot of sympathy from her. Namely manipulating Simon - read: an emotionally vulnerable teenager with a crush on her - and borderline seducing him for information. And she also physically attacks him when she discovers the truth.

*** Later on, his womanizing ways stop and genuinely falls in love with a sweet, innocent girl [[spoiler: who dies]].

* {{Narm}}: Super Hoodie does a big badass jump from the top of a building and throws...a bag of peanuts. Granted they do save the day later but it's still an incredibly silly moment.