Line #16 Series/NoHeroics


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/no-heroics-itv-2009-02-16_5612.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:A normal city with a small difference]]
3
4	A short-lived British comedy series, ''No Heroics'' was the first sitcom produced by Creator/{{ITV}}2 and ran from September to October 2008 for [[BritishBrevity six 20-minute episodes]].
5
6	The series is set in modern-day Britain, in what the opening describes as "a normal city with one small difference: there are superheroes". They're pretty much common-place, with powers ranging from super strength to controlling monkeys, and since the public knows about them, they just hang out in capes all day. Our main characters themselves are a group of "capes" who meet after work in The Fortress — the pub where superheroes go to unwind and where there are "No Masks, No Powers, No Heroics", hence the title.
7
8	Of course, the series parodies a good number of superhero tropes and there's a lot of GenreSavvy and [[ShoutOut shout outs]] going on.
9	----
10	!!''No Heroics'' provides examples of:
11	* AlliterativeName: Maggie Mayhem, Velvet Veil.
12	* AtrociousAlias: Ladytrouble. People keep making fun of The Hotness, too.
13	* BadassCape: Excelsor tries to invoke this with his golden cape.
14	* BadassNormal: Notable by their absence.
15	* BadGuyBar: The Stronghold.
16	* BadPowersBadPeople: Lampshaded by Lightkiller.
17	--> '''She-Force:''' You should use your powers for good.
18	--> '''Lightkiller:''' Yeah, yeah, right. So being able to plunge the world into complete darkness is an ideal power for a good guy, right?
19	* BeardOfSorrow: The Hotness grows one in the final episode. The others mock it as a plea for attention.
20	* CapeBusters: Anti-cape leagues go around beating up low-powered capes.
21	* ChestInsignia: They all have one.
22	* ClarkKenting: No one recognizes She-Force when she's Jenny at work, even though she just put a pair of glasses on. Justified, as there are so many superheroes that you'd have a hard time figuring out who's who anyway.
23	* ComesGreatResponsibility: Played straight for some capes, parodied for most as they fight crimes to be famous and get money from goodies.
24	* DatingCatwoman: She-Force considers dating one of her former foes, Lightkiller.
25	* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Sarah asks Alex to pretend they're dating again because she knows her dad hates him.
26	* DeathOfAChild: The mouthy, homophobic young prince.
27	* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: The Hotness tries to invoke this during one of his date.
28	* EyeBeams: Part of Excelsor's powers.
29	* FanDumb: In-universe, when She-Force and Electroclash go meet the fanclub of their old superheroine team.
30	* FantasticRacism: Some normal people hate "capes" and create "anti-cape" hate leagues.
31	* FormFittingWardrobe: Almost all the capes wear tight spandex, including out of shape men.
32	* GoodPowersBadPeople: Invoked with Excelsor, who has all of Superman's powers but is a major JerkAss.
33	* HeroicSacrifice: Parodied with the death of [[spoiler: Thundermonkey]]:
34	-->'''The Hotness:''' A terrible, terrible waste of human life.
35	-->'''Timebomb:''' A terrible, perfectly avoidable waste of human life.
36	* HurricaneOfPuns: Pretty much everything in the pub is a pun on superhero series: Shazamstel, V for Vodka, Logan's Rhum, Gin City...
37	* IncorruptiblePurePureness: She-Force.
38	* InsultBackfire: Alex's insults always end up like this one way or another.
39	* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Timebomb tortures Doomball by doing things like shoving stakes up his fingernails. Played for laughs by the fact that both are enjoying the experience, Doomball is ''encouraging'' Timebomb to go further, and the encounter is treated as a necessary step amongst the edgier heroes and villains of the setting.
40	* {{Jerkass}}: Devlin/Excelsor.
41	* KickTheDog: Devlin, joking about Alex's dead mom.
42	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Thundermonkey]] in the last episode.
43	* LocalHangout: The Fortress
44	* MalevolentMaskedMen: Doomball
45	* ManlyGay: Timebomb
46	* MaximumFunChamber: When Timebomb tortures Doomball.
47	* MostCommonSuperPower: She-Force.
48	* MouthyKid: The prince whom Timebomb is hired to protect.
49	* MundaneFantastic
50	* MundaneUtility:
51	** In the opening, The Hotness uses his superpower to warm up a meal (he also finds work as a heater in senior communities during the winter), She-Force uses hers to move a car and get a shopping trolley, Timebomb uses his prescience to see that the train he's waiting for is cancelled.
52	** Electroclash is fond of using her powers to get money and cigarettes for free.
53	* NoodleImplements: Subverted when Timebomb tells Doomball he's going to torture Doomball with bite-size potatoes on toothpicks. Cut to the next scene where we're shown that Timebomb wasn't kidding.
54	* NinetiesAntiHero: Parodied with Timebomb, who ends up going to group therapy to try to deal with his attitude.
55	-->'''Timebomb:''' At least you got to break somebody's arm. I miss that.
56	-->'''She-Force:''' Oh, Don, I know you do. That's why you're taking time off.
57	* PowerPerversionPotential: Excelsor has a whole speech dedicated to how his powers make it impossible for him not to please a woman.
58	* RecklessSidekick: Justified as heroes are assigned troubled sidekicks as part of community service.
59	* SecretIdentity: She-Force is the only member of the group who even tries to have one. She works as an accountant.
60	* SensualSpandex: Everyone, really.
61	* SideKick: Jackrabbit to Electroclash.
62	* ShellShockedVeteran: Norse Dave, the barman.
63	* ShoutOut: WordOfGod says there are hundreds of ShoutOuts worked into the [[BritishBrevity short]] series.
64	** The capes-only bar where most of the series center is called [[Franchise/{{Superman}} The Fortress]].
65	** Every drink named is a ShoutOut as well including
66	*** [[Comicbook/XMen Bottled Beast]]
67	*** [[Comicbook/SinCity Gin City]]
68	*** [[Franchise/GreenLantern Green Lamp Ale]]
69	*** [[Comicbook/BlackWidow Grey Widow Vodka]]
70	*** [[Comicbook/{{Wolverine}} Logan's]] [[Film/LogansRun Rum]]
71	*** [[Comicbook/{{Watchmen}} Ozymandias]] champagne
72	*** [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} Shazamstell Light]]
73	*** [[Comicbook/VForVendetta V for Vodka]]
74	*** [[Comicbook/FantasticFour Von Doomenbrau]]
75	** The episode openers include Electroclash pulling cash from [[Creator/StanLee Stanlees]] Savings Bank
76	* SmugSuper: Excelsor.
77	* {{Soaperizing}}: Most of the show centers on what happens in The Fortress, with only a few minutes of actual hero action in the whole series.
78	* {{Stripperiffic}}: Electroclash's costume is tame compared to what comic book heroines wear, but she still gets remarks.
79	-->'''Electroclash:''' Have you seen my costume? It's fucking tiny.
80	-->'''Thundermonkey:''' It's not my fault you dress like a slag.
81	* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Everyone thinks Alex's beard makes him look like a pedophile.
82	* SuperpowerLottery: Excelsor. While most heroes have a single specific power, he has a whole laundry list of them including (but perhaps not limited to) flight, force fields, heat vision and mind control among others. Not surprisingly he has a massive ego.
83	* SuperStrength: She-Force.
84	* SuperVillain: A lot, including Doomball and Lightkiller.
85	* TheCape: The term is used to describe any super in the universe but the only one who'd seem to fit the trope is actually Electroclash's dad, Rampart.
86	* TheHero: Subverted with Excelsor who's basically Superman but acts like a complete asshole to everyone in The Fortress.
87	* ThemeTune: "Make way for Ladytrouble!"
88	* TheStoic: Don/Timebomb.
89	* VerbalTic: Fusebox fuses words. "New friend. Nend."
90	* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: Avoided in most cases, since even capes with the power of photocopy are put to good use, but played straight a few times.
91	** Lampshaded with Thundermonkey, who can summon monkeys:
92	--->'''Electroclash:''' How long does it take for the monkeys to get there after you've summoned them?
93	--->'''Thundermonkey:''' About two and a half hours.
94	** Also lampshaded with Lightkiller's secondary glowing eyes power.

Context Series / NoHeroics