Supacell Season 1 Review – A fun superhero show that unfortunately ends before it even begins

Episode Guide

Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 2.5/5

Looks like the superhero genre isn’t going anywhere as Netflix just released the sci-fi series, Supacell. Helmed by rapper and filmmaker, Rapman, the show stars Tosin Cole, Adelayo Adedayo, Nadine Mills, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Calvin Demba and Josh Tedeku. With 6 short episodes, it follows the lives of 5 Black people from South London who suddenly get superpowers. 

After Michael accidentally travels to the future, he learns that he needs to team up with 4 other superheroes to save his fiancee and take down the hooded guys who are after them. The only challenge is that the rest are equally in the dark about their powers and are too busy with their own problems to help Michael.

We understand what Rapman’s trying to go for from the first episode of Supacell Season 1. His intention is to create something that doesn’t capitalise on the pain and suffering of Black people, that they are more than the hood. Even though we have the character Tazer who has a gang-rivalry subplot, it is used to bring our superheroes together.

Season 1 as such is nothing new as it borrows a lot from the superhero genre. However, we can see the efforts the production has put into executing this story. We get to see different sides to South London and you can always count on British shows to have solid soundtracks that set the mood of the scene. The actors aren’t too shoddy themselves, committing to their characters and bringing them to life.

A lot of fan reactions have been of people being amused that the characters in the show are exactly how Black people react to something unnatural like superpowers. And it is all that, fun, hilarious and engaging. We get enough time to build up everyone’s back story, flesh them out, and give us three-dimensional characters even when they don’t get much spotlight like Rod and Andre.

We see their daily lives, their problems and how the superpowers can fix everything for them. We see how human they are, at first trying to use their powers selfishly before we get to the team leader trope of Michael trying to get them all together. And the way these characters keep bumping into each other unintentionally while having no idea about their connection is the highlight of the first half of the show.

Unfortunately, that’s it. Supacell Season 1 ends right just as it hits the climax, ending on a massive cliffhanger. And we’ve spoken about this before, how writers leave everything hanging in hopes that the studio will be forced to renew the show. But what happens when it doesn’t? We get a fun show with just the representation and diversity we need only for it to be incomplete. 

This could have been fixed had the structure of the show been revised to consider the fact this could be a one-season wonder. Along with the characters figuring out their powers and their problems, the bad guys should get enough space to make all their moves, not sit and wait till episode 5 after which they scramble to get off their backs and get to action. The only thing that can fulfil its potential and save Supacell is a Season 2 so Netflix better go ahead and renew this one.

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