The Cast & Creator of 'Extraordinary' on What Makes The Superhero Series So Special

Extraordinary is one of Hulu’s best-kept secrets:  A brash, heartfelt, and occasionally raunchy coming-of-age comedy that happens to be set in a world where superpowers of both the epic and the deeply mundane variety are real, it’s almost certainly like no other superhero show you’ve seen before. Mainly, this series stands out from the genre pack because of how unimportant those elements are to the larger story it’s telling. Some of the powers are useful, funny, or even downright gross. But what matters more is how these unique and/or bizarre abilities connect to the emotional journies of the characters who possess them, usually with hilarious and heartbreaking results.

Extraordinary follows the story of Jen Regan, a twentysomething underachiever who still doesn’t have a superpower in a world where almost everyone else developed theirs when they turned eighteen. As she struggles to figure out what this lack says about her, she and her friends must face the everyday trials and pitfalls of young adulthood, from relationship drama to career stagnation. The only difference is that some can talk to the dead or turn into a cat.

Season 2 picks up where the first left off, with Jen finally enrolling as a client at the power clinic that will supposedly help her unearth her unique ability. But she soon discovers that finding her power isn’t as simple or straightforward as she hoped. Elsewhere, her relationship with her new boyfriend, Jizzlord, faces unexpected challenges in the wake of the revelation that he may have once had a wife and child he no longer remembers. Carrie and Kash are attempting to navigate their new post-breakup reality, but it’s hard going when they and Jen still live together, and no one’s quite sure what moving on entails. It’s chaos, basically, but that’s also precisely the sort of story at which this series excels. 

We had the chance to sit down with Extraordinary creator Emma Moran, as well as stars Máiréad Tyers (Jen), Sofia Oxenham (Carrie), Bilal Hasna (Kash), and Luke Rollason (Jizzlord) during the 2024 Television Critics Association winter press tour to talk about the series’ upcoming second season and what helps this little superhero comedy that could stand out from the genre television pack. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Telly Visions: When people tell me they're tired of superhero shows, I always tell them to watch Extraordinary. I think it's doing interesting things with the genre and using it to say something unique — that the powers are cool, but they aren't at all the point of the story. Tell me a little bit about how you all see the show and what it's trying to do.

Emma Moran: I think that was always the point. When writing it, we have a thing [where we ask ourselves]: would we watch this if there were no powers in it? Well, I would anyway. But the powers are there to enhance stuff and say things about characters or maybe do some satire, but it's never really been the point of the show,

Sofia Oxenham: I see it as a group of people in their 20s trying to navigate that period of their lives; and one woman [who's] feeling like she's got something missing in her life, which I think we can all relate to.

Máiréad Tyers: The powers are almost incidental. They're just really fun (and sometimes funny). But then, they're also a metaphor for Jen feeling like she's missing something. It feels relatable and like a strong point when the lack of power aids it.

Moran: It's taking on that superhero thing of "be the best, the greatest, always achieve, get the glory." It's the antidote to that; maybe things are just fine [the way they are]. Chill out, have some fun, and hang out with some friends. 

Luke Rollason: I don't see it as being a show about powers as much as it is a show really about people. Even in a world where people are handed when they turn 18 the ability to fly and talk to the dead, or whatever, all that does is show all the ways in which they're not powerful. 

A lot of superhero narratives are about wish fulfillment and how people transcend themselves when they suddenly become superpowered, how they leave behind their friends who are just normal people. And I think Extraordinary is about how even if that were true, you would only show people's humanity even more.

TV: How would you guys compare Season 2 to Season 1? How has Extraordinary grown or gone in a new direction?

Oxenham: Do you think it seems different?

TV: Not really, no! It feels like an extension of the first season. Some relationships have shifted a bit and grown or changed since last year. 

Moran: Season 2 is about making the world a bit bigger. We had all these fun toys to play with in Season 1, and only so much time. The great thing about Season 2 is that we have these characters bedded down, and they feel like a real friendship group; you can let that run and then build this fun world around them. That was super exciting to do for Season 2.

Bilal Hasna: I loved everyone's arc. I mean, obviously, I loved them in Season 1. But I think I loved them even more in Season 2. The job of the season, I think, is to expand and to give all the plotlines richer and maybe more intricate arcs; Emma does that so successfully.

Rollason: Emma is amazing at always finding whatever power or situation will make the conflict in a scene far more heightened. It's the key to the show's creativity and absurdity. In this first episode in the second series, Jen and Jizzlord go on a date, but because they're on a bit of a budget, they go to this date where they get shrunk down into a tiny, tiny Italian restaurant. 

So they're trying to have this first date, which neither of them really knows how to navigate, whilst also eating the world's largest piece of spaghetti because the spaghetti is normal size and they're tiny. Emma's just amazing. That's a scene that could appear in any TV show. No superhero TV show would necessarily do that, but any comedy TV show would have a date scene. But in what comedy TV show are you going to see two people wrestling with giant pasta?

TV: What is the weirdest power we'll see this season, do you think? Or the weirdest one you've encountered in the show so far?

Moran: This isn't really a spoiler, so I can say: There's a guy who can tell you exactly when you're going to get your period.

Tyers: [to Oxenham] Is that your boss? 

Oxenham: Yes!

Tyers: That was so funny. 

Rollason: The power of Carrie's boss, I think, is the funniest, and it costs absolutely nothing. You know what I mean? 

Hasna: Oh my God, yeah. It's just like, what's a quick, cheap power? I love that so much.

TV: That was 100% my answer. I do love that the show is like, "Sometimes having a power kind of sucks."

Tyers: Yeah, it can be a burden.

Moran: I think most of the time it's a burden. Jen thinks she's unhappy because she doesn't have [a power], but I wanted to make it clear that the people who do have them are also lost and don't know what they're doing either.

Oxenham: We see that quite a lot in the second series. There are power problems.

TV: I feel like the show could just run forever, but are you planning for a Season 3? (Spoiler alert: I want the answer to be a yes very badly, so I'm asking.)

Moran: I mean, so do I! Yeah, I hope so. It's such a fun world to play in that I could just... It feels infinite.

TV: Was there a story you haven’t gotten to tell yet that you still want to?

Moran: There are some side characters, like Magnet Girl. I always really want to see what she does day to day.

Tyers: She could have her own spinoff!

Oxenham: Richie, as well! 

Moran: Period Man. Magnet Girl and Period Guy, that’s it. 

Tyers: I would watch that.

Oxenham: I would too.

TV: I want more people to watch this show because it’s so good and essential. What would you tell people who have not seen Extraordinary yet? What do they need to know to watch it? What is the reason they should watch it?

Oxenham: I would say it’s very fresh. Emma’s voice is incredibly unique, and it feels like… Honestly, it doesn’t feel like anything I’d ever read before. 

Tyers: If you need a pick-me-up, that’s why I watch comedy. It feels like you’re escaping the world, which can be… there’s so much going on. It is nice to take half an hour off. That, or if you’re hungover on a Sunday, binge it. It’s just four hours. It’s perfect.

Moran: It’s cozy and disgusting at the same time.

All episodes of Extraordinary Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Hulu.