By Joshua Tyler
| Published
Geeky television programming was limited in the 80s. Back then, if a series had weird powers and a young Courteney Cox, it stuck with you.
Everyone watched the same stuff because options were slim, no streaming, no endless queues. The few geeky shows available, were all there was to watch. It didn’t matter if they were good.
But now? Those shows don’t matter anymore, and they’re being erased from existence. One of those gems of the era, the 1985 NBC oddball superhero series Misfits of Science, is vanishing. You can’t stream it, rent it, or buy it legally in the US. It’s like it never happened. And that’s a crime against nostalgia.
Misfits Of Science Tries To Make Superheroes Mainstream In The 80s
Misfits of Science was pure 80s with a sci-fi twist. A team of super-powered oddballs work for a think tank called the Humanidyne Institute, studying “human anomalies.” Leading the pack is Dr. Billy Hayes, played by Dean Paul Martin, a fast-talking schemer with no powers but enough charm to glue the group together. He’s the brains, always hustling to keep their misadventures funded.
Then there’s Dr. Elvin “El” Lincoln, portrayed by the towering Kevin Peter Hall (yep, the guy who played the Predator). El can shrink down to 11 inches tall thanks to some hormonal gadget, but it wears off fast, leading to hilarious mishaps.
Johnny “Johnny B” Bukowski, rocked by Mark Thomas Miller, is an ex-musician zapped with electrical powers. He shoots lightning and runs super fast like The Flash.
His love interest is Gloria Dinallo. That’s a teenage Courteney Cox with telekinesis, lifting stuff with her mind while dealing with probation drama.
They fight crime, tackle government conspiracies, and bungle through supernatural messes.
Episodes like the pilot “Deep Freeze” have them thawing a frozen caveman. In “Guess What’s Coming to Dinner?” aliens crash a party.
The show wasn’t afraid to get weird. “Against All Oz” is a full-on Wizard of Oz parody with the team in dreamland. And the unaired-in-the-US “Three Days of the Blender”? A blender turns out to be a portal or something nuts.
Misfits of Science was lighthearted, funny, and packed with heart, perfect for kids dreaming of superpowers. It’s Ghostbusters meets The A-Team, with madcap energy and zero budget for subtlety. Created by James D. Parriott, it aired Fridays on NBC, aiming for that family-friendly slot. One season, 16 episodes, including a 90-minute pilot, and poof, gone.
Its Place In TV History: Ahead Of Its Time, But Doomed
In the mid-80s, TV was exploding with genre mashups. The Greatest American Hero had wrapped in ’83, Knight Rider was cruising, and V was scaring everyone with aliens. Misfits of Science slotted right in, inspired by NBC boss Brandon Tartikoff’s quip: “We’ll rely on the National Enquirer for story ideas.” It echoed Ghostbusters‘ success from ’84, blending comedy, action, and supers.
Creator Parriott even tapped Tim Kring for his first writing gig; Kring later made Heroes in 2006, which feels like a spiritual sequel to the show. Misfits predicted the superhero boom, but got there too early.
Cast-wise, it’s a time capsule. Courteney Cox’s breakout role, pre-Family Ties, pre-Friends. Dean Paul Martin, son of Dean Martin, brought Rat Pack vibes.
Kevin Peter Hall? A gentle giant who suited up as Harry in Harry and the Hendersons and the Predator. Max Wright as the bossy institute director? He’d soon be the dad on ALF. It was a launchpad, but the show’s short run buried it.
Historically, it’s a footnote in NBC’s Must See TV era buildup. Aired against Dallas on CBS, it was a brutal slot. But it captured that 80s optimism, science as fun, not doom. In a pre-streaming world, it could’ve been syndicated forever. Instead, it’s a relic, whispered about by aging nerds like me.
Marvel Tried To Sue Misfits Of Science Out Of Existence
Misfits of Science was TV’s X-Men before the X-Men hit screens. A ragtag team of mutants, er, anomalies, fighting baddies while hiding from norms? Sound familiar?
It may have been too familiar. In 1985, Misfits of Science faced a legal hiccup from Marvel Comics over the character Arnold “Beef”/”Ice Man” Beifneiter, played by Mickey Jones.
Featured in the pilot, his cryogenic freezing powers echoed Marvel’s X-Men character Iceman too closely. Marvel raised objections, forcing the show to ditch Beef after one episode to avoid a lawsuit.
The team kept the ice cream truck, used initially to keep Beef cool, without explanation, a quirky reminder of the dispute. This clash was an early lesson in Marvel’s fierce protection of its IP, even in the ‘80s, and it left Misfits scrambling to pivot early on. It probably played a role in NBC’s decision to cancel the show.
That wasn’t the only reason the show was canceled. It was a pure ratings flop. Debuted October 4, 1985; last aired February 21, 1986. NBC yanked it mid-season, leaving one ep unaired stateside.
It never had a chance. They put the show up against Dallas, the biggest show on television at the time. NBC moved on to Golden Girls glory.
The tragedy of the show’s cancellation was nothing compared to what happened to its stars. Sadly, Dean Paul Martin died in 1987. He’d been a pilot all his life and a member of the California National Guard since 1980. While flying a National Guard jet, he crashed in a storm. He was only 35.
Why Misfits Of Science Can’t Be Watched Now
Misfits of Science lingered in pop culture for years after its disappearance, but now it’s gone. You can’t watch Misfits of Science legally anywhere in the US. It’s not available anywhere on streaming, and definitely not legally.
You’d think NBC would throw it on Peacock, because, why not? But no, the show isn’t there. Some eps pop on YouTube, bootleg-style, but that’s piracy roulette.
Why? The theme song may be a cause. The show’s theme song is one of the all-time best opening credits numbers, and it seems to be mired in extreme copyright policing. Try playing a few seconds from it on YouTube, and you’ll see what I mean. Give it a listen below.
How many of you remember this rockin’ themesong? pic.twitter.com/fRyVvNmSyy
— GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT (@GFRobot) August 31, 2025
The song “Feels Like Science” was performed by Karen Lawrence and composed by the great Basil Poledouris, the genius behind the score of movies like Robocop and Conan the Barbarian. Work like his often ends up locked in studio copyright vaults, and that may be part of the problem with Misfits. It just isn’t worth the trouble to sort all that out.
Misfits of Science is another victim of Hollywood neglect.
How You Can Help Save Misfits Of Science
Misfits of Science deserves credit for being one of the earliest attempts at superhero-style television programming. It paved the way for X-Men and much of what Marvel’s done in the 2000s.
In a sense, it almost feels refreshing to watch now, if you can find it. Low stakes, funny heroes, relatable problems, and no CGI bloat. Just a few simple effects and a bunch of disaffected, extremely attractive teens running around solving problems. Misfits of Science deserves better than erasure from history. Let Universal Pictures and NBC know.
