The streaming giant may have cancelled the well-regarded The Order last November, but it isn’t done with the show’s creators by a long shot. Netflix has announced The Imperfects, a new sci-fi series from the same team.
Not to be confused with Netflix’s other similarly named recent series The Irregulars, the Hollywood Reporter says The Imperfects has been picked up for 10 episodes on the streamer. The titular Imperfects are a group of 20-somethings who have been turned into monsters by a classically mad scientist (played by Australian comedian Rhys Nicholson) who thinks he’s ushering in human’s next evolution with experimental gene therapy.
Italia Ricci (who played Silver Banshee on Supergirl) will take on the lead role of Dr. Sydney Burke, who hopes to atone for her role in the experiment by helping the aforementioned 20-somethings Abbi (Charmed’s Rhianna Jagpal), Tilda (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’s Morgan Taylor Campbell), and Juan (Who Killed Sara?’s Iñaki Godoy) find the scientist to become human again. Netflix also gave us a peek at each of the characters as well as the folkloric creatures that inspire their powers.
Morgan Taylor Campbell (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Sadie’s Last Day On Earth) as TILDA WEBER
The driven lead singer of a punk band sees her dreams shatter after she develops super-hearing and a destructive vocal power, giving her abilities similar to a Banshee pic.twitter.com/HMT30MhgND
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 15, 2021
Iñaki Godoy (Who Killed Sara?, Do Not Open The Door) as JUAN RUIZ
The aspiring graphic novelist is more comfortable exploring weird fantasy worlds in his work then he is experiencing them first hand after transforming into a beast he identifies as a Chupacabra. pic.twitter.com/cN1IsrxBIP
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 15, 2021
Celina Martin (Other Kingdom, Level 16) as HANNAH MOORE
Hannah Moore: another test subject of Sarkov and Burke’s experimental gene treatment, Hannah finds her allegiance torn between Abbi, Juan and Tilda and Finch. pic.twitter.com/OmQJmQIatu
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 15, 2021
Kyra Zagorsky (The 100, Helix) as ISABEL FINCH
Vengeance-minded Finch could be Abbi, Juan and Tilda’s most formidable foe: She has her own reasons for finding Sarkov, and if she finds him before they do, they’ll never be able to shed their monstrous identities. pic.twitter.com/VpBArblDUm
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 15, 2021
The Irish spirits known as banshees have a shout that can shatter glass and deafen people; succubi, of course, are infamous for seducing men and effectively dominating their minds. Chupacabras, which have reportedly been seen from Russia to Maine, are known as blood-drinking monsters who primarily attack farm animals. My gut tells me that The Imperfects will stick to the more superhero-esque versions of these monsters, so that Tilda will have the same superpower as DC Comics’ Black Canary instead of keening to signify someone’s death, and that Abbi will be able to beguile men á la Poison Ivy instead of draining their life essence through repeated sexual activity. As for the powers of a Chupacabra… I’m not exactly sure, unless Juan’s going to get some vampiric powers to go along with the blood-drinking.
If you liked The Order, The Imperfects will have the same showrunner, Dennis Heaton, and writer, Shelley Eriksen, who will both executive-produce. It’s much, much too early to know anything else about the series, especially a release date, but Netflix has given The Imperfects a straight-to-season, 10-episode order, so it definitely has some serious confidence in the project.