Every so often, a surprise hit finds its way onto Netflix and becomes the talk of the streaming service. British-made sci-fi show “Supacell” became such an entrant, courtesy of its creator, writer and director Rapman, who, through his critically acclaimed storytelling, brought about a fantastic story all from the streets of South London. 

Spanning six episodes, the show centers around a handful of characters that are all bound by sickle cell disease and in turn are gifted with incredible super powers. Naturally, these rare gifts catch the attention of a shady organization that puts them at the top of their most wanted list, forcing them to unite and defend themselves as a result. 

The show has already gained the green light for a 2nd season, but that’s a long time to wait to head back into the world of Michael (Tosin Cole), Dionne (Adelayo Adedayo), and company. Should you need a super powered alternative to keep you ticking over, or even another top-tier British drama that you might’ve overlooked, here’s a handful of options to get you charged up. To start, it might be worth looking at one pivotal show in Rapman’s creative process that was a huge inspiration for his show that has time travel, teleportation, and requires a cheerleader to save the world. 

In 2006, two years before the mainstream audience even had Tony Stark and his team on the radar, another band of heroes blessed our screens on a weekly basis, sprung from the mind of Tim Kring. “Heroes” was a game-changer of a show that saw a band of strangers cross paths and collide in a super powered fashion, setting a course for a handful of the stars involved to become household names.

Hayden Panettiere skyrocketed to stardom thanks to her performance as invulnerable cheerleader Claire Bennett, while at the forefront of this world’s battle between good and evil was Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia, who would go onto gain a weakness for crockpots on “This Is Us”) and Sylar (Zachary Quinto). These two scene-stealing supers were the show’s biggest draws, but admittedly never had a throwdown worthy of the hype they’d both built up.

While the world was caught in the eclipse of “Heroes” for a while, there were too many issues cropping up by Season 2 that led to its cancellation. Nevertheless, a little hype was reignited with “Heroes: Reborn,” and it might strike again with the planned reboot “Heroes: Eclipsed,” which was announced in 2024.

If you’ve enjoyed seeing what a world of superheroes look like from the other side of the pond, then “Misfits” would make for an absolutely essential bit of viewing. Airing on U.K. shores from 2009 to 2013, the show follows a group of young adults that cobble together to perform community service for their own personal crimes, only to be bestowed with unique and wild powers thanks to a lightning storm that strikes their unnamed city.

With each episode highlighting a freak of the week outside the titular team, the show was the profanity-filled, sexually feisty show of the Gen Z generation before “Gen V” was even a thing. In fact, even some characters on the show have similar stories, with one person gaining the ability to gender swap, and one story focusing on a guy with Lactokinesis (giving him the ability to manipulate milk), which proves to be a surprisingly lethal skill.

While a little dated now, it’s still fun to see some clear stars in the making running around in the show’s iconic jumpsuits. While the core cast was composed of talent like Robert Sheehan (“The Umbrella Academy”), Iwan Rheon (“Game of Thrones”), and Antonia Thomas (“The Good Doctor”), the guest stars were also impressive. Ruth Negga, Nathalie Emmanuel, and future “Thunderbolts*” member Hannah John-Kamen also drop in for what is at times a hilarious bit of superhero fun that might be lacking in the heroism from time to time.

The only depowered show on TheShockNews, “Top Boy” is another British series that flourished on Netflix, mainly thanks to getting a hefty budget backed by rap icon, Drake. Fully deserving of attention and strong comparisons to “The Wire,” the show initially began in the U.K. in 2011 before being silently canned in 2014 and revived on Netflix in 2017. The story followed the tumultuous partnership between Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson, aka Kano) and their effort to build a drug empire within the confines of Hackney in London. 

Another show cut with London British grit, “Top Boy” might be lacking in time travel and telekinesis, but it’s bursting with gripping stories of heroes and villains that often find themselves lingering on very blurred lines. Not only highlighting the drug problem in the U.K., “Top Boy” also tackles immigration, gentrification of the nation’s capital, and mental health among families struggling to keep it together as this all unfolds. Like “Supacell,” this show also houses talent of British musical icons having a go in front of the camera, thanks to Ashley Walters, aka Asher, as businessman Dushane and Kano as the volatile but consistently magnetic Sully.

Acting as another fountain of talent, “Top Boy” also saw appearances from Benedict Wong, Letitia Wright, and Barry Keoghan. Give it a look and see how some of Hollywood’s biggest British names began in what is one of its greatest television shows.

While there are plenty of unfiltered superhero shows nowadays, one that has certainly set the bar is Amazon’s “The Boys.” Lined up for four seasons, the Eric Kripke-adapted show of the Garth Ennis comic book series shows us a world where heroes aren’t all they seem and wield a villainous streak that the titular surveillance team are keen to expose.

Karl Urban and Antony Starr have led the way for its current four-season run, which is set to come to an end after Season 5. With Urban’s regular rule-breaking employee facing off against Starr’s psychotic Superman-figure in stars and stripes, there’s also a heavy splash of political satire and savage blood baths to be had in between the shocking storylines that are unfolding.

Earning critical acclaim well into its 4th season, the “Boys” universe has become one Amazon is keen to invest in with the animated anthology show “The Boys Presents: Diabolical” and the spin-off series “Gen V,” which follows students at a college for supers. With Season 5 still early in development as of this writing, there’s plenty of time to catch up in this immensely offensive world before its main chapter concludes.

On paper, the “Watchmen” series was a risk. A TV show dovetailing off from the Alan Moore superhero tome and the beloved but not nearly as popular big screen adaptation directed by Zack Snyder had a lot to answer for. There were so many plot threads to pick up, as well as several characters to handle in a way satisfying for both old fans and newcomers. Nevertheless, Damon Lindelof delivered an intricate time-shifting story that delivered in spades.

Jeremy Irons chews up every scene and ferociously spits them out as the failed genius Ozymandias, and the likes of Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jean Smart all deliver what’s required of heroes, villains, and the grey gaps in between this world. The real scene stealers, however, are the return of Doctor Manhattan, who gets an exceptional standalone episode, as well as Hong Chau as the woman who outsmarts the smartest man alive. Like so many exceptional one-off HBO shows, this is one that can be revisited again and again, and might still stand as one of the greatest superhero stories ever told.

On the absolute chance you’ve only just discovered Netflix’s existence after watching “Supacell,” you may want to check in with the heroes of Hawkins if your superhero fix hasn’t been satiated just yet. “Stranger Things,” while layered with Amblin-esque nostalgia, has for four seasons fortified its own world of alternate dimensions and government test facilities trying to abuse them. At the center of it all is Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), the enigmatic unfortunate soul with superhuman abilities who befriends a group of “Dungeons & Dragons” die-hards, fighting back the forces of the Upside Down.

With the show gaining as much notoriety as your average MCU entry, “Stranger Things” really has made a superhero effort in keeping with the trend of blockbuster television. Filling the gap left by the likes of “Game of Thrones,” these heroes and the powers they wield have been enough to keep fans hooked for years. If somehow you’ve not managed to hang with Hopper (David Harbour), Steve (Joe Keery), and the rest of the crew, now might be the best time before Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) makes a comeback.

Another superhero show full of Brits (because the MCU is just too small for them now, apparently), “Extraordinary” is the Hulu series set in a world where anyone and everyone is blessed with powers when they turn 18. That is except for Jen (Máiréad Tyers). Still waiting to get her brand new gift set, she’s forced to be normal in a world that is anything but, making for a hilarious and, at times, heartwarming story.

Not as uncouth as “The Boys” or “Misfits,” “Extraordinary” will check the box for any audience member that has already made their way through the likes of “Derry Girls” or “Fleabag.” Besides wind getting caught in the capes of these specially-powered people, there’s an unmistakable bit of wit running through the series thanks to incredible writing from Emma Moran, as Jen tries to find her power and herself in a very crazy world. Give it a watch immediately.