Crime fighting shows on television are certainly a dime-a-dozen. To get noticed, there has to be a unique twist. And in the case of Misfits of Science, that twist consisted of making the heroes genetic mutants with superhuman abilities.

Debuting on NBC in 1985, Misfits of Science featured a rather colorful cast of memorable characters. Leading the team were Dr. Billy Hayes and Dr. Elvin “El” Lincoln, two employees of the Humanidyne Institute. Billy, who had no special abilities to speak of, was the leader of the group. El, on the other hand, a large and formidable man, had the ability to shrink himself down to the size of a doll – for 15 minutes at a time at least – thanks to hormonal treatments he had given himself.

Other members of the team included John “Johnny B” Bukowski, a rock-and-roller who, having once been electrocuted on stage, now possessed extraordinary electrical powers and some superspeed abilities. His only nemesis was, of course, water. Gloria Dinallo was a former juvenile delinquent who possessed handy telekinetic abilities. Dick Stetmeyer acted as Director for the Institute and Miss Nance provided secretarial services for the facility. Another recurring character in the first few episodes was Jane Miller, who served as Gloria’s probation officer.

Puzzling to some was why the team used an ice cream truck as their preferred (ala) mode of transportation. This was because the pilot episode included another character, Ice Man, who was extremely vulnerable to heat. Audiences apparently didn’t warm to him and the only remnant of his existence was the good-humored vehicle.

Each episode consisted of the team foiling a sinister criminal plot, often facing formidable and decidedly less-friendly rival mutants. But teamwork always prevailed and the mutants always had enough muscle to emerge victorious. The only foe that ever managed to defeat the lovable misfits were the merciless network executives, who pulled the plug on Misfits of Science after a single season.