THE GIFTED
SEASON 1

A FOX SERIES MADE WITH MARVEL TELEVISION

HOW THE GIFTED GOT TO SERIES, AND WHY IT MOVED TO ATLANTA

The series was produced by 20th Century Fox Television in association with Marvel Television. Fox made a put-pilot commitment in July 2016, officially ordered the pilot at the end of January 2017 and ordered the series in May 2017. The pilot was shot in Dallas, Texas, from 13 March to 11 April 2017. After Dallas declined to host the rest of the season, production moved to Atlanta, resuming on 17 July 2017, and the setting was changed to Atlanta, with the pilot retroactively changed to match.

Matt Nix said on 2 October 2017 that the project had been around Hollywood for a while, that his reaction was “Man, I should be doing that!” and that he then pitched for the job. His pitch was a grounded family story, which he compared to Running on Empty with mutants.

AFTER A 9/11-STYLE EVENT

WHERE THE SHOW SITS IN THE X-MEN WORLD

Nix said on 29 September 2017 that the X-Men and the Brotherhood have vanished after “a bit of a 9/11 event,” and that while it is not illegal to be a mutant, “it’s functionally illegal to use your powers in a public place.” He said that in this universe “Sentinels are a tool of law enforcement.” On whether familiar mutants could appear, he said Havok was out because “He’s in the movies. He’s not part of the show.”

The series is set in the X-Men universe but is not about the X-Men. Polaris, Thunderbird and Blink are drawn from the comics, while Eclipse and the Struckers are original characters. Nix said what he hoped viewers took from the family at its center:

“It’s not just about family for the Struckers. It’s about family for everybody.”

Matt Nix, 29 September 2017

A PROSECUTOR, A MOTHER AND TWO TEENAGERS

THE STRUCKERS AND THE MUTANT UNDERGROUND

Reed was a prosecutor of mutants who believed he was just enforcing the law, while his wife Caitlin had not thought about these issues, and their teenage children Lauren and Andy have just discovered their powers. Nix called the family a microcosm of the conflict, and said a war between mutants and humans would be “a war between parents and kids.” The Mutant Underground, which helps mutants reach safety, runs from a ruined bank outside Atlanta, with no mansion, jet or money.

Stephen Moyer plays Reed, with Amy Acker as Caitlin, Natalie Alyn Lind as Lauren, Percy Hynes White as Andy, Sean Teale as Eclipse, Jamie Chung as Blink, Blair Redford as Thunderbird, Emma Dumont as Polaris and Coby Bell as Jace Turner.

A SOLID START FOR THE FIRST SEASON

WHAT CRITICS SAID, AND WHAT THE SCORES SHOW

Den of Geek gave the premiere four stars out of five and called it “one of the stronger openings for new series this fall,” praising the ensemble while noting that it follows some formulaic paths. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 76% critics’ score from 54 reviews and a 74% audience score, and its consensus says the season “lays a solid foundation for an involving superhero drama.” Metacritic gives it 63 from 22 critics.

THE REWATCH

A RENEWAL AFTER A STEADY FIRST SEASON

The premiere on 2 October 2017 drew 4.85 million viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18 to 49 in early figures, rising to 4.90 million in final ratings, and CBR called it “solid, not spectacular.” The season averaged 3.31 million viewers and a 1.00 rating, and Fox renewed it on 4 January 2018. The two-hour finale aired on 15 January 2018, the second season began on 25 September 2018, and Fox cancelled the series after two seasons.

In the Marvel Marathon it sits in the X-Men movies in order guide between Logan and Legion Season 2, and in the Marvel TV shows in order guide between Inhumans Season 1 and The Punisher Season 1. It is classed as an X-Men series, so it is not in the MCU guides.