Note: This article contains spoilers for Extraordinary season 2.
One of What To Watch's favorite TV shows of 2023 is back on Disney Plus and Hulu, and it features a brief voice cameo from a legend of star and screen: Sir Derek Jacobi.
In one of the show's (many!) outrageous moments, Jacobi is heard on a tape found in Jen's "mind library", where he reads out a string of lies Jen's told in bed. We asked series creator Emma Moran about bringing him and the other guest stars into her world.
"It's a mix of like, pride and shame. There's a lot of guest stars, like Julian Barrett and Derek Jacobi that I really respect [who] are great actors and comedians, and then I have to send them the stupidest scripts they've probably ever read", Emma said.
"I feel like apologizing and also thanking them at the same time. Especially Derek Jacobi. They asked me to write some alternatives for the quite filthy lines that he says, and I was just there like, 'I'm disgracing a national treasure by doing this'".
Asked how they managed to rope him in for the part, Emma said: "That's one for the producers, I did not have a hand in that. I just said it'd be very funny if it was someone like Derek Jacobi, and they were like 'Oh, we've got Derek Jacobi'. I was like, 'I was kind of kidding!'"
Emma also spoke to us about how she feels about the show's second installment, and how Extraordinary has developed. "I feel like we've created a nice little world, so it was nice to kind of dive back in. In season one, it was very much like, 'Oh my God, we could do anything'. So to have like, a bit more focus and to be digging a bit deeper into characters, it was just really fun".
Extraordinary's second season follows Jen (Máiréad Tyers) as she continues to pursue her power. She begins her treatment at the Discovery clinic, where she's partnered up with her new powers coach, George (Julian Barrett), who encourages her to literally dig through her mind and identify any potential barriers that could be stopping her power from manifesting.
Extraordinary season 2 is now streaming on Disney Plus.
