As anyone who has watched possibly the greatest superhero film of them all - The Incredibles - knows, wearing a cape is bad news. Clearly the makers of The Cape didn’t see it. They probably also missed the memo about setting a superhero series in a circus, following the demise of Heroes. In fact, if they had consulted a fortuneteller they may have known the show was fated to fail. Actually, that is being a bit harsh because the show isn’t that bad, and for a genre show to be cancelled prematurely can be something of a badge of honour.

This isn’t really a superhero show, in the Marvel/Superman sense, but more in the line of Batman, with an ordinary (costumed) man fighting crime, but not like Super or Kick Ass either, as there is a magical reality to it as well. It may not have originated from a comic book - although, in the show there is a comic-book called The Cape and there are online comics - but its style is very much from that realm. The first few episodes in particular have that comic book feel, with the camera angles and corny dialogue.

Set in a fictional Californian community that is run by a crime lord (James Frain) and his slightly more legitimate guise as a mega corporation, Vince Faraday (David Lyons) is one of the few honest cops. When he is left for dead and framed for murder while trying to bust the crime lord, Vince disappears and seeks refuge with a circus of reprobates. It is in the circus that he comes across the cape, which has some mystical powers, that will turn him into the eponymous hero. He is also assisted by an anonymous blogger called Orwell (Summer Glau), who uses her computer skills to help Vince.

The main problem with this show, which possibly led to its cancellation, is the first few episodes that are too much like a comic to really work as a TV show, but if you stick with it, it actually gets darker and the characters start to develop depth and empathy, and by the time you get to the final episode you actually want more, but there isn’t any. Thankfully they did manage to complete the story arc and end with a to-be-continued finale.

The overall acting and production values are good (it was even nominated for an Emmy - for makeup). However, it does contain Vinnie Jones playing, yes you guest it, an east-end thug. With only ten episodes it is the perfect length for veging out on a lazy Sunday as autumn starts to draw in.

The Cape is out now from Universal Playback and available from Play and all good retailers.

We have three copies of The Cape to give away. Click on the link below to enter the competition.