Heroes (TV series)

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Heroes
Genre	Drama Science fiction Serial
Created by	Tim Kring
Starring	David Anders Kristen Bell Santiago Cabrera Jack Coleman Tawny Cypress Dana Davis Noah Gray-Cabey Greg Grunberg Ali Larter James Kyson Lee Masi Oka Hayden Panettiere Adrian Pasdar Zachary Quinto Sendhil Ramamurthy Dania Ramírez Leonard Roberts Milo Ventimiglia
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	34 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Tim Kring Dennis Hammer Allan Arkush Greg Beeman
Location(s)	Los Angeles
Running time	Approx. 42 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Picture format	NTSC (480i) PAL (576i) HDTV (1080i)
Original run	September 25, 2006 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Heroes is an American science fiction serial drama television series created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006.^[1] The series tells the stories of ordinary individuals who discover that they have superhuman abilities, and also explores how these people adapt to the changes these abilities bring, and their roles in preventing catastrophes and saving humanity. The series emulates the aesthetic style and storytelling of American comic books, using short, multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing arc. Kring and the writers have an idea of where the series is heading for the first five seasons.^[2] The series is produced by Universal Media Studios in association with Tailwind Productions,^[3] and it is filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California.^[4] The executive producers are Allan Arkush, Dennis Hammer, Greg Beeman and Tim Kring.

The critically acclaimed first season's run of 23 episodes^[5][3] garnered an average of 14.3 million viewers in the United States, receiving the highest rating for any NBC drama premiere in five years.^[6] The second season of Heroes attracted an average of 13.1 million viewers in the United States.^[7] The second season was NBC's top series in adults 18-49,^[7] the top Monday series on any network in adults 18–49,^[7] and the top scripted series on any network in adults 18-34.^[7] 24 episodes were ordered for the second season,^[8] but only eleven episodes were broadcast,^[9] due to the 100-day strike by the Writers Guild of America.^[10][11] The dispute led to the initial postponement and eventual cancellation^[12] of a six episode spin-off titled Heroes: Origins. Heroes will return with its third season^[7] on September 15, 2008.^[12]

A digital-internet extension of the series, Heroes 360 Experience, was created to explore the Heroes universe and provides insight into the show's mythology. It was rebranded as Heroes Evolutions at the beginning of the second season.^[13] Heroes Evolutions also includes graphic novels, which have been released every Tuesday since September 25, 2006, and were published by WildStorm Comics on November 7, 2007.^[14] Other official Heroes media include magazines, action figures, tie-in and interactive websites, a mobile game, a novel, clothing and other merchandise. NBC Universal announced on April 2, 2008, that NBC Digital Entertainment would release a series on online content for the summer and fall of 2008, including more original web content, wireless iTV interactivity, graphic novels available for mobile viewing and webisodes.^[15]

Heroes has garnered a number of awards and nominations. On July 19, 2007 Heroes was nominated in eight categories at the 2007 Primetime Emmy awards, including Outstanding Drama Series and was also nominated for Best Television Series-Drama at the 2007 Golden Globes. The series won a People's Choice Award in 2007 in the category of Best New Drama, and was named Program of the Year in 2007 by the Television Critics Association and Best International Program at the 2008 Bafta Awards.^[3] The series has also been nominated for an NAACP Image Award, a WGA Award, and a Satellite Award.

[edit] Synopsis

See also: List of Heroes episodes and List of Heroes graphic novels

The plot of Heroes is designed to be similar to the stories of comic books with small story arcs built into the series' overall large story arc plot. Each season of Heroes is designed to involve ordinary people who discover extraordinary powers, and how these abilities take effect in the character's lives. Season 2 was originally going to comprise three volumes, however due to the writer's strike, the season was redesigned to only encompass one volume called "Generations".^[16] Originally Volume 3 was going to be called "Exodus", and Volume 4 was going to be called "Villains." As a result of the writers' strike, Volume 3 was changed to "Villains" and moved into season three.^[7] The "Exodus" story arc, which was originally designed to be a story arc reflecting the effects of the release of strain 138 of the Shanti virus, was canceled. Scenes from the volume two finale "Powerless", were reshot to reflect the cancellation of the "Exodus" volume, and to tie-up all the loose plot storylines of "Generations."^[17][18]

[edit] Season One

Isaac's painting of Manhattan's destruction in "Genesis" - the following episode, set five weeks in the future, depicts the same explosion, and the painting forms the basis of the primary story arc of the first season.

Season one began in the United States and Canada on September 23, 2006 and featured 23 episodes. Season one consisted of the first volume, known as "Genesis."^[19] The series went on hiatus twice; first from December 4, 2006 to January 22, 2007,^[20] and again from March 5 to April 23, 2007,^[21] with the season finale airing on May 21, 2007.^[22] The action goes from October 2, 2006 to November 8, 2006.

The series begins as a seemingly ordinary group of people gradually become aware that they have special abilities. Events illustrate their reactions to these powers, and how the discovery affects their personal and professional lives. At the same time, several ordinary individuals are investigating the origins and extent of these abilities. Mohinder Suresh, a geneticist, continues his late father's research into the biological source of the change, while Noah Bennet represents a secret organization known only as the "Company".

While coping, each of the characters is drawn — willingly or not — into the Company's conspiracy to control superpowered people, and into a race to stop an explosion from destroying New York City, which would kill millions of its inhabitants. Throughout the season, the predatory stalkings of the serial killer Sylar and continued manipulations from casino-owner and mobster Mr. Linderman affect the characters directly and indirectly. Several characters' individual stories culminated in a climactic meeting of the characters at Kirby Plaza in New York. These stories included Peter Petrelli's abilities, Nathan's campaign for Congress, Claire Bennet's search for her biological parents, Hiro Nakamura's adventurous journeys, Niki Sanders' multiple personalities, and Isaac Mendez's precognitive visions.

[edit] Season Two

Season two began in the United States and Canada on September 24, 2007 and featured only 11 out of the planned 24 episodes, due to the WGA writers' strike. The show aired on Mondays at 9:00pm^[23] and consisted of the second volume in the series, titled "Generations", taking place during March 2007.^[24] Season two ended with its finale on December 3, 2007.^[25] The second season began in the UK on BBC2 on 24 April 2008 at 9:00PM.^[26]

The second season begins four months after the events of Kirby Plaza. Peter Petrelli, Matt Parkman, Nathan Petrelli, and Sylar have all survived the events of the season one finale, and are trying to return to ordinary lives despite their extraordinary abilities, with the exception of Sylar, who is on a quest to regain the use of his abilities. The main plot arc of "Generations" deals with the Company and its research on the Shanti virus. This research is explored through the Company's founders, whose identities are revealed, as well as through the effects of various strains of the virus on The Haitian, Niki Sanders, Sylar, and others. An amnesiac Peter Petrelli observes the potential devastation of the virus in a future New York City. The "heroes" ultimately come together in an attempt to stop the release of a deadly strain of the virus and avert a global pandemic.

Interwoven with the main plot are several secondary plots. These include Nathan Petrelli's recovery following the events at Kirby Plaza; the journey of new characters Maya and Alejandro from Honduras to the United States, and their interaction with a powerless Sylar; Claire and Noah Bennet and their family adapting to a new life in southern California; Claire's relationship with her boyfriend West; Monica Dawson discovering her powers in New Orleans, with the help of her cousin Micah; Matt Parkman's reunion with his estranged father, leading to discovery of new abilities; the Company's manipulation of Mohinder Suresh; Ando Masahashi trying to piece together what happened to Hiro Nakamura; and Hiro's journey to Feudal Japan, where he meets his childhood hero, Takezo Kensei.

[edit] Season Three

Season three will open with a three-hour episode, set to air Monday, September 15, 2008. The first-hour will be a clip show of the past two seasons; the final two-hours will be the Heroes season premiere and the opening of the third volume, "Villains".^[12] "Villains" was originally designed to be included within the second season, however, due to the writers' strike, the volume was carried over into season three. The lead-in to "Villains" featured a scene with Sylar, which was shown as the final scene of the "Generations" finale. Throughout Volume Two, Sylar's powers were suppressed by the Shanti virus.^[27] After using a cure, procured by Mohinder Suresh, he regained his abilities, delivering the first lines of Volume Three, "Villains": "I'm back." Tim Kring has claimed that the new volume will bring a cadre of villains to the show; hence the title.^[28] On December 5, 2007 at the Jules Verne Film Festival Adventure, Tim Kring showed a video-preview of volume three.^[29] According to an interview with Milo Ventimiglia on BBC Radio 1, filming for season three began on May 1, 2008 and the "Save the Cheerleader Save the World" mantra will be a central part of the season three plot.^{[citation needed]} On May 9, 2008 a season three promo clip was released with hints at possible "inner villains" within the heroes. The promo stated, "In every hero there could be a villain," before plastering the words "hero" and "villain" over the face of every major character. The characters Nathan and Niki, whose fates were unclear at the end of the second season, were featured in the promo.^[30] It has not been confirmed as to whether or not the characters of Nikki Sanders and Nathan Petrelli will be featured in the third season.

[edit] Cast and characters

See also: List of characters in Heroes and List of Heroes characters with special abilities

From left to right: Micah, Niki, Nathan, Peter, Mr Bennet, Claire, Hiro, Mohinder, Matt, Sylar

Originally, Kring designed the series to have an ever-shifting cast. However, his motivation changed when he realized how big the original cast hit with audiences; therefore he brought back most of the first season cast for the second season, with a few additions who received a star billing.^[31] In its first season, the show features an ensemble cast of twelve main characters making it the third largest cast in American primetime television behind Desperate Housewives and Lost. Although NBC's first season cast page lists only ten characters,^[32] Leonard Roberts (D.L. Hawkins), who first appeared in the series' fifth episode, was an additional member of the original full-time cast.^[33] In episode eleven of the first season, Jack Coleman (Noah Bennet) was upgraded from a recurring role to become the twelfth full-time cast member.^[34]

Zachary Quinto and James Kyson Lee, who were recurring cast members in the first season, joined the main cast for the second season.^[35][36] They were joined by new cast members David Anders,^[37] Kristen Bell,^[38] Dana Davis^[39] and Dania Ramírez.^[40] Anders was originally cast for a recurring role, and was upgraded to a series regular before the season began. He was listed as a guest star until the fifth episode of season two, when he was then listed as a main cast member.^[37][41] At the start of season two Santiago Cabrera, Tawny Cypress, and Leonard Roberts were no longer listed as part of the main cast,^[42] although Leonard Roberts' character appeared in season two as a guest starring role.^[43] The series also features many guest and recurring characters, including friends and family of the main cast, criminals and villains, and other individuals with superhuman abilities.

[edit] Casting

See also: List of Heroes cast members

Sendhil Ramamurthy's character of Mohinder Suresh was one of only a few characters that was changed based on casting.

Tim Kring describes the casting process as an "incredibly simple and easy process."^[47] Every actor and actress that production wanted to cast for the show came in and read for their respective parts.^[47] When Jason La Padura, the casting director for Heroes, is casting for a new character for the show -major or minor- his company puts out a script breakdown, which is an analysis of a screenplay or script, which includes several production elements for the potential actors. Padura's company then receives resumes and photos and looks for potential actors to cast. When it comes to guest stars, Padura states, "we need to really be able to see what the people have done, what they're about, we pay a lot of attention to people's training, their previous credits.^[48] La Padura says that casting co-stars is an easier process, and can be done through an online service used by casting directors. When it comes to well-known actors, Padura submits their names, and if production are interested, they may offer a role that was already planned or write-in a new role for that actor.^[48]

Sendhil Ramamurthy's character of Mohinder Suresh was one of only a few characters that was changed based on casting. Suresh was originally designed to be a 55-year old professor, however, due to Ramamurthy's audition, the part was rewritten and made younger to fit him.^[47]

Hayden Panettiere was cast after Marc Hirschfeld said to the producers, "You got to meet Hayden Panettiere."

Hayden Panettiere was cast by Marc Hirschfeld, executive vice president of casting for NBC Universal Television. Hirschfeld explained that when they were trying to decide who the cheerleader should be, he literally picked up the phone and said to the producers, "You got to meet Hayden Panettiere."^[49] Dania Ramirez was cast on the series based on her work on The Sopranos. She was notified by Kring that he was creating a Latin character and wanted her to come and test. Ramirez was the only actress called in to test for the role.^[50] Kristen Bell was first approached about being cast in July 2007, during a train ride back from the San Diego Comic Con with Heroes actors Zachary Quinto and Masi Oka, and writers from the series. The writers had mentioned that if Bell "ever want[ed] to come on Heroes, give us [writers] a call", to which Bell said she would love to. Bell had several casting options, including ABC's Lost, however it was officially announced that she was cast in August 2007.^[51] David Anders auditioned for the role of Takezo Kensei. He read his scenes, impersonating Peter O'Toole, in which the producers responded by asking him to tone down the impression on his second audition. He was contacted two weeks later and given the part. Anders was aware at the time that his role was a recurring role that had the possibility of being promoted to a main cast role, however, he did not find out until the filming of episode five that he would be portraying Monroe, and that his character would be moving into the present.^[52][53]

Casting director La Padura stated that the character of Peter Petrelli was the hardest to cast.

La Padura stated that the character of Peter Petrelli was the hardest to cast due to conflicts regarding the Petrelli brother's ages. La Padura states the Petrelli brothers were originally written to be twins, and it became obvious in the production process that in order to have correct dynamic between the two characters, Peter had to be the younger brother. Adrian Pasdar was cast first. Milo Ventimiglia's role as Peter was the last to be cast and the most difficult.^[48] Greg Grunberg originally auditioned for the role of one of the Petrelli brothers. It was not a fit for him, but the production liked him so much, they rewrote the role of Matt Parkman to fit him. Originally Parkman's character was to be much younger, and La Padura was looking to cast a Ryan Phillippe-type actor for the role.^[48]

Jack Coleman was originally cast to only be in the pilot, with an open-ended contract. The connection between the characters of Claire and Mr. Bennet, and Kring's approval of Coleman's performance led to him being upgraded to a recurring character, before being promoted to the main cast roster.^[54] Dana Davis received the Heroes script during the 2007 pilot season. She auditioned once for the role and was cast.^[55][56]

Masi was described as "terrific" and "ideal" for the role of Hiro.

La Padura also states that Masi Oka was the easiest actor to cast although casting the character was difficult due to a small pool of Japanese-speaking actors. Masi walked in the door and production knew he was "terrific" and "ideal" for the role.^[48] Ali Larter was cast for the show after reading several pilots during the 2006 pilot season. She auditioned for the role and was brought in a second and third time to meet with the studio and network respectively before being officially cast.^[57] Tawny Cypress also auditioned for the role of Niki, but was not awarded the part. Instead, Kring rewrote the role of Stella for her and renamed the character Simone Deveaux.^[58] Zachary Quinto auditioned for the role of Sylar, during the time when the series was currently airing. Tim Kring was not present at his first audition, but after a five day process, Quinto was awarded the role.^[59] Santiago Cabrera was cast through an interview process. When he auditioned for the production team, he went all out, doing the scene from the pilot when Isaac was under the influence of heroin. After the scene, the producers asked, "Well thank you very much for that. Maybe you would try it now not so on the effects of drugs." He eventually landed the role.^[60] Leonard Roberts was awarded the role of D.L. Hawkins, after he beat out Jimmy Jean-Louis (The Haitian), who auditioned for the same part three times. The part of the Haitian was rewritten for Louis. The original concept for the Haitian was to be a character from New Zealand, who would have been called "The Kiwi."^[61]

It was announced on May 9, 2008 that Brea Grant, former cast member of NBC's Friday Night Lights, has been cast as Daphne for season three. Daphne, who calls herself "Speedster", is a villain with the ability of supersonic speed and will be Hiro's nemesis. Grant told the Associated Press, "I'm stealing a secret that's been kept in Hiro's family for a long time that he's just now found. He stops time right as I grab it, but in that second it took him to grab it, I almost make it out of the office." ^[62]

[edit] Production

[edit] Conception

Heroes began development during pilot season in 2006, when Tim Kring, then creator of NBC's Crossing Jordan, came up with the show's concept. Kring wanted to create a "large ensemble saga" that would connect with the audience. He began thinking about how big, scary and complicated he felt the world is, and wanted to create a character driven series about people who could do something about it. Kring felt that a cop, medical, or Lost-type drama did not have characters that were big enough to save the world. He came up with the thought of superheroes; ordinary people who would discover extraordinary abilities, while still rooted in the real world and in reality. Milo Ventimiglia described the pilot as a "character drama about everyday people with a heightened reality." Kring wanted the series to have touchstones that involved the characters and the world they lived in.^[47][63]

Before he began putting his ideas together, he spoke with Lost executive producer Damon Lindelof, with whom he had worked with for three years on Crossing Jordan. Kring credits Lindelof for giving him ideas on how to pitch the series to the network and advice on the lessons he (Lindelof) learned about working on a serialized drama. The two still speak and support each other's projects.^[64][65][66] When Kring pitched the idea for Heroes to the NBC network, he described the network's reaction as "excited...very supportive."^[67] He comments that he has been partners with NBC for some time based on his six year run as showrunner for Crossing Jordan.^[67] When he pitched the pilot, he described every detail, including the cliffhanger ending. When NBC executives asked him what was going to happen next, Kring responded, "Well, you’ll just have to wait and find out."^[68] After the project was greenlit, a special 73-minute version of the pilot was first screened to a large audience at the 2006 Comic Con in San Diego.^[69] It was initially reported that this unaired pilot would not be released, however it was included on the first season DVD set.^[70]

[edit] Writing and episode format

When the writing team works on an episode, each writer takes a character and writes the individual scenes surrounding them. These stories are then combined and given to the episode writer. This system allows every writer to contribute to every episode.^[71] and enables the writing team to finish scripts sooner, so the filming crew can shoot more scenes at a location.^[68] Tim Kring describes the writing process as a collaborative one and states that the collaboration process is important because production needs to shoot several scenes at a single location. In order to do this, several scripts have to be ready. Jesse Alexander, co-producer and writer, explains that this process is important in a serialized drama because one has to know where each character's development is heading.^[68]

Episodes have a distinct structure: following a recap of relevant events, each show begins with a cold open, which is sometimes the beginning of a scene that was introduced in the previous week's episode. At a dramatic juncture, the screen cuts to the title graphic, which is an eclipse of the sun by the earth, with the Heroes logo and a musical interlude. The opening credits generally appear alphabetically by last name over the scenes that immediately follow. Several characters' stories are shown throughout the episode. Sometimes these stories are stand alone events, while at other times character stories intertwine and cross over. Most episodes end with a suspenseful twist or cliffhanger,^[72] revealed just seconds before a smash cut to a "to be continued" graphic.

[edit] Music

Music from the first season is composed by Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, with music engineer Michael Perfitt^[73] and vocals provided by Shenkar. Each episode averages thirty to thirty-five minutes of music, played entirely by Melvoin and Coleman themselves and is produced on three Intel Macs and a hard raid system.^[74] Melvoin and Coleman became involved with Heroes from their previous work with executive producer Allan Arkush.^[74] Tim Kring, gave general instructions to the pair, including the emotion and direction for each character. Kring wanted incredibly unusual music and gave Wendy and Lisa a lot of freedom and permission to experiment. In the pilot episode, Kring suggested that a dreamy cue be used in the scene involving Claire Bennet running into a burning train. The dreamy cue has since become "a signature piece of the show." Additionally, the pair developed specific musical cues for each character:^[74]

• Claude's theme involved wind and voices to create the feeling of a ghost-like presence.
• Hiro Nakamura's involves marimbas and bassoons with staccato to re-create the sound of clocks ticking in reference to the character's power.
• Matt Parkman's theme involves voices being played backwards when he uses his power of telepathy.
• Peter Petrelli's theme involves marcato strings.
• Niki Sanders' theme was based on her character's alter-ego named Jessica and involved winds and Indian voices chanting in an underscore to give a feeling that she was possessed.
• Mohinder Suresh's theme is the piano composition that plays at the end of some episodes.
• Sylar's theme is the sound of a clock.

In 2007, the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards gave Wendy and Lisa the "Top Television Series" award for their work on Heroes.^[75] In France, the theme music of Heroes is composed by Victoria Petrosillo. Her song, "Le Héros d'un autre", is used by television network TF1 to replace the show's original incidental music. The network created a new opening credit sequence in order to play Petrosillo's theme song.^[76] The Rogue Wave song "Eyes" from the Just Friends soundtrack is featured in the first season episodes "Genesis" and "Collision".^[77]

[edit] Soundtrack

See also: Heroes Original Soundtrack

The official Heroes soundtrack was released on March 18, 2008 by The NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music & Consumer Products Group. It contains new recordings from Wendy and Lisa, and contributions from Panic at the Disco, Wilco, Imogen Heap, Bob Dylan, Nada Surf and David Bowie, among other artist and bands. The disc also includes the Heroes theme. The disk does not contain, however, "Eyes" by Rogue Wave, which was featured in the first and forth episode. The B-side features 45 minutes of nonstop narrative by Mohinder Suresh. On February 29, 2008, NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music & Consumer Products Group released five music videos created by Heroes producer/director Allan Arkush, each combining show footage with songs from the soundtrack. The music videos were released on Zune and MSN.^[78][79][80]

[edit] Filming and visual effects

Hiro Nakamura reads the 9th Wonders! comic he picks up in the future.

Mark Kolpack of Stargate designs, is the visual effects supervisor and Mark Spatny^[81] is the visual effects producer for Heroes. They work with visual effects animators Anthony Ocampo and Ryan Wieber, who are also from Stargate.^[47][82] The series visual effects consist of blue screens and 2D and 3D animation. The visual effects for the series are created after the scene is shot in post-production, unlike special effects, which are incorporated into the scenes during filming.^[83] Notable visual effects that Kolpack has pointed out include radioactive Claire in "Company Man", Nathan flying from Mr. Bennet and The Haitian in "Hiros", and Hiro's time freezing encounter with the schoolgirl in the red bow in "One Giant Leap".^[47] The special effects are coordinated by Gary D'Amico. Stunts are coordinated by Ian Ouinn, who also uses blue screens to accomplish some of the stunts in the series, such as Nathan Petrelli flying away from Heidi during the car accident scene in "Six Months Ago". Principal filming for Heroes take place in Los Angeles and Santa Clarita, California.^[4] Kolpack and his team are also responsible for making Los Angeles look like international locations, such as India and Ukraine, using blue screens and set designs by Ruth Ammon, production designer for the series.^[84] The series is filmed using a single-camera setup.

In keeping with the comic book thematic elements used on Heroes, professional comic book artist Tim Sale was brought in to provide the artwork used within the series, including the artwork of Isaac Mendez, and Mendez metafictional comic book series, the 9th Wonders!.^[85] Additionally, the font used in captions and credits for the show is reminiscent of traditional hand-rendered comic book lettering. It was created by Sale and is based on his handwriting style.^[86]

[edit] DVD releases

The first DVD release of Heroes was a sampler disc, containing only the first episode, and was released in the UK and the Republic of Ireland on September 3, 2007.^[87] UK Region 2 split Heroes into two halves on its initial release; part one being released on October 1, 2007 and part two on December 10, 2007.^[88][89] When the second part was released, a complete first season boxset was also released on the same day on both DVD and HD DVD formats^[90] The complete first season was released in USA and Canada on August 28, 2007.^[91] It was released in Australia and New Zealand on September 17, 2007.^[92]

The complete first season DVD includes nearly 3 hours of bonus features including: an extended 73-minute version of the pilot episode with audio commentary; 50 deleted and extended scenes; behind the scenes featurettes, including the making of Heroes, stunts, a profile of artist Tim Sale, and the score; and audio commentaries with cast, crew and show creator Tim Kring.^[92] On February 22, 2008, the Heroes Season One DVD was nominated for a 2008 Saturn Award, in the category of "Best Television Series on DVD."^[93]

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced that the first and second seasons will be released on Blu-Ray on August 26, 2008, the same date as the DVD release of the second season. Specifications and bonus features have not yet been confirmed.^[94] The complete second season will be released on July 28, 2008 in the UK.^[95]

[edit] Heroes: Origins

On May 14, 2007, NBC announced that during the 2007-2008 season, the network would air a six-episode Heroes spin-off called Heroes: Origins.^[96] The show was to introduce a new character each week, and viewers were to select which one would stay for the following season of the regular series.^[97] The show was supposed to air after the completion of the second season of Heroes in April 2008, as announced at the 2007 Comic-Con International. The second season of Heroes and the first season of Heroes: Origins would have included a total of 30 episodes.^[96][98] However, on October 31, 2007, reports in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter indicated that Origins had been postponed due to a strike by the Writers Guild of America.^{[99][100][101]} The show may be revisited, according to TV Guide, if the dispute with the Writer's Guild is resolved quickly.^[99]

The reason given for the spin-off was to remove the mid-season hiatus, which caused the ratings to falter when Heroes returned in Season 1.^[98] NBC's chief, Kevin Reilly, told reporters on May 14, 2007, "We've got something I call the 'bulk-up challenge' for next year, which is trying to stay more consistent in our scheduling for the audience. We asked [Heroes creator] Tim Kring to come up with an idea, and what I love is not only did we bulk up with 30 hours next season, but also a whole new idea which I think is going to take the show to the next level."

Tim Kring stated in an interview with The Post Show on G4 that the first episode of Origins was to reveal the secrets and meanings behind the Helix symbol. However, due to the WGA Strike, Kring commented that the secret will have to be revealed down the line. Kring revealed in the Heroes Live Blog on September 24, 2007 that he was to write the first episode of Origins and that John August had been hired to write another episode. He also said some well known directors could be expected.^[102] Director Kevin Smith, a fan of Heroes, was set to write and direct an episode for the spin-off,^[103] as were Eli Roth and Michael Dougherty.^[104]

In an interview with The-owi.com on February 9, 2008, Tim Kring updated fans on Heroes: Origins and its status after the end of the writer's strike. When Kring was asked about Origins resurrecting during the Spring of 2008, Kring responded, "There is really no chance for that because it is even farther off the radar than would be the next episodes of Heroes. We would have to gear all the way back up and bring all those people back. It is my hope to resurrect that at some point but right now it is all about getting the show back on the air at this point."^[105]

On April 3, 2008, a day after NBC announced its 2008-2009 primetime schedule, Ben Silverman confirmed Origins' cancellation. Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios stated, "We were taxing our creative team to do too much around that...We wanted thirty-five Heroes episodes and twelve Heroes: Origins, each of which was supposed to be a mini-movie and backdoor pilot. We reached far and challenged our people, and we decided it was better to focus on keeping the Heroes mothership as strong as possible."^[12]

[edit] Mythology

Main article: Mythology of Heroes

Activating Evolution

Heroes includes a number of mysterious fictional elements that have been ascribed to science fiction or supernatural phenomena. Tim Kring and the creators of the series refer to these fictional elements as part of the mythology of the series. Kring confirmed that although the show does have a unique mythology, he does not want to sink too deeply into it. Rather, Kring has used volumes to wrap-up ongoing plot lines, rather than carrying storylines over long periods of time, as in Lost.^[106] As far as the overall mythology of the series, Kring said, "we have talked about where the show goes up to five seasons."^[2][107] As far as the show's ending date, Kring has commented that, "This show doesn't posit an ending…" The show does not have a designated ending point and is "open-ended."^[108]

Among the show's mythological elements are the Company, the legend of Takezo Kensei, paintings of the future, superpowers and their origins, the Shanti virus, 9th Wonders! comic book and numerous other elements and mythological themes.

[edit] Recurring elements

The helix

There are several elements and symbols that appear repeatedly throughout the series: the helix, the scar, the eclipse, and the cockroach.

The "helix," as it is referred to by the writers, is a symbol that first appears in the episode "Don't Look Back". Writer and co-producer Aron Coleite has stated that it literally means "God sending great ability."^[109] The symbol frequently appears as a pattern formed by mundane objects, but it also recurs on certain plot-significant items and on several characters. In an interview within The Post Show on G4, Kring stated that the secret behind the meaning of the Helix was to be revealed in the first episode of Heroes: Origins, however, due to the Writer's Strike and Origins confirmed cancellation, Kring stated that the secret may have to be revealed down the line.^[110]

A scar consisting of two black parallel lines has been shown close to the neck of multiple super-powered characters. The scar is the mark left by the two-pronged needle of a pneumatic injection device,^[111][112] which, as revealed in a biography of Hana Gitelman in the Heroes 360 experience, injects a radioisotope to allow tracking.^[113] A solar eclipse has been a recurring image in the series itself, and is also used as the series' logo (a photograph of the "Baily's beads" phenomenon). A terrestrial eclipse (an eclipse in which the Earth covers the Sun, as viewed from an observation point away from the Earth) is used in the series' title sequence. Cockroaches have also appeared and have been mentioned several times in the series, particularly in relation to the villain Sylar. In the pilot episode, Mohinder Suresh refers to the cockroach as a superior lifeform, stating "God must be a cockroach." Tim Kring has stated that the cockroach represents survival.^[114]

[edit] Impact

[edit] Critical reception

When Heroes completed the first half of the first season, the show had already collected an assortment of honors and accolades. On December 10, 2006, the American Film Institute named Heroes one of the ten "best television programs of the year."^[115] On December 13, 2006, the Writers Guild of America nominated the program for "best new series" of 2007.^[116] On December 14, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association nominated the program for a Golden Globe Award for "best television drama", and nominated Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura) for Best Supporting Actor on a TV Series.^[117] On January 9, 2007, Heroes won the award for Favorite New TV Drama at the 33rd People's Choice Awards.^[118] The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People nominated Heroes on January 9, 2007 for an Image Award in the "Outstanding Drama Series" category.^[119] On February 21, 2007, it was announced that Heroes was nominated for five Saturn Awards. The nominations included "Best Network Television Series", "Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series" for both Greg Grunberg and Masi Oka, and "Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series" for Hayden Panettiere and Ali Larter.^[93] On February 22, 2008, it was announced that Heroes was again nominated for five Saturn Awards. The nominations for 2008 include "Best Network Television Series," "Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series" for both Greg Grunberg and Masi Oka, "Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series" for Hayden Penettiere, and "Best Television Series on DVD." The 2008 nomination are almost similar to the 2007 nomination, except Ali Larter was not nominated this year; instead the Heroes Season one DVD was nominated, in a different category.^[93]

On July 19, 2007, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced their nominations for the 2007 Primetime Emmy awards. Heroes was nominated in eight categories, including Outstanding Drama Series. The first episode, "Genesis", earned six nominations: Outstanding Directing (David Semel), Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series, Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series, and Outstanding Stunt Coordination. The episode "Five Years Gone" also received a nomination for Outstanding Visual Effects for a Series. Masi Oka was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.^[120] On September 16, 2007, the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards were held and Heroes failed to win a single Emmy award despite the eight nominations. On July 21, 2007, the Television Critics Association awarded Heroes with the prestigious Outstanding Program of the Year title during their 23rd Annual TCA Awards ceremony.^[121] The cast of Heroes was named in the 2006 Time Magazine's Person of the Year issue under "People Who Mattered".^[122]

Doug Elfman of the Chicago Sun-Times stated, "The show's super strengths are its well-developed filmmaking, smooth pacing and a perfect cast. It views like the first hour of a fun, thoughtful movie." Barry Garron at the The Hollywood Reporter also stated, ""Heroes" is one of TV's most imaginative creations and might, with luck, become this year's Lost."^[123] Less favorable reviews included the Philadelphia Inquirer, who commented that although the show had lots of "cool effects," it "lands, splat, in a pile of nonsense and dim dialogue." In response to the first pod of season one episodes, The Chicago Tribune went as far as saying, "You could watch the first few episodes of “Heroes,” or you could repeatedly hit yourself on the head with a brick. The effect is surprisingly similar."^[124] At Metacritic, the Heroes pilot received a 67/100, with generally favorable reviews from critics.^[5]

Additionally, the second season of Heroes was criticized by commentators and fans for a much slower pace, less engaging storyline and lack of focus compared to the first season. Milo Ventimiglia stated that "when there's a little bit of a delay, there's not that instant, rewarding scene or moment or episode… people get impatient, so it has been extremely important for them to strike a balance between giving and getting."^[125]

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Heroes creator Tim Kring commented on criticisms of season two, and the series' 15% decline in ratings.^[10] Kring said that he felt he had made mistakes with the direction of season two. He had thought that the audience was looking for a "build-up of characters and the discovery of their powers", in contrast to season one, when viewers were instead looking for "adrenaline."

Kring also outlined what he felt were problems with plot development, stating that the second season "took too long to get to the big-picture story", explaining that Peter's vision of the viral armageddon should have occurred in the first episode instead of the seventh. He feels that it would have been better to introduce new characters within the context of the main storyline, as with Elle, rather than in unattached arcs such as that of Maya and Alejandro. Kring also admitted that he should have resolved the "Hiro in Japan" storyline much more quickly, and that the romantic stories are not working well. With regards to Claire and West, and Hiro and Yaeko, he said, "I've seen more convincing romances on TV. In retrospect, I don't think romance is a natural fit for us."^[10]

[edit] Ratings

Seasonal USA rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Heroes on NBC:

The pilot episode generated 14.3 million viewers,^[127] with the season high topping out at 16.03 million viewers for episode 9.^[128] When the series returned from hiatus on January 22, 2007, the ratings averaged about the same as the pilot with 14.9 million viewers.^[129] When the show went on a second hiatus during the first season, from March 4, 2007 to April 23, 2007 (7 weeks), ratings hit an all time low; the lowest being 11.14 million viewers during part one of the three part finale, "The Hard Part."^[130] In season two, the opener was consistent in the ratings, however, week-by-week, the ratings continued to dive, reaching an all time low for the series on episode seven, "Out of Time", with only 9.87 million viewers. Although the ratings were lower than average, this episode was considered to be a turning point for the declining season, as a major plot twist was introduced and the volumes "big picture storyline" was presented.^[131][10] The season two/volume 2 finale generated 11.06 million viewers in the ratings, down more than 3 million viewers from the season opener and series pilot.^[132]

Heroes also airs in other countries; ratings and rankings for some of these markets include:

• Australia: The first season aired on the Seven Network Wednesday nights at 8:30 pm. The series debuted strongly, attracting more than 2 million viewers in the five capital cities. Viewership settled closer to 1 million nearing the end of the first season and the show was moved to Thursdays at 8:30 pm in New South Wales and Queensland but remained in the 8:30pm Wednesday timeslot in other states, the move of the timeslot in the northern states successfully attracted more viewers in those areas. In an effort to keep viewer numbers high the Seven Network began showing the second season on Thursday nights at 9:30pm across all areas, a week after the US screening.^[133] The network has aired only nine of the eleven episodes released from the second season, the ninth being incorrectly described as the season finale.^[134] It is unknown when the remaining episodes will be aired.
• France: The first season aired over the summer of 2007 on TF1, with three episodes each Saturday night beginning at 8:50 pm. The series debuted strongly, with the premiere attracting just over 6 million viewers in France.^[135] Over the summer viewership fell to under 4 million, disappointing TF1.^[136] Nonetheless, TF1 will be presenting season 2 as VOD only, one day after the US broadcast each week.^[137]
• Germany: The series currently airs on RTL 2. It premiered on October 10, 2007, attracting 2.90 million viewers (17.3% of share in the 18-49 years old target) on its first showing, making it a huge success. After 24, this is the most successful premiere on RTL 2 ever.^[138]
• Hong Kong: The series airs on TVB Pearl.^[139] The first three episodes of the first season became three of the top 100 rating programs on English channels in Hong Kong in 2007, each attracting 309,000 to 346,000 viewers.^[140]The series was also voted as the second most popular drama series on TVB Pearl.^[141]
• Netherlands: The series currently airs on RTL5.^[1] The series premiere had low ratings (405,000 viewers), though a replay drew 572,000 viewers (8.6% market share).^[142] Currently the series draws some 350,000 viewers each episode.
• South Africa: The series first aired on May 23, 2007 on SABC3; with the premiere attracting 733,300 viewers and a 10% audience share. Ratings dropped as the season progressed as other shows in the same timeslot increased in popularity.^[143]
• United Kingdom: The series first aired on February 19, 2007 on Sci Fi UK.^[1] The premiere attracted 579,000 viewers on its first showing; with three repeat showings averaging 150,000. The series averaged 450,000 viewers, almost four times more than any other viewership for a program on this channel.^[144] Terrestrial airing began on BBC Two on July 25, 2007, and in HD in the UK on BBC HD. It attracted an audience of 4.3 million viewers. After the airing of the show on BBC2, a behind-the-scenes show, titled Heroes Unmasked is shown, and then the next episode is shown on BBC Three.^[145] Series 2 of Heroes first aired on 24th April 2008 at 9pm (GMT) on BBC Two.

[edit] Comparisons with other works

The show's creators have answered criticism over similarities between elements of the show and the X-Men in their live blog, saying "I think there is a shorthand to compare it to X-Men when you have not yet seen the show. However, my guess is that that comparison will go away once you have seen what we are doing."^[146][147]

On February 7, 2007, Jeph Loeb, co-executive producer of Heroes and the other creators compared Heroes to 24, stating, that like 24, each season would conclude and the next season would introduce a new plotline. In the same interview, Tim Kring compared Heroes to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Incredibles, stating the characters in Eternal Sunshine were "ordinary...and unexpected," but well responded to; and the characters in