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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 her family adapting to a new life in southern California, and her relationship with boyfriend [[List of Heroes characters with special abilities#West Rosen|West]]; Monica Dawson discovering her powers in [[New Orleans]], with the help of her cousin Micah; Matt Parkman's discovery of and relationship with his father; and Hiro Nakamura's journey to [[Feudal Japan]], where he meets his childhood hero, Takezo Kensei.
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 her family adapting to a new life in southern California, and her relationship with boyfriend [[List of Heroes characters with special abilities#West Rosen|West]]; Monica Dawson discovering her powers in [[New Orleans]], with the help of her cousin Micah; Matt Parkman's discovery of and relationship with his father; and Hiro Nakamura's journey to [[Feudal Japan]], where he meets his childhood hero, Takezo Kensei.


==== Volume three: "Villians" ====
==== Volume three: "Villains" ====
<!--NOTE: Please do not place "Pandora's Box" in a "Season three" sub-section without solid references from an official source. "Volume" and "Season" are not the same; *season* two is supposed to incorporate *volumes* two and three, as per Tim Kring. There has been no official notice that *season* two is over. We have to wait for NBC to decide, once the WGA strike is resolved.-->
<!--NOTE: Please do not place "Villains" in a "Season three" sub-section without solid references from an official source. "Volume" and "Season" are not the same; *season* two is supposed to incorporate *volumes* two and three, as per Tim Kring. There has been no official notice that *season* two is over. We have to wait for NBC to decide, once the WGA strike is resolved.-->
The lead-in to the third volume, "Villians", features Sylar. Throughout volume two, his powers have suppressed by the Shanti Virus. Now, using a stolen cure developed by Mohinder, he regains his dark abilities , delivering the first line of the volume: "I'm back." Tim Kring has claimed that the new volume will bring a "legion" of villains to the show, hence the name. Just as the heroes have found each other to save the world, the villians will do the same with the opposite intent."
The lead-in to the third volume, "Villains", features Sylar. Throughout volume two, his powers are suppressed by the Shanti virus. Now, using a stolen cure developed by Mohinder, he regains his abilities, delivering the first line of the volume: "I'm back." Tim Kring has claimed that the new volume will bring a cadre of villains to the show, hence the name. It is unknown when the third volume of Heroes will air.<ref name="BeemanBlog">{{cite web|url=http://gregbeeman.blogspot.com/2007/11/season-2-episode-10-truth-and.html|title=Beaming Beeman: Season 2 Episode 10 "Truth and Consequences"|publisher=|accessdate=2007-12-04}}</ref>

A seemingly new video-clip which was recently shown at the Jules Verne 2007 Festival in L.A. has suggested that a very powerful villian and his minions have escaped from the secret level five prison. It too has been revealed that this powerful person will be entering the new season relatively early. Angela Petrelli states in the video-clip "The prisoner that escaped on level five is our most dangerous. The most powerful. Rapists. Arsonists. Killers. All the capacity they wish they had..." It is currently unknown, at the present time, when the third volume of Heroes will air.<ref name="BeemanBlog">{{cite web|url=http://gregbeeman.blogspot.com/2007/11/season-2-episode-10-truth-and.html|title=Beaming Beeman: Season 2 Episode 10 "Truth and Consequences"|publisher=|accessdate=2007-12-04}}</ref>


== Mythology ==
== Mythology ==

Revision as of 17:51, 22 December 2007

Heroes
Heroes logo
GenreDrama
Science fiction
Serial
Created byTim Kring
StarringDavid 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 Ramirez
Leonard Roberts
Milo Ventimiglia
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes34 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time42 minutes
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 25, 2006 –
present

Heroes is an American science fiction serial drama television series created by Tim Kring. It premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006.[1] The show tells the story of several people who "thought they were like everyone else... until they realized they have incredible abilities." These people soon realize they have a role in preventing catastrophe and saving humanity. The series emulates the style of American comic books in aesthetic, as well as storytelling (i.e. short, multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing arc). Kring said "we have talked about where the show goes up to five seasons."[2]

The first season attracted an average of 14.3 million viewers in the United States and received the highest rating for any NBC drama premiere in five years.[3] The first season's run consisted of 23 episodes; 24 episodes were ordered for the second season.[4] The second season of Heroes premiered on September 24 2007,[5] but only 11 of 24 episodes have been broadcast,[6] due to the writers' strike.[7][8] The dispute also led to the postponement of a six episode spin-off, Heroes: Origins,[9] which was originally expected to air in April and May of 2008.[10][11]

Characters

Main article: List of characters in Heroes

In its first season, the show features an ensemble cast of twelve main characters. Although NBC's cast page[12] lists only ten characters, Leonard Roberts (D.L. Hawkins), who first appeared in the series' fifth episode, was an additional member of the original full-time cast. 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 as of "Fallout".[13] The series also features many guest and recurring characters, including friends and family of the main cast, criminals and villains, and other individuals with remarkable powers.

Zachary Quinto[14] and James Kyson Lee,[15] who were recurring cast members in the first season, join the main cast for the second season. They are joined by new cast members David Anders,[16] Kristen Bell, Dana Davis[17] and Dania Ramírez.[18] Anders was originally hired as a recurring cast member, and then upgraded to a regular before the season began. He was listed as a guest star until the fifth episode of season two, when he was listed as a main cast member. Santiago Cabrera, Tawny Cypress, and Leonard Roberts are no longer listed as part of the main cast.[19]

Main characters

Name Starring seasons Recurring seasons Played by Summary
Claire Bennet 1, 2 — Hayden Panettiere A high school cheerleader formerly of Odessa, Texas, now living in Costa Verde, California, who has a regenerative ability. She is Noah Bennet's adopted daughter, as well as Nathan Petrelli's biological daughter.
Noah Bennet 1, 2 — Jack Coleman More commonly referred to as "Mr. Bennet" or "the Man in Horn-Rimmed Glasses (H.R.G.)", initially worked for the Primatech Paper Company, which is actually a cover operation for an organization that investigates people with superhuman abilities.
Elle Bishop 2 — Kristen Bell A 24 year old woman [20] who works for The Company. Her father, Bob Bishop, is head of The Company. She has the power of electric manipulation.
Monica Dawson 2 — Dana Davis[17][21] A restaurant worker at the Burger Bonanza in New Orleans. She is D.L. Hawkins' niece and Micah's first cousin. Monica has the ability of Adaptive Muscle Memory: she can replicate any physical motion she witnesses.[22]
Simone Deveaux 1 — Tawny Cypress An art dealer and gallery owner whose skepticism and complicated romantic life are tested.
D.L. Hawkins 1 2 Leonard Roberts A former construction worker and gang leader with the power to alter his physical tangibility and phase through solid objects. He is Niki's husband and Micah's father.
Maya Herrera 2 — Dania Ramirez[18] From Central America, is wanted for murder and is on the run to the United States. Under stress, Maya can create a deadly illness when she cries which is fatal to those around her, except her twin brother Alejandro, who can heal it.
Ando Masahashi 2 1 James Kyson Lee[15] Hiro Nakamura's friend, coworker, and traveling companion. He has no known superhuman abilities.
Isaac Mendez 1 — Santiago Cabrera An artist living in New York who can paint future events during precognitive trances. He also writes and draws a comic book called 9th Wonders! which has also been shown to depict the future.
Adam Monroe/Takezo Kensei 2 — David Anders[16][23] An Englishman who originates the role of legendary warrior Kensei in feudal Japan. Monroe has a spontaneous regenerative ability which has made him effectively immortal.
Hiro Nakamura 1, 2 — Masi Oka A programmer[24] from Osaka with the ability to manipulate the space-time continuum. He is convinced that he is a hero, and with other "special persons", he can change the future.
Matt Parkman 1, 2 — Greg Grunberg A former Los Angeles police officer with the ability to hear other people's thoughts, though his powers are developing further, such as his ability to control people's actions. He is currently an NYPD detective and the guardian of Molly Walker.
Nathan Petrelli 1, 2 — Adrian Pasdar A former New York Congressional candidate with the ability of self-propelled flight.
Peter Petrelli 1, 2 — Milo Ventimiglia A former hospice nurse with the ability to absorb the powers of others he has been near and recall them.
Micah Sanders 1, 2 — Noah Gray-Cabey A child prodigy and technopath, he has the ability to "talk" to electrical devices, giving him control of machines and electronic devices.[25] He is D.L. and Niki's son.
Niki Sanders 1, 2 — Ali Larter A former internet stripper from Las Vegas who exhibits superhuman strength and has multiple personality disorder. She has shown two alternate personalities: Jessica, the name of Niki's dead sister and Gina, who appeared in Four Months Ago....
Mohinder Suresh 1, 2 — Sendhil Ramamurthy A professor of genetics from India who travels to New York to investigate the death of his father, Chandra. Through his investigations, he comes into contact with people his father listed as possessing superhuman abilities. Mohinder's blood contains antibodies against a virus which only infects people with special abilities.
Sylar 2[14] 1 Zachary Quinto Real name Gabriel Gray, a former watchmaker with an intuitive understanding of how things work. He is a serial killer who seeks out superhuman individuals, killing them in order to take their powers. Sylar has multiple acquired abilities. Sylar takes his alias from the brand name of a watch company.

Plot summary

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. The series has large, overall plot arcs and minor story arcs within. No matter what characters exist and what events make up a season, each season of Heroes is planned to involve ordinary people who discover their abilities and their reactions to that discovery.

Season 2 was going to be comprised of three volumes. Volume 2 was "Generations", Volume 3 was called "Exodus", Volume 4 was called "Villains." This plan changed due to the writers strike.[26]

Season one

Volume one: "Genesis"

Season 1 began in the United States and Canada on September 23, 2006 and featured 23 episodes that aired on Mondays at 9:00pm. The series went on hiatus twice; first from December 4, 2006 to January 22, 2007, and again from March 5 to April 23, 2007, with the season finale airing on May 21, 2007. The series begins as a disparate 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 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 and 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. The characters' individual stories, Peter Petrelli's abilities, his brother Nathan's campaign for Congress, Claire Bennet's search for her biological parents, Hiro Nakamura's adventurous journeys and the precognitive visions of Isaac Mendez all culminate in a climactic meeting of the characters at Kirby Plaza in New York.

Season two

Volume two: "Generations"

Season 2 began in the United States and Canada on September 24, 2007 and has thus far featured 11 out of the planned 24 episodes. It aired on Mondays at 9:00pm. The season was broken down into volumes, and the first volume completed its finale on December 3, 2007, followed by a hiatus until the end of the writers' strike. The second season of Heroes 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. The main plot arc of volume two 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 her family adapting to a new life in southern California, and her relationship with boyfriend West; Monica Dawson discovering her powers in New Orleans, with the help of her cousin Micah; Matt Parkman's discovery of and relationship with his father; and Hiro Nakamura's journey to Feudal Japan, where he meets his childhood hero, Takezo Kensei.

Volume three: "Villains"

The lead-in to the third volume, "Villains", features Sylar. Throughout volume two, his powers are suppressed by the Shanti virus. Now, using a stolen cure developed by Mohinder, he regains his abilities, delivering the first line of the volume: "I'm back." Tim Kring has claimed that the new volume will bring a cadre of villains to the show, hence the name. It is unknown when the third volume of Heroes will air.[27]

Mythology

The helix
File:Activating Evolution.jpg
Activating Evolution

Mythology describes the several elements and symbols that appear repeatedly throughout the series: the helix, the scar, the eclipse, the cockroach, and Chandra Suresh's book, Activating Evolution.

The "helix,"[28] 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."[28] 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 on 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 postponement, Kring stated that the secret may have to be revealed down the line.

A mark consisting of two black parallel lines has been shown close to the neck of multiple super-powered characters. The mark is the scar left by the two-pronged needle of a pneumatic injection device,[29][30] which, as revealed in a biography of Hana Gitelman in the Heroes 360 experience, injects a radioisotope to allow tracking.[31]

A solar eclipse has been a recurring image in the series itself, and is also used as the series' logo. 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 appeared and have been mentioned several times in the series, particularly in relation to the villain Sylar. Tim Kring has stated in an interview that the cockroach represents survival.[32]

Activating Evolution is a fictional book written by Chandra Suresh. It describes Suresh's discoveries and predictions about the emergence of humans evolved with special abilities. It has been read by or given to many of the characters with abilities and is considered a source of information regarding their conditions.

Production

Production notes

The series is filmed in Los Angeles, California and Santa Clarita, California.

When the writing team works on an episode, each writer takes a character and writes the individual scenes surrounding that character. These stories are then combined and given to the episode writer, allowing every writer to contribute to every episode.[33] This also permits the writing team to finish scripts faster, so the filming crew can shoot more scenes at a location.[34]

A special 73-minute version of the pilot was first screened to a large audience at the 2006 Comic Con in San Diego.[35] Initially it was reported that this unaired pilot would not be released, however it was included on the first season DVD set.[36]

In keeping with the comic book thematic elements used in the show, professional comic book artist Tim Sale was brought in to provide the artwork used as the work of Isaac Mendez. Mendez's work in the 9th Wonders! comic book on the show is also the work of Sale.[37] Additionally, the font used throughout the show in the various captions and credits is reminiscent of traditional hand-rendered comic book lettering. The font was created by Sale and is based on his handwriting style.[38]

Music

Music from the first season is composed by Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, with vocals provided by Shenkar. The second season brought the addition of Manon Dave to the music team.[citation needed]

The Rogue Wave song "Eyes" from the Just Friends soundtrack is featured in the Season 1 episodes "Genesis" and "Collision".[39]

Additionally, singer-songwriter Imogen Heap recorded a song entitled "Not Now But Soon" for the show's soundtrack which she stated is expected to be released in February 2008.[40]

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.

Emerson lawsuit

On October 2, 2006, Emerson Electric Company, an appliance market competitor of NBC's owner General Electric, filed suit in federal court against NBC. The suit was in regard to a scene that appeared in "Genesis", the first episode of season one, when Claire Bennet reached into an active garbage disposal unit—labeled "In-Sink-Erator"—to retrieve a ring and severely mangled her hand. Emerson claimed the scene "casts the disposer in an unsavory light, irreparably tarnishing the product" by suggesting serious injuries would result "in the event consumers were to accidentally insert their hand into one."

Emerson had asked for a ruling barring future broadcasts of the pilot, which was previously available on NBC's website and had already aired on NBC Universal-owned cable networks USA Network and The Sci Fi Channel. It also sought to block NBC from using any Emerson trademarks in the future.[41]

On February 23, 2007, the case against NBC was dropped. NBC Universal and Emerson Electric reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit outside of court.[42]

The episode in question was briefly unavailable in the iTunes Store, but an edited version was soon made available for download. A non-edited version of the episode was shown in the BBC Two premiere on July 25, 2007. The DVD and HD DVD releases contain an edited version where the "In-Sink-Erator" label has been removed from the scene.

DVD releases

DVD name Release date Number of episodes Number of discs
Season 1, Episode 1

United KingdomRepublic of Ireland August, 2007

1 1
Season 1, Part 1

United KingdomRepublic of Ireland October 1, 2007

NorwayFinlandSweden November 28, 2007

11 4
Season 1, Part 2

United KingdomRepublic of Ireland December 10, 2007

12 3
Season 1

United StatesCanada August 28, 2007

AustraliaNew Zealand September 19, 2007

France October 2, 2007

Spain October 17, 2007

NetherlandsBelgium October 18, 2007

Malaysia December 2, 2007

United KingdomRepublic of Ireland December 10, 2007

23 7

Brazil September 3, 2007

23 6

Poland September 27, 2007

Like other American TV series releases, UK Region 2 will split Heroes into two halves, released at different times: part one being released on October 1, 2007 and part two on December 10, 2007. However, when the second part is released, the full season will be released as well.

Heroes: Origins

Main article: 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. The show was to air after the completion of the second season of Heroes. It 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. [43] However, on October 31, 2007, reports in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter indicated that Origins had been put on hold, because of a strike by the Writers Guild of America.[44][45]

Reception

Critical acclaim

After completing only half of its first season, Heroes 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."[46]

Three days later on December 13, the Writers Guild of America nominated the program for "best new series" of 2007.[47]

The next day (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.[48]

Heroes won the award for Favorite New TV Drama at the 2007 People's Choice Awards.[49]

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.[50]

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.[51] The series won the award for "Best Network Television Series"; as well, Masi Oka and Hayden Panettiere won the awards they were nominated for.

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.[52] 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.[citation needed]

The cast of Heroes was named in the 2006 Time Magazine's Person of the Year issue under "People Who Mattered".[53]

Response to criticism

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Heroes creator Tim Kring commented on criticisms of season two, and the series' 15% decline in the ratings.[54] 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", similar to that of 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",[54] 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 aren't 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."[54]

Comparisons to 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."[55][56]

In March 2007, two New York artists, Clifton Mallery and his wife Amnau Karam Eele, filed a lawsuit against NBC claiming the creators of the show had plagiarized a plot-line about an artist who can paint the future in a short story, a painting series and a short film that they exhibited in 2004 and 2005. In the lawsuit the artists claim that the character Isaac Mendez is "strikingly similar" to one they created.[57]

Ratings

  • 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, successfully attracting more viewers. In an effort to keep viewer numbers high the Seven Network began showing the second season on Thursday nights at 9:30pm, a week after the US screening. The network has aired only nine of the eleven episodes released from the second season, the ninth being falsely advertised as the season finale. It is unknown when the remaining episodes will be aired.
  • Finland: The series airs Wednesdays at 9:00 pm. It had its premiere on October 17, 2007 and according to Finnpanel, had 614 000 viewers.
  • 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.[58] Over the summer viewership fell to under 4 million, disappointing TF1.[59] Nonetheless, TF1 will be presenting season 2 as VOD only, one day after the US broadcast each week.[60]
  • Germany: The series currently airs on RTL 2 weekly each Wednesday at 8:15 pm. 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.[61]
  • Italy: The series aired on Italia 1 every Sunday at 8:40 PM. The series premiered on September 2, 2007 drawing an average of 2.4 million viewers with 15 percent of share in the 18-49 years old target demographic. The first four episodes of the series attracted an average audience of 2.4 million viewers. On October 25, 2007 Italia 1 changed the show time slot because of low ratings. The last episode broadcast in prime time was .07%. The remaining four episodes of the season aired at 11:30 pm on November 7 and 14, 2007.
  • Malaysia: The series is now airing terrestrially on TV3 with the season premiere episode aired on December 2, 2007 at 9.00 pm (local time).
  • Netherlands: The series currently airs on RTL5 on Thursday nights at 9:30 pm.[63] The series premiere had low ratings (405,000 viewers), though a replay drew 572,000 viewers (8.6% market share).[64] Currently the series draws some 350,000 viewers each episode.
  • New Zealand: The series is now airing season 2 on TV3 on Monday nights at 8:30pm.
  • Norway: The series premiered on September 3 2007. NRK is currently airing season one on Mondays at 21.25 on NRK3 and Thuesdays at 23.20 on NRK1.
  • Philippines: Solar aired the series through its terrestrial channel RPN, making it one of the more popular programs shown on TV. It has aired on terrestrial TV twice and on Cable-TV Crime/Suspense, also owned by Solar. Because of its popularity, Heroes will be shown on both RPN and C/S with a 2-3 week delay in October and November of 2007.
  • Singapore: Premiered on November 12, 2007. It will be shown on Channel 5 on Monday night at 10 pm. The channel showed a premiere two-hour special.
  • South Africa: The season 1 aired on SABC 3 each Wednesday evening until the 7 November 2007. The acclaim and ratings overseas were so high that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) bought the rights to air Heroes before Multichoice (Africa's leading and South Africa's only pay TV channel) could bid for it. The SABC does not release TV ratings but it is expected close to 3 million viewers tune in weekly.
  • Greece: Season 1 is currently airing on Greek TV, broadcast by Alter every Wednesday at 21:00.
  • United Kingdom: The series first aired on February 19, 2007 on Sci Fi UK. [65] 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.[66] Terrestrial airing began on BBC Two on July 25, 2007, and for the first time in HD in the UK on BBC HD. It attracted an audience of 4.3 million viewers. [67] This was the first time that BBC Two had surpassed its sister channel BBC One in terms of ratings in prime time for over a decade. Season 1 finished on December 5, 2007, with season 2 set to air in 2008. The first season finale managed to get 3.5 million viewers up from the penultimate episode (which was shown on the same night) 2.7 million.
  • United States: Heroes was NBC's top-rated scripted show for the 2006-2007 television season, and the most successful of the shows debuting in that period. It ranked twenty-first in the ratings, with an average of 14.3 million viewers in the United States.[68]

Other media

Television

See also: Heroes Unmasked and The Post Show

Heroes Unmasked is a series on BBC that goes behind-the-scenes of the production of Heroes. Many details of Heroes are revealed, including set design, props, special effects and costuming, as well as blue and green screen animation.

In November 2007 the BBC made 4 short '2 Dimensional' films [69] where actors from the series look through a '2' shaped hole into a room which reflects the character they play in Heroes.

U.S. network G4 began airing Heroes episodes on November 3, 2007, along with an American version of Heroes Unmasked entitled The Post Show. The series, which will air following Heroes, includes interviews, live viewer commentary, interactive polls, behind-the-scenes footage and other Heroes. content.[70] U.S. Television network MOJO HD also began airing Heroes episodes in High Definition in October 2007.

Internet

See also: Heroes Evolutions

Heroes Evolutions is a digital extension of the series released on January 19, 2007 which explores the Heroes universe and provides clues to the show's mythology. It was entitled Heroes 360 Experience throughout the first season and rebranded for the second season.

Complete episodes of Heroes are available online, along with downloads through the "NBC Direct" service.[71] NBC's site also hosts episode commentaries, featuring producers and cast and crew members. Episodes are also available on iTunes, although this arrangement will cease in December 2007 as NBC and Apple Inc. were unable to come to a renewal deal.[72].

Heroes writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite hold a weekly "Question and Answer" column hosted by comicbookresources.com entitled "Behind the Eclipse"[73]. Every week, since October 23rd, 2006, Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite have answered questions regarding the previous weeks episodes, before the airing of the Monday night episode. Questions are submitted by fans and CBR editors. Currently, the column is on hold until the end of the writers' strike.

Show producer and director Greg Beeman also host a weekly blog on his blogspot where he discusses how the episode is shot and gives spoilers for the upcoming episode. This is usually posted on Mondays, prior to the airing of Heroes on NBC. The Beeman Blog began on August 4th, 2006.[74]

Heroes Interactive is an interactive website which began operation on January 29, 2007, during the airing of "The Fix". Hosted at NBC.com, it offers behind the scenes information, polls, trivia, and quizzes, as well as recent posts by Hana Gitelman. The features air once a week, and are designed to be viewed concurrently with that week's episode.

Radio

BBC7 radio broadcast "Heroes - The Official Radio Show" with Jon Holmes, every Saturday at 7:30 on BBC7 DAB digital radio[75]. The program is also available as a podcast.

Video game

Ubisoft has announced that they have licensed the rights to produce an as yet untitled Heroes video game. The game is expected to be offered for PCs and console gaming platforms.[76]

Mobile game

Gameloft released the first Heroes mobile game on October 5, 2007. It consists of 8 levels and playable characters includes Hiro Nakamura, Niki Sanders and Peter Petrelli. All three characters are played in their present and future forms as shown in "Five Years Gone". The mobile game has released the names of several members of the Company founders, including Arthur Petrelli and Maury Parkman.[77][78]

Books and publications

Each week, NBC releases a Heroes webcomic. The comics give additional character background and plot information not shown in the television episodes. These graphic novels continued on a weekly basis during the show's 2007 summer hiatus. Wildstorm, a subsidiary of DC Comics, released them in published form on November 7, 2007.[79]The collected volume included novels 1-34, and featured two different covers by Alex Ross and Jim Lee as well as an introduction by Masi Oka and artwork by Tim Sale.[80]

Writer Aury Wallington, with the full consultation and cooperation of the Heroes writers, will publish the first Heroes novel. It will be entitled Saving Charlie and will be based on the relationship of Hiro Nakamura and Charlie Andrews, when Hiro went back in time six months to attempt to save her. It will be available on December 26, 2007.[81]

Titan Magazines released the first issue of Heroes Magazine on November 20, 2007. It is the first of a series of six, slated to be released bi-monthly. The first issue is a 100 page premiere issue. Feature articles include a cast group interview, a secret origins featurette, and a season one episode guide. Greg Beeman, executive producer of Heroes has confirmed that this is an official Heroes release, with the full support and cooperation of the Heroes production team and Tim Kring.[82][83]

Action figures

Mezco announced at Toy Fair 2007 that they will be producing a line of action figures based on the television show Heroes. The figures will have at least 8 points of articulation, and feature central accessories. Along with action figures, Mezco announced a collection of Screen Grabs, non-articulated 3 3/4" figures on a display recreating a pivotal scene of the series. As of yet, a lineup has not been announced.

Promotions

San Diego Comic-Con

In 2006 and 2007, Heroes hosted a panel at the San Diego Comic-Con to promote the upcoming season. In previous years, major announcements have been made during the panel, and sneak peaks of the forthcoming season have been presented. In 2006, the Heroes panel presented the entire season one 72-minute pilot. In 2007, major announcements were made about Heroes: Origins. Comic-Con also allows the cast and crew to answer questions from the press and from fans.[84][85]

Heroes World Tour

Billboard for Heroes World Tour, Changi Airport, Singapore.

On July 21st, 2007, Tim Kring announced that cast and crew members of Heroes would travel the world for the Heroes World Tour to promote the season one DVD release and the forthcoming season two. The tour took place in North America (New York and Toronto), Asia (Singapore, Tokyo, and Hong Kong) and Europe (Munich, Paris and London). The tour began on August 26, and ended on September 1, 2007. Most principal cast members attended in three groups; one group for each country. Tim Sale, Jeph Loeb, and Dennis Hammer attended from the production crew. Principal cast members who did not attend were David Anders, Kristen Bell, Dana Davis, Leonard Roberts and Tawney Cypress.[86]


Other promotions

On November 12, 2007, the "Create Your Own Hero" promotion was unveiled. Heroes fans can go online on their computer or mobile phone and select characteristics for a new "hero", who will be built based on the most-picked traits. Each week, the character will evolve based on the fans' input, and he or she will be shown on air every Monday.

References

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  3. ^ "'Heroes' debut paces NBC's second Monday win of the new season" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. 2006-09-26. Retrieved 2006-09-29. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ ""Heroes" spins off" (Press release). 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2007-05-14. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "NBC SHOWCASES FALL PRIMETIME ENTERTAINMENT SERIES BEGINNING WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 24". 2007-07-16. Retrieved 2007-07-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Casualties of the Hollywood writers strike". Canada.com. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  7. ^ "'Heroes' Creator Apologizes to Fans". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  8. ^ "Heroes Drops Some Dead Weight". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
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  10. ^ ""False start for NBC's 'Heroes: Origins'"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-01-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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External links

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