by Damon Martin

It seemed like such a winnable premise. A comic book come to life on the small screen, with genuine comic book writers being an integral part of it all, and a television network willing to sink time, money and production into the series to make sure it’s a winner. That’s the beginning that was the hit series Heroes, which soon became the dwindling ratings show Heroes, and is now the canceled TV show Heroes. How did a show with so much promise and critical acclaim become such a superpowered fail for NBC??



Hitting the airwaves in September 2006, Heroes was the brainchild of television and film writer Tim Kring, who brought along writers like Bryan Fuller, Jeph Loeb and Jesse Alexander to pen a series about a group of extraordinary people discovering their “abilities” and how they would use them in their everyday lives to do extraordinary things.

The first season of Heroes introduced fans to a bevy of characters with special abilities, showing all of them living everyday lives, trying to make it in the world. There was a heroin addict who could tell the future, a nurse who is convinced he has more to offer and can do so much more, a politician who flies, a Japanese office clerk who suddenly realizes he can stop time and teleport himself anywhere in the world. In the first few episodes, the writers set the bar high. Crisp dialogue and smart character development ensured that the show was an instant hit – and a guaranteed water cooler topic the next day.

Heroes was a rating’s success for NBC, pulling in over 15 million viewers for episodes during its debut season, and was immediately renewed for a second season. Actors and actresses careers were launched during that first season. Previously unknowns like Hayden Panettiere and Zachary Quinto became household names, and went on to film roles thanks to their time on the show.

Zachary Quinto’s character, Sylar, was actually played by a different actor in earlier scenes in the show, when the character was just viewed in the shadows with a tight baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, shrouded in a black trench coat. Once Quinto took over the role, his charismatic acting and evil demeanor made Sylar the ultimate villain in a world in need of heroes. Last season’s finale brought all the heroes together for the first time for a climactic finish which saw Hiro Nakamura (a Japanese office clerk) fulfill his prophecy as he plunged an ancient sword through the gut of the evil Sylar. So where did it all go wrong? Let’s examine a few of the many ways that Heroes fell from glory.

How many of you remember that scene in The Crow when Brandon Lee shows up at Funboy’s window as he’s shooting heroin with his girlfriend? Lee proceeds to tell a joke while Funboy shoots him several times and when Lee refuses to fall, Funboy screams, “Don’t you ever (expletive) die?” That pretty much sums up Heroes; In a nutshell some of the characters on the show just refused to go down and stay down – the writers and producers just kept bringing them back.

Take Nathan Petrelli (as portrayed by Adrian Pasdar) for instance. During season one of the show, Petrelli is an ambitious lawyer in the District Attorney’s office who is running for Congress out of the State of New York. Petrelli succumbs to the evil mob boss who befriended his father years ago, and decides that the best way to increase his own political clout is to let a bomb go off in the middle of New York City, killing millions, so the city’s population will come together and look for a savoir i.e. Nathan Petrelli. Nathan finds out that the bomb is actually his brother Peter, who has gained a dangerous nuclear ability from another special person, and instead of letting the explosion happen he grabs his brother at the last moment and flies into outer space where the pair ignites in a giant fireball.

It would seem that over the span of 23 episodes, Nathan Petrelli has gone from evil politician looking to gain world power, to a caring brother who would sacrifice himself for the greater good of the people and save the world. Not so fast. Petrelli somehow survives the explosion, falls back to Earth, becomes a religious zealot, sees dead people, decides to give everyone abilities, forgets about that and decides to capture and imprison all the people with abilities, and then finally at the end of season three has his throat slashed by the evil villain Sylar bringing his storyline to a close.

However throat slashing doesn’t necessarily equal death in the Heroes universe. Petrelli’s family decide that his death can’t actually take place, so they ask mind reader and mind manipulator Matt Parkman to implant all of Nathan’s memories into Sylar’s head (at this point he’s also a shape shifter who can take on anyone’s form), and let Nathan continue to live on. It sounds pretty ridiculous, I know, but as an avid comic book fan, any storyline can reach a somewhat ludicrous level of believability, but this was too much even by comic book standards.

It was this dedication to the comic book way that got Heroes into trouble. Sure, every comic book reader knows that no character is ever truly dead. For every Gwen Stacy (Spider-Man’s first girlfriend who was killed by the Green Goblin and never actually returned), there are a million characters who come back to life, again, and again and again. With Heroes though, the writers just refused to build any character up and then just allow them to die. One of the great things about the ABC series Lost was that the writers and creators let the audience know from day one that anyone could die, and there was a good possibility they could die on the next episode.

With Heroes, the writers made such a mockery of death on the show, that any character that met their demise was just as likely to return the next week as they were to stay dead. And even when characters died and stayed dead, the actors or actresses just kept popping up like a bad burrito after a midnight bender. Ali Larter, who was an early star, ended up playing several characters on the show, and whether it was an iron clad contract or something else going on, she just refused to go away.

To compound the issue, there were several characters made with such powerful abilities that it almost detracted from the show. Claire Bennett (as portrayed by Hayden Panitteire) had the ability to heal and never be harmed. She was the only one like that, until season two introduced a new character named Adam Monroe with the same ability. Sylar then took the same ability from Claire, and thus became invincible. And Peter Petrelli borrowed that ability to prevent himself from being blown to smithereens at the end of season one. You get the point – nobody was dying on this show.

Beyond the characters who refused to die were the plethora of actors and actresses that the writers just continuously introduced into the show’s plot. Heroes, like Lost and other large cast shows, depends on the audience getting to know and love the characters, identifying with them, picking out their favorites, and then rooting for them as the show goes on. But with Heroes, as the seasons moved forward a new character was seemingly introduced with every episode. Fans got tired of all the new faces popping up, and the writing for the established characters started to suffer. Instead of focusing on the 10 to 12 major characters introduced in season one, the Heroes writers added new people constantly, and most of them were painfully annoying, so much so that fans would scream to the rooftops for the show to get rid of them. Even when they brought in solid actors like Zeljko Ivanek, the producers couldn’t seem to find the right role for them to play.

The next nail in Heroes coffin came by way of arguably their most popular character. Remember earlier when I was talking about Zachary Quinto’s spot-on performance as psycho killer villain Sylar? Well, he did such a good job playing the role that fans flocked to that character more than any other singular person on the show. The end of season one was supposed to bring about Sylar’s demise at the end of Hiro Nakamura’s blade, but alas when fans love a character that much, stabbed or not, he’s coming back.

Sylar was brought back for every following season, and dabbled in being a good guy, a very bad guy, a kind of neutral guy, and consequently never quite found his true footing. The writers just never seemed to grasp the character for what he truly was – a villain. People happened to like him as a bad guy, much like Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

Sylar’s multiple random character arcs were just one of the plot problems that created the next major issue with Heroes post-season. Basic storytelling was also an issue. Beginning with season two, the writers didn’t seem to have much direction, and when you finally figured out which way they were headed it took them forever to actually get there. Much like a long car ride with your great Aunt Matilda who smells like mothballs, and pretends she doesn’t have bad gas, Heroes took an innordinately long time to get to the point and by the end of the road you just wanted out of the car. Because the first season was essentially one giant story arc that culminated in the finale, apparently the writer’s felt every subsequent season had to go in the exact same manner.

Perhaps a good example of how Heroes might have better approached their story arcs can be seen on “Smallville.” Currently wrapping up their tenth and final season, Smallville has had the same sort of grand climax in every season of their show as well. But interlaced with each episode or every couple episodes is another story that can be viewed in just those couple of hours so it remains satisfying to the casual viewer. The final battle or final storyline still comes together at the end, but Smallville has the knack of giving each episode its own life, while still adding a little bit more to the bigger story along the way.

Heroes alternately moved at a snail’s pace, or took the story in so many directions that by the end of an epsiode the audience was simply going WTF?. Show runner Tim Kring even admitted after season two that he probably should have moved the stories along much quicker, and would try to repair that for future seasons. It worked somewhat in part of season three, but failed again in season 4. The plotlines were so long and drawn out – and yet hollow in nature – that just about everyone tuned out by the time the show came to a close in February 2010. At this point, just over 4 million people viewed the final episode, a stark contrast to the 15 million plus that tuned in regularly for season one.

Heroes seemed like a can’t miss hit, especially after a critically acclaimed and award winning initial season. Like a band with a great first album who never gets that second hit, Heroes simply never got back to form. The show tried bringing back old writers while firing new writers to try and gain their mojo back, but nothing worked and the show went from being a powerhouse to a puttering mess. The sad thing is season one may still be one of the best 23-episodes of television ever produced, but with each sequential season the show just fell apart.

The Heroes are fallen, and they will likely never be resurrected again. The death of the show at least guarantees that the characters will finally stay down for good – although never count out Sylar popping up as a special guest to kill off somebody on 30 Rock (or SNL?). It could happen. Still, fans can appreciate the great moments in season one, and the periodically great moments scattered throughout the remaining three seasons.

All four seasons of Heroes are now available for purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

I’ve been a film fan my entire life. For me, the television was always a way for me to view my favorite films on home video. But lately I find myself hooked on a number of amazing television series that not only exceed my expectations, but provide a more satisfying experience than actually going to the movies. Over the last year or so, I’ve seen shows like Heroes and Entourage and Flight of the Conchords and Battlestar Galactica on HD in my makeshift home theater and the odds that I’ll have a good time are much better than taking a risk on the latest multiplex offerings. Sometimes the joy in seeing a bad movie is in picking apart that movie, but films of late have seemed so out of touch, so less-than-spectacular, so meh, that I’d rather just check my Tivo or rent a season of television on DVD, and settle into my couch to continue to make that reverse impression of my behind.

This is not just the Golden Age, we might as well rename this period marked by a plethora of quality television as the "Platinum Age of TV."

This shift in my media consumption has led me to the conclusion that currently the best television programs are much better than the best movies. There, I said it. And it’s a tough thing for me to admit being a lifelong movie guy. I know this will spark much debate, but I’d like to present my case with the following evidence.

The theatrical experience is miserable while home theaters are affordable.
Fact: Rude jackasses talking during movies was only the beginning, now more people are treating the movie theater like their living rooms. Cell phone use has virtually destroyed the enjoyment of experiencing a movie on the big screen. There are only a few movie theaters in Los Angeles that have no tolerance policies toward those bright lights that pop up as people mindlessly take calls or text during films. When one considers the cost of an evening at the movies (ticket prices, refreshments, parking, babysitter if needed), it makes the cost of a home theater system seem within reach. If the average movie night costs about $80, you need to stay home only nine times to save enough to buy a 37” widescreen HD TV for about $700.

The cell phone has practically killed the movie theater experience... while home theaters are more affordable than ever.

TV on DVD currently outsell hit movies on DVD.
Fact: Visiting the shelves of video stores, as a category, the television section has grown beyond one aisle. And you’ll find even the most obscure old series available in boxed sets with tons of extras. And you may even find yourself interested in checking out what’s on the special features for The Beverly Hillbillies Ultimate Collection Volume 1 & 2 which includes unedited episodes, commercial promos, rare behind-the-scenes, and the pilot that never aired. Or not, but that’s just an example of the lengths to which television is being repurposed on DVD. Video business trade publications support this, but one need only check Amazon.com to observe that of the top 10 selling DVDs, eight are television shows and the top four consist of Grey's Anatomy - The Complete Third Season, The Office - Season Three, Heroes - Season One, and Smallville - The Complete Sixth Season.

Which group of heroes would you prefer to watch? The movies' Fantastic Four or televisions' Heroes?

Movies have become formulaic while TV is original.
Fact: The summer movie season is known for its batch of both good and bad films, but all of them consist of either sequels, remakes, TV shows made into movies, comic books or generally films based on previously known properties and/or franchises. So, if it’s not going to be familiar with a wide audience, studios are reluctant to back films that are original. Conversely, television is now the place where originality thrives.

Televisions' Battlestar Galactica proves that science fiction can be intelligent. When was the last time a sci-fi movie was able to explore serious issues?

The movie audience is shrinking.
Fact: Television continues to thrive as consumers either watch TV, Tivo TV, download TV or buy TV on DVD. And while the Nielson ratings support that the pie continues to break down into smaller pieces, when one includes other ways in which viewers get their TV fix, the audience is growing. The reverse is true when it comes to movie-going. George Lucas visited the campus of USC last year for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in which he pointed out that the movie audience is indeed shrinking. While the studios make bold statements regarding bigger and bigger box-office numbers, when one adjusts for inflation, fewer people are going to the movies each year.

Televisions' Jack Bauer from 24 and Jason Bourne from the Bourne film series both deliver compelling action.

Movies are made by committee. While television remains a writers’ medium which leads to better storytelling.
Fact: Film scripts written by screenwriters who toiled for years are bought by studios who quickly fire the original writer and hire a new one to rewrite the script, and this process of rewrites continues with notes coming from all departments of the studio including marketing. And worse, a screenwriter who gets a film made every three years should be considered lucky, some wait as long as seven years or more to see their work on the big screen. Useful feedback from audiences in the form of box-office or reviews, which can contribute toward developing a talented screenwriter, comes too late in the process to be of any value. While television writers are also subjected to studio notes, the original writers are part of a writing staff that oversees the integrity of the script. The goal is that there be consistent storytelling, which is especially important for any episodic series. The writing process for television leads to a healthier development environment resulting in better programming all around. Simply, writers get respect on TV and that means the shows are better.

TV Producers are the new Hollywood movie success stories.
Fact: Because TV writer/producers exercise their writing muscles on a regular basis by producing hundreds of hours of content, they develop into much better writers. By getting constant feedback from regular viewing audiences in the form of ratings and inevitable forum rants, their quality creative output increases. The stories of successful television-to-film crossovers include writer/producers such as J.J. Abrams (Mission Impossible III) to Judd Apatow (40 Year-Old Virgin, Superbad, Knocked Up) to Joss Whedon (Serenity). In fact, they’ve become the most sought after by the studios to deliver the latest summer movie epics such as J.J. Abrams upcoming reinvention of Star Trek.

While most would agree that the movie-going experience has deteriorated, would you pay $10 to watch two hours of Lost?

There remains one big question: Would you pay money to see TV at the movie theater? As an experiment, I’d love to see a special episode of Heroes or Lost open in theaters while still showing on TV. Imagine this scenario: The season finale of Lost will screen unedited in a limited number of movie theaters across the country for one week before that episode actually airs on television. It would be a great way to connect with fellow fans in the audience. For me, knowing the fate of the Lost cast, if only for a week, would be worth the price of admission.

Would you pay to see TV at the movies? If you paid to see The Simpsons Movie, then the answer must be "yes."

Gore gone.

Chris_Gore will return after these messages. And you can watch more of this debate, ironically, on television.