TV
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy (Blind Guy Driving), Milo Ventimiglia (The Bedford Diaries), Adrian Pasdar (Judging Amy), Hayden Panettiere (Ice Princess), Ali Larter (Final Destination), Noah Gray-Cabey (My Wife & Kids), Leonard Roberts (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Santiago Cabrera (Empire), Tawny Cypress (Third Watch), Greg Grunberg (Alias), Masi Oka (Scrubs)
Airs: Mondays at 9pm on NBC
Timeslot competition: Justice (FOX), The Bachelor (ABC), Two and a Half Men / The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS), Girlfriends / The Game (The CW)
UK pickup? Sci Fi
Plot in a nutshell: People all over the world are starting to wake up with superhuman powers - unaware that the fate of mankind is in their hands.
What's it all about? All around the globe, seemingly ordinary people are starting to develop superhuman abilities. They don't know it yet but they will save the world - and change it forever. Among this group of 'heroes' are young doctor Peter Petrelli (Ventimiglia), who believes he can fly; Vegas cam girl Niki (Larter), who is experiencing strange things in her mirror; cop Matt Parker (Grunberg), who develops telepathic abilities; and young schoolgirl Claire Bennet (Panettiere), who is seemingly invincible.
Does it work? From reading the premise, you could be forgiven for thinking you've heard it all before. This is just The 4400 reworked for a broadcast network, right? Well, sort of. I'd always felt that the excellent idea behind that series was squandered by poor execution - but Heroes is now here to save the day. I cannot think of enough superlatives to convey how good this series is. Great plot, great cast, great writing. Just grrrrrrreat.
You'll like this if you liked... Lost, Surface
Chances of success: Lest it not be clear already, Heroes is great. But as many a cult fan knows, that doesn't necessarily translate to success of Lost proportions. And as I watched this, I couldn't help but get Surface alarm bells ringing in my head. There are a lot of similarities with the ill-fated NBC series of a similar timeslot but crucially in this case, it's a lot more together and a lot more accessible for the masses. Indeed, the early signs are encouraging - an average of 13 million viewers across the first three episodes makes it one of the few breakout shows of the new season. Let's just hope it keeps up the pace.
More: TV, USA: 2006-07 TV Previews
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Wendy, Birmingham, on December 12th, 2006
It is absolutely brilliant !! I have watched up to episode 11 as they are having a break in the US now til January. Would recommend it to anyone.
It is absolutely brilliant !! I have watched up to episode 11 as they are having a break in the US now til January. Would recommend it to anyone.
Darren, Gateshead, on October 17th, 2006
I have to agree about Heroes, after watching the first episode I was hooked and after 4 episodes I'm praying it doesn't go the 'Surface' route! Really interesting characters and great actors playing them and very slick movie-like look.
I have to agree about Heroes, after watching the first episode I was hooked and after 4 episodes I'm praying it doesn't go the 'Surface' route! Really interesting characters and great actors playing them and very slick movie-like look.
Personally, it's a little bit overrated. They quickly establish the ultimate aim of the first season very quickly, but they fail to capitalise on it and instead concentrate on how having their powers affects their lives. This leads to some hit-or-miss subplots--some are great, others not so great. For example, Niki's storyline isn't anywhere near as interesting as, say, Hiro's. That said, it's still a great way to pass time. Out of all the new 2006-2007 shows, this comes second in my books, beating Studio 60 and Jericho, but not Dexter.