Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006. The series tells the stories of ordinary individuals from around the world who inexplicably develop superhuman abilities, and their roles in preventing disasters; usually foreseen in painted images from precognitive painters. 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. The series is produced by Universal Media Studios in association with Tailwind Productions, and it is filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California. The executive producers are Allan Arkush, Dennis Hammer, Greg Beeman and Tim Kring.
The critically acclaimed first season's run of 23 episodes garnered an average of 14.3 million viewers in the United States, receiving the highest rating for any NBC drama premiere in five years. The second season of Heroes attracted an average of 13.1 million viewers in the U.S., and marked NBC's sole series among the top 20 ranked programs in total viewership for the 2007-2008 season. A total of 24 episodes were ordered for the second season,[9] but only eleven episodes were broadcast, due to the 100-day strike by the Writers Guild of America. The dispute led to the initial postponement and eventual cancellation of a six episode spin-off titled Heroes: Origins. Heroes returned with its third season on September 22, 2008.
A digital-internet extension of the series, Heroes 360 Experience, later rebranded as Heroes Evolutions, was created to explore the Heroes universe and provides insight into the show's mythology. 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 of 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.
Heroes has garnered a number of awards and nominations. The series 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
Season One - Volume 1: Genesis
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 featured 23 episodes, which aired on Mondays at 9:00 pm in the United States, beginning on September 23, 2006. Season one consisted of Volume One, known as "Genesis". 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 volume 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 with these new abilities, each of the characters is drawn, willingly or unwillingly, into the Company's conspiracy to control superpowered people and into a race to stop an explosion from destroying New York City.
Season Two - Volume 2: Generations
Season two featured 11 out of a planned 24 episodes which aired on Mondays at 9:00 pm in the United States beginning on September 24, 2007. Only 11 out of the planned 24 episodes were made because of the WGA writers' strike. Season two consisted of the second volume in the series, titled "Generations". Season two ended with its finale on December 3, 2007. Volume two begins four months after the events of Kirby Plaza. 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. The "heroes" ultimately come together in an attempt to stop the release of a deadly strain of the virus and avert a global pandemic. Season 2 was originally going to consist of three volumes; however, because of the writer's strike, the season was redesigned to only encompass one volume called "Generations". 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. 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."
Season Three
Volume 3: Villains
Season three opened with two one-hour episodes, airing on Monday, September 22, 2008 in the United States.[26] The premiere of the third volume, "Villains", was preceded by a one-hour broadcast of the red carpet premiere, with clips from the past seasons and previews of the upcoming season, along with interviews with the series cast and crew. Volume Three began with the assassination attempt on Nathan Petrelli, and the consequences it has in the future. In addition, several villains escape from the confines of Level 5, and the Company attempts to recapture them. Arthur Petrelli awakens from a coma with the help of Adam Monroe's healing abilities and eventually gains a few of the villains (Flint Gordon Jr., Knox, and Daphne Millbrook) while later luring in Mohinder Suresh, Nathan, Tracy Strauss , Elle Bishop, and Sylar. Their objective is to create a formula to give people abilities but after many failures they soon realize they need to find the catalyst. Claire and elementary-challanged Hiro go back in time with Hiro being given the catalyst by his mother. This is short-lived when Arthur intervenes and grabs the catalyst. Afterwards, Peter Petrelli, The Haitian face off Arthur at Pinehearst where they fight for control of the formula. In the end, Arthur is shot dead by Peter's bullet through Sylar's telekinesis ability, saying he is the killer not Peter. Peter injects himself with the formula in order to save Nathan, who was on his fathers side. Ando is given the ability to charge other peoples abilities (which helped him grab Hiro from the past with the help of Daphne's super-speed ability); Claire, Noah Bennett, and Angela Petrelli fight off Sylar at Primatech in which Meredith's ability goes awry burning the building to the ground with Sylar presumably dead.
"Villains" was originally designed to be included within the second season; however, because of the writers' strike, the volume was carried over into season three. The lead-in to "Villains" showed Sylar regaining his lost powers, shown as the final scene of the "Generations" finale. Tim Kring said that the new volume would bring a cadre of villains to the show, hence the title. At the San Diego Comic-Con 2008 Kring screened the first part of the season opening episode of the "Villains" arc, entitled "The Second Coming", which was shown in its entirety at Comic-Con and received a positive response from fans.[28] Despite the success of the first two seasons, Villains received steadily declining ratings and less positive reviews.
Volume 4: Fugitives
Volume Four begins with Nathan Petrelli telling the president about the existence of posthumans. The president authorizes Nathan to capture heroes, and the majority of the main characters are rounded up, with the exception of Sylar, who escapes Nathan's agents while attempting to locate his biological father.
The name of Volume Four was revealed by Tim Kring at the 2008 Edinburgh TV Festival. "Fugitives" will make up the last 12 episodes of Season 3 and air from February 2 to April 20, 2009.[30][31]
Tim Molloy from TV Guide has reported that Heroes will return to its roots with "Fugitives" in an effort to attract new viewers and regain those who gave up on the show due to too many characters and plotlines. Tim Kring had said in a statement: "This volume starts us pretty much from scratch. There is almost nothing that the audience needs to know from the previous volume in order to follow the storyline." Molloy hopes the reboot will save the show from the declining ratings. Angela Bromstead, president of primetime entertainment at NBC, said the series was "very secure", but had not renewed it like The Office, 30 Rock, and The Biggest Loser. Bromstead had expressed her concern about whether the producers had strayed too far from its original focus: "ordinary people with extraordinary abilities," saying "They may have taken on too much in terms of characters and multiple storylines." The "Fugitives" story begins with the heroes trying to lead normal lives, until Claire discovers Nathan's plot to hunt down and capture everyone with abilities, while Sylar begins searching for his biological parents.
Emmy Award-winning Damages actor Ċ½eljko Ivanek will appear in a 10-episode arc as a character called "The Hunter
