Heroes (American TV series)

Heroes
File:Heroes title card.png Heroes title card
Created by	Tim Kring
Starring	Milo Ventimiglia Adrian Pasdar Masi Oka Hayden Panettiere Ali Larter Greg Grunberg Sendhil Ramamurthy Santiago Cabrera Leonard Roberts Noah Gray-Cabey Tawny Cypress Jack Coleman
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	53 (Season one:23 Season Two:24 Heroes Orgins:6) (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	42 minutes approx.
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 25, 2006 – present

Heroes is an American science fiction drama television series, created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006. The show tells the story of several people who "thought they were like everyone else... until they woke with incredible abilities" such as telepathy, time travel and flight. These people soon realize they have a role in preventing a catastrophe and saving mankind. The series follows the writing style of American comics with short, multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing arc. Even with small story arcs that move the story forward, Kring said "we have talked about where the show goes up to five seasons".

When the series premiered in the United States, it was the night's most-watched program among adults aged 18-49, attracting 14.3 million viewers overall and receiving the highest rating for any NBC drama premiere in five years. On October 6, 2006, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly announced Heroes had been picked up for a full season, and on January 17, 2007, Reilly announced Heroes had been picked up for a second season.. The second season of Heroes will consist of 24 episodes, and the first season of new spinoff Heroes: Origins will include 6 episodes.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in Heroes

The show features an ensemble cast of twelve main characters. Although NBC's cast page lists only ten characters, Leonard Roberts, who first appeared in the series' fifth episode, was an additional member of the original full-time cast. Later Jack Coleman was upgraded from a recurring role to become the twelfth full-time cast member as of "Fallout".

Volume 1: Genesis

The main cast, not all of whom have been shown to possess powers, consists of:

• Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman), more commonly referred to as "Mr. Bennet" or "the Man in Horn-Rimmed Glasses", a father who works for the Primatech Paper Company, which is actually a cover operation for an organization that investigates people with superhuman abilities.
• Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), Mr. Bennet's adopted daughter, a high school cheerleader who lives in Odessa, Texas, and has a healing factor.
• Simone Deveaux (Tawny Cypress), an art dealer and gallery owner whose skepticism and complicated romantic life are tested.
• D.L. Hawkins (Leonard Roberts), the husband of Niki and father of Micah, has the power to alter his physical tangibility and phase through solid objects, both organic and inorganic.
• Isaac Mendez (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.
• Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), a programmer from Tokyo with the ability to manipulate the space-time continuum.
• Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg), a Los Angeles police officer with the ability to hear other people's thoughts.
• Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar), a New York Congressional candidate with the ability of self-propelled flight.
• Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia), a former hospice nurse and Nathan's younger brother. He is an empath with the ability to absorb the powers of others he has been near and recall them.
• Micah Sanders (Noah Gray-Cabey), D.L. and Niki's son and a child prodigy, Micah is a technopath, allowing him to "talk" to electrical devices, which gives him control of machines and electronic devices.
• Niki Sanders (Ali Larter), the wife of D.L. and mother of Micah. A former internet stripper from Las Vegas who exhibits superhuman strength and an alternate personality who goes by the name of Jessica.
• Mohinder Suresh (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.

The main antagonist in season one is Sylar (Zachary Quinto), a serial killer who hunts super-powered individuals in order to take their abilities. Additionally, the first season slowly reveals who and what is responsible for a plot to destroy New York City. 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.

Plot

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. Like comic books, Heroes has large overall arcs and small arcs within the main arc. No matter what characters exist and what events make up a season, all seasons of Heroes will involve ordinary people who discover their abilities and their reactions to their self-discovery.

Each episode reveals new answers and questions and progresses the story and/or the characters. There is an overall arc of the first season that revolves around stopping an explosion of immense proportions that happens in the future. That arc is initially carried by two characters, Hiro Nakamura and Isaac Mendez, where the former saw the act in the future and the latter painted it from his visions.

The first four episodes of the first season primarily revolved around characters discovering their powers, dealing with the issues of normal life and coping with the consequences of their discovery.

At the end of the fourth episode, a smaller arc began with the message "Save the cheerleader, save the world", which is tied to the explosion already foreseen. By the end of that arc, the characters slowly discovered their abilities and the existence of others like them, and some of them even began to realize the need to come together to prevent a catastrophe.

As characters progress through the first season learning of others similar to them, the plot turns to the question of how the explosion seen in Hiro's trip to the future and Isaac's paintings will occur and what role the various characters will play to stop it or cause it.

Heroes: Origins

Main article: Heroes: Origins

On May 14th, NBC announced that during the fall of 2007, NBC will air a Heroes spinoff called Heroes: Origins. The spinoff will introduce a new character each week, and viewers will select which one stays for the following season. This spinoff is set for six episodes.

Recurring elements

Three elements appear repeatedly throughout the series: the helix, the scar and the eclipse. The scar appears to be man-made, but the circumstances surrounding the helix – its meaning and its manifestations – are a slowly-unraveling mystery.

The helix

File:HeroesSymbol.jpg

The helix

The helix is a symbol that appears quite frequently throughout the series. The helix symbol consists of an S shape from which three lines extend either to the left or the right. The "S" shape resembles a strand of RNA during transcription, which would make the lines extending outward the nucleotides during the transcription phase.

In episode 12 ("Godsend") the symbol appears on the sword hilt and Ando Masahashi remarks that it appears to be a combination of two Kanji characters: 才 (Sai) meaning "Great Talent" and 与 (Yo) meaning "Godsend". During an interview at the Wizard World in Los Angeles, writer and Co-Producer Aron Coleite stated that it literally means “God sending great ability.” Writer and co-executive producer Micheal Green stated that the writers know it as "the helix". This symbol frequently appears as a pattern formed by mundane objects, but it also recurs on certain plot-significant items and on several characters:

• On various paintings by Isaac Mendez.
• On Jessica's back whenever she surfaces as Niki's alternate personality. When Jessica is repressed, the symbol does not appear on Niki's back. This also appeared on a painting of "Jessica" by Isaac. The symbol was hidden under an extra layer of paint. Later on, Jessica hides the symbol (an apparent tattoo) under a layer of foundation makeup.
• On the hilt of a katana once owned by 17th century samurai Takezo Kensei, possibly the earliest known manifestation of the symbol. This katana is held by Hiro Nakamura.
• Printed on the front of Dr. Chandra Suresh's book, Activating Evolution. The symbol also appears on Chandra Suresh's genetic profiling program.
• As a logo for Primatech Paper, in "Company Man".
• On jewelry, most notably the Haitian's necklace and Hana Gitelman's earrings and ring.
• On a flag at the "Jittetsu Arms" shop in New York and on the shop's ad in the Yellow Pages.
• On the flag and katana of a samurai in 1671, witnessed by Hiro Nakamura in the episode "How to Stop an Exploding Man" during the preview for Volume Two: Generations.

The scar

A mark consisting of two black parallel lines has been shown around the neck areas of multiple super-powered characters. According to "Wireless, Part 4" and "How Do You Stop an Exploding Man, Part 1", the mark is the scar left by the two-pronged needle of a pneumatic injection device, which, as revealed in a biography of Hana Gitelman in the Heroes 360 experience, injects a radioisotope to allow tracking. All of the marked characters have had encounters with Mr. Bennet and/or the Haitian, and after their abductions they tend to find their powers stronger and easier to manifest. Only noticing the marks after these encounters, the following have displayed it:

• Matt Parkman
• Ted Sprague
• Hana Gitelman
• Claude
• Isaac Mendez

The eclipse

In addition to being the series logo, a solar eclipse has been a recurring image in the series itself, though a terrestrial eclipse (an eclipse in which the Earth covers the Sun, as viewed from some observation point away from the Earth) is used in the series' title sequence. So far, the solar eclipse has appeared as:

• The background of the title card of the series.
• A painting by Isaac Mendez.
• A "global event" in "Genesis".
• A future event referenced in a newspaper.
• A picture in Mohinder Suresh's apartment.
• The reflection of a light in a hospital waiting room in "Six Months Ago".
• An event during Hiro Nakamura's visit back to 17th century, Japan in How to Stop an Exploding Man

Reception

Critical acclaim

After completing half 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". Three days later on December 13, the Writers Guild of America nominated the program for "best new series" of 2007. 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. Neither the series nor the actor won; the show lost out to ABC's popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy and Oka lost to Jeremy Irons, who played Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester in Channel 4's Elizabeth I. Heroes won the award for Favorite New TV Drama at the 2007 People's Choice Awards. 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, but the show again lost to Grey's Anatomy. 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. The series won the award for "Best Network Television Series"; as well, Masi Oka and Hayden Panettiere won the awards they were nominated for.

The cast of Heroes was named in the 2006 Time Magazine's Person of the Year issue under "People Who Mattered". In Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald lift-out section, "The Guide", listed Heroes as one of the best shows to come in 2007. It was described as a "Modern twist of The Tomorrow People".

Ratings

USA TV Ratings

Heroes is NBC's top-rated scripted show for the 2006-2007 television season, and the most successful of the shows which debuted in that period. It ranked twenty-first in the ratings, with an average of 14.3 million viewers in the United States.

Production notes

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. This allows the writing team to finish scripts faster so the filming crew can shoot more scenes at a location.

A special 72-minute version of the pilot was first screened to a large audience at the 2006 Comic Con in San Diego.. Initially it was reported that this unaired pilot would not be released, however Tim Kring confirmed in a subsequent interview that it will be included on the first season DVD set.

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! comicbook on the show is also the work of Sale. 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.

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

Each week that the show airs NBC releases a Heroes Webcomic. The comics give additional character background and plot information not shown in the television episodes. These graphic novels will continue on what is believed to be a weekly basis during the show's summer hiatus.

Heroes 360 experience

Main article: Heroes 360 experience

Heroes 360 experience is a digital extension of the series released on January 19, 2007 and which explores the Heroes universe. Viewers can investigate clues from the show on the official website.

International broadcasters

Heroes is broadcast on the following stations around the world.

Country or Region	Network(s)	Series premiere	Weekly schedule
Arab world	Showseries 1	April 4, 2007	Wednesdays 11:00 p.m.
Asia Bangladesh Brunei Hong Kong† India Indonesia Macau Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Nepal Pakistan Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand	Star World	January 31, 2007	Wednesdays 8:00 p.m. (THAI/WIB Time) 9:00 p.m. (HK/SIN Time)
		September 2007 (Philippines)	TBA
Australia	Seven Network	January 31, 2007	Wednesday 8:30 pm.
Belgium	VT4 (Dutch)	March 5, 2007	Mondays 8:30 p.m.
	RTL-TVi (French)	April 22, 2007	Mondays 9:10 p.m.
Brazil	Rede Record	July 3, 2007	TBA
Canada	Global Television Network	September 25, 2006	Mondays 8:00 p.m.
	NBC		Mondays 9:00 p.m.
Denmark	Canal+	February 7, 2007	Wednesdays 10:00 p.m.
Finland	Canal+	February 7, 2007	Wednesdays 11:00 p.m.
	MTV3	Fall, 2007	TBA
France	TF1	June 30, 2007	Saturdays 8:50 p.m.
Germany	RTL II	2007	TBA
Hong Kong	TVB Pearl	June, 2007	TBA
Hungary	TV2	March 4, 2007	Wednesdays 10:00 p.m.
Iceland	Skjár 1	January 2007	Mondays 9:00 p.m.
Ireland	Channel 6	March 1, 2007	Thursdays 9:30 p.m.
Israel	yes stars 2	March 6 ,2007	Tuesdays 9:30 p.m.
Italy	Italia 1	September, 2007	TBA
Latin America Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Ecuador Mexico Panama Peru Venezuela Dominican Republic	Universal Channel	March 2, 2007	Fridays 9:00 p.m.
Mexico	Universal Channel	March 2, 2007	Fridays 9:00 p.m.
	Canal 5	May 14, 2007	Mondays 9:00 p.m.
Netherlands	RTL 5	June 21 2007	Thursdays 09:30 p.m. Sundays 11:30 p.m. (R)
Norway	Canal+ Film1	February 7, 2007	Wednesdays 10:00 p.m. Saturdays 10:30 p.m. (R)
New Zealand	TV3	January 15, 2007	Mondays 9:30 p.m.
Philippines	RPN 9	March 11, 2007	Sundays 8:00 p.m.
	Crime/Suspense	May 28, 2007	Mondays 9:00 p.m.
Poland	TVP1	May 17, 2007	Thursdays 8:15 p.m. and 9:20 p.m
Portugal	TVI	April 14 2007	Saturdays 2:00 p.m.
Puerto Rico	Televicentro	May 27 2007	Sundays 8:00 p.m.
South Africa	SABC3	May 23, 2007	Wednesdays 8:30 p.m.
Spain	Sci Fi	February 1, 2007	Thursdays 10:00 p.m.
	TV Canaria	February 28, 2007	Wednesdays 9:00 p.m.
	AragonTV	March, 2007	Sundays 09:45 p.m.
	Telemadrid	February 15, 2007	Thursdays 10:00 p.m.
	7RM	March 15, 2007	Thursdays 10:00 p.m.
	TV3	May 2, 2007	Wednesdays 9:40 p.m.
	Canal 9	March 21, 2007	Wednesdays 10:00 p.m.
	RTPA	April 12, 2007	Thursdays 10:00 p.m.
Sweden	Canal+	February 7, 2007	Wednesdays 10:00 p.m.
	TV4	Autumn 2007	TBA
Switzerland	TSR1	June 19, 2007	Tuesdays
Turkey	CNBC-e	March 4, 2007	Sundays 9:00 p.m.
United Kingdom	Sci Fi Channel	February 19, 2007	Mondays 10:00 p.m.
	BBC Two	July, 2007	TBA
United States	NBC	September 25, 2006	Mondays 9:00 p.m.
	Sci-Fi Channel		Fridays 7:00 p.m.
United States Military overseas	AFN-Prime	January 2, 2007	Tuesdays 7:00 p.m.

• In a January 3, 2007 interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Masi Oka said he heard "rumors" recently that Japan would soon be airing the series as well.

• The BBC have announced they acquired the exclusive rights to the second season of Heroes to be shown in the UK, even though they have yet to show the first, ending the first run showing on the Sci Fi Channel after the first season.

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 regards to a scene that appeared in "Genesis", the pilot episode, where a character reaches into an active garbage disposal unit—labeled "In-Sink-Erator"—to retrieve a ring, and severely injures her hand in the process. Emerson claims the scene "casts the disposer in an unsavory light, irreparably tarnishing the product" by suggesting serious injuries will 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 Web site and has 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.

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.

The episode in question was briefly unavailable in the iTunes Store, but an edited version was shortly made available for download.

DVD release

DVD name	Release date	No. of episodes	No. of discs
Season 1	US: August 28, UK: December 20, 2007	23	7

The regular DVD set is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with English Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. Extras will include audio commentaries, the original un-aired pilot episode with optional commentary, deleted scenes, a making of featurette, a special effects featurette, and a stunts featurette.[1]

An HD-DVD set will also be available. It will include all of the above, along with additional material (PIP video commentaries, a Genetic Abilities test, and more). The regular DVD set will include similar additional material.

External links

• Heroes on NBC - Heroes Official site
• 9th Wonders - Semi-official site from Heroes creator Tim Kring
• Heroes Wiki - Official Heroes Wiki at NBC
• Sci-Fi UK Official site
• Heroes at IMDb