It’s amazing what a difference numbers make. Take the SciFi Channel, for example. In the US, with its massive population, even a specialist channel can get the viewer numbers and revenue to not only show first run genre programmes but also produce some of the best original series on any network. By this I am of course referring to BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
Here in the UK the SciFi channel is very much the poor relation. Sure they show some of the best genre series made but they are usually such old repeats that most of the fans have seen them and/or bought the DVDs to watch them ad free at their leisure. The other problem has been it can only be seen on cable or satellite, and until recently only on the more expensive packages, although this has change recently, at least for NTL customers. This is great news because, in somewhat of a coup, the SciFi Channel has secured the first rights to one of the biggest shows in the States at the moment, HEROES. Not only have they beaten the other networks, but also it will be airing before the first season finishes in the US.
So what is it about HEROES that has been generating so much excitement? Think of it as THE 4400 goes to Sunnydale and gets LOST on the way, with a dose of MUTANT X thrown in for good measure. The show is the brainchild of Tim Kring (creator of CROSSING JORDAN and producer of CHICAGO HOPE), who has devised another of those multi-threaded, ensemble-cast shows that are popular at the moment. HEROES is the stories of ten characters, most of whom are discovering they have special powers and how their lives are connected.
It starts off in India with a young genetics professor, Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy), hearing that his father has died in the New York. Knowing about his father research and theories about people around the globe evolving with special powers he suspects foul play and goes to find out more. As the pilot and second episode unfold (showing on SciFi Channel February 19) we are introduced to all the main characters:
Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia), a young male nurse, who has vivid dreams of flying around New York, in the company of his brother Nathan (Adrian Pasdar), an ambitious and pragmatic politician standing for election. Peter takes care of a dying man whose daughter, Simone Deveaux (Tawny Cypress) runs an art gallery. Her boyfriend is an artist and heroin addict, Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera) whose visionary paintings and comics hold a vital clue to the future of the show.
Nikki Sanders (Ali Larter) is a single mother, with a young mixed race son, Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) who works as an online stripper. She gives a whole new meaning to split personality, and Micah knows a thing or two as well. The boy’s father, D.L. Hawkins (Leonard Roberts), is on the run from the law having twice escaped custody.
Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) is a high school cheerleader in Odessa, Texas who is more indestructible than the jocks she supports. Her adoptive father is somewhat of a shady character, of the government spook variety, who keeps showing up around some of the other Heroes.
Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) is a beat cop with aspirations of becoming a detective but his dyslexia means he can’t pass the exams, but when he starts hearing other people’s thoughts and rescues a child the FBI become interested in him.
And finally, Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) is a Tokyo salary slave and all round comic and sci-fi geek who is convinced he has super powers. Then he discovers he can stop time and teleport himself. Hiro is the coolest character of the show, probably because he is the one most of the audience will immediately identify with.
So that’s the main line up for the show. As each episode unfolds we find out more about the characters and their powers and their various relationships as their lives cross paths, without the knowledge of each other’s potential. Although these coincidences seem a little contrived at times, they work well within the context of the story. In some of the early episodes the dialogue comes across as a bit clunky but it improves as the series progresses and the characters develop. Writing great dialogue for television is never easy, especially with such a large and varied cast and there are few that can match Joss Whedon. Where the show does excel is in production values, and its use of special effects that are both subtle and spectacular at the same time. And finally the show does what very few series do these days; it always ends with a great cliffhanger so you want to watch the next episode.
For all you people out there with satellite and cable should tune in and catch HEROES when it launches on February 19 at 10 pm, and give the SciFi Channel the ratings boost it needs to get more great shows for us to watch. For those of you that don’t, it will be showing on BBC later in the year, then there will be the inevitable DVD release, which is probably the best way to see it, free from ads and with all the episodes to hand so you don’t have to wait a week to find out what happens next.
Once the show airs we’ll bring you a weekly update on each episode.
We have two press packs, signed by Sendhil Ramamurthy, to give away. Go to the competitions section of the forum for full details.
Watch the trailer here. (Mac users should download Flip4Mac to view Windows Media in QuickTime.) Broadband (or lots of patience) required.
Download the comics created to enhance the story of each of the episodes here. They are PDF files of around 15Mb each.