Articles Says HEROES may do better elsewhere; not the best

Hero · 09-23-2006, 03:02 AM

The writer from the Seattle Post Intelligencer has gotten to see the 1st three eps (which was known from the 90-minute conference call last week) and had some views to share:

Quote:

New series aren't positioned to succeed

By MELANIE McFARLAND

Right show, wrong place.

Happens every fall season across broadcast television. Perfectly decent series are born to the wrong parents, resulting in audience neglect and, finally, cancellation.

Still, some manage to buck the odds. Others find a decent fit and extended life on another venue, which could be the fate for NBC's "HEROES."

One look is enough to tell that this series is going to have it tough. It's a moving comic book more than anything, one about regular people developing superhuman abilities who are destined to play a role in averting a mushroom cloud-shaped Armageddon.

In short, this is a series for people who watch "The 4400" or "The Dead Zone" on USA Network or, really, anything on Sci Fi. Either channel would be a better fit. Since NBC Universal owns Sci Fi and USA, the suits may come to the same conclusion; everything comes down to budget and ratings.

Perhaps we're being pessimistic here, because "HEROES" might be an easier sell if viewers don't think of it as "X-Men Lite" as much as "The X-Files" from the file subjects' points of view. Tim Kring's creation doesn't match the depth or charisma of that Fox classic in the first three episodes, but if you don't take it too seriously, it can be tremendous fun in a Saturday matinee kind of way.

Understanding that ahead of time is crucial, or else the bloated seriousness of the series' opening crawl, which refers to the initial episodes as "volume one" of an "epic tale," might make you gag. We meet a few burgeoning supers straightaway, including Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia), a man with vivid dreams that he can fly, and who is dismissed by his politician brother, Nathan (Adrian Pasdar); Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), a fast-healing high school cheerleader; and the character that probably sold the whole shebang, Niki Sanders (Ali Larter), a stripper who has what can only be described as a mirror identity. Future episodes bring us more extraordinary people, including a cop (Greg Grunberg) and a supercriminal (Leonard Roberts).

An Indian genetics professor, Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) seeks them out in New York, spurred by his dead father's evolutionary theories. Others have more nefarious purposes for finding them, because you can't have superhumans without a government conspiracy.

Some may find "HEROES" a touch dark for prime-time tastes, and at times it's shockingly gruesome. But what might make you balk instead is the shallowness with which Kring ("Crossing Jordan") and colleagues write some of these characters, primarily Claire. Nobody in the series has an alternate identity, but after a few "Perils of Pauline" moments, you'll be calling this cheerleader Accident Girl.

Another character, Hiro (Masi Oka) could make up for many of those flaws. Hiro can bend space and time, making him crucial in the doomsday crusade. Where others react to their newfound powers with sorrow or angst, he revels in them. But the cheerful, round-faced Tokyo salaryman (and "Star Trek" fiend) only speaks Japanese, translated by subtitles. This is a little risky; subtitles don't tend to play well on TV. Incorporating this character is the smartest thing Kring could have done, though.

He's the main reason to hope "Heroes" snags more than hard-core geeks. As Hiro tells a doubting friend, "Every 10-year-old wishes he had superpowers." There are very few American adults who haven't had the "would you rather fly or be invisible" debate with pals after a few beers, so have a sliver of faith that "HEROES" will prevail.

Tim Kring was talking about syndication considerations in the article referred to here, but this article made it seem like syndication is the safety net for this show.

Gee, give people a few advance episodes and they can be a buzzkill! :x What is the writer's credentials? Anyone can be a critic...

Super Ordinary Guy · 09-23-2006, 03:29 AM

He's going to get a lot of nasty emails from Claire fans. Apparently this person just doesn't care much for anything Sci-Fi. That was the underlying tone of the excerpt. "What's Sci-Fi doing on a major network!? They should toss it to cable where weird people will enjoy it." Okay, so I may be a bit harsh on this critic's ideals, but he was a bit harsh on the show. Anyway, good catch on this, Hero.

Hero · 09-23-2006, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Ordinary Guy

He's going to get a lot of nasty emails from Claire fans. Apparently this person just doesn't care much for anything Sci-Fi. That was the underlying tone of the excerpt. "What's Sci-Fi doing on a major network!? They should toss it to cable where weird people will enjoy it." Okay, so I may be a bit harsh on this critic's ideals, but he was a bit harsh on the show. Anyway, good catch on this, Hero.

Harsh enough to call the critic a "he"! That's just mean. :wink:

Super Ordinary Guy · 09-23-2006, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hero

Harsh enough to call the critic a "he"! That's just mean. :wink:

Have you seen the ladies of the Northwest!

theultimatehero · 09-23-2006, 12:15 PM

I gotta say that's one of the things I worry about liking big 4 network shows. They demand the show do so well so fast that when they don't they pull them so fast. Kind of like what happened to Threshold, one of my favorite shows. I hope Heroes picks up steam fast...