Why You Should Watch NBC's "Heroes"

Why You Should Watch NBC’s “Heroes”
By Manny Otiko
Every fall a new crop of shows premiers and by Thanksgiving more than half of them are gone. But each year critics always look for that standout show that will become a hit. This year, in case you haven’t already noticed, NBC’s “Heroes” is that show.
“Heroes” is a serialized drama which follows the lives of a group of individuals who discover they each have unique super-human powers. But unlike your regular super hero fare, there is no spandex or secret identities. “Heroes” approaches the superhero genre from the point of view of ordinary people endowed with unusual gifts. The characters include Hiro Nakumara, a Japanese man who can bend time and space, Claire Bennet, a Texas high cheerleader who discovers she has become virtually indistructable, and Peter and Nathan Petrelli, brothers who can defy the laws of gravity. One of the weirdest characters is Niki Sanders, played by Ali Larter, a Las Vegas stripper who has a murderous alter ego.
Holding the heroes to together is Indian genetics professor Mohinder Suhresh, played by Sendhil Ramamurthy, who heads to New York City to investigate his father’s death. His father was a genetic professor who discovered a formula to help locate humans with extraordinary powers.
“Heroes” is like a lot of the new fall series in that it borrows heavily from the hit ABC show “Lost.” It has the same epic sweep to it, contains elements of science fiction and feature a huge cast. The first couple of episodes have shown promise as we try to discover what powers the heroes have. We also discover there is a conspiracy to either discover the heroes talents or harness them. We are not sure if the heroes are products of natural selection or the results of genetic manipulation by someone unknown government agency.
Being a TV show based on superheroes, “Heroes” also uses elements of the comic book genre. One of the heroes, Isaac Mendez, an artist with the gift of precognition, has the ability to create snapshots of the future when he is high. He publishes his work in the form of a comic book which also serves as a way to draw the heroes together.
“Heroes” is currently heading into its third episode and we are still discovering new characters. In an interesting storyline “Alias” veteran Greg Grunberg plays Matt Parkman, a LA cop who discovers he has psychic abilities. The show does a compelling job of showing how being able to read minds can be more of a curse than a gift. In the second episode, Parkman is bombarded with intrusive thoughts. His ability to discover a missing child is also greeted with suspicion and winds up him getting arrested.
“Heroes” has gotten off to a great start. The first episode’s ratings were so good that NBC has already renewed the show for a second season. It has the feel of a show that could go from strength to strength and the fact that it comes from the superhero genre means that it already has a built in legion of rabid fans. Clips off “Heroes” were premiered at Comic Con 06 in San Diego, the ultimate geek fest.
But “Heroes” is a solidly entertaining show. My only hope is the producers can keep the successful momentum going.