Post by Forever Xena on Nov 6, 2006 11:37:15 GMT -6
Heroes' to the rescue
Geeky sounding series comes from behind to become a surprise hit
By BILL BRIOUX -- Toronto Sun
Ali Larter plays a "homicidal savage" on the new NBC sries Heroes.
What is the No. 1 series in the U.S. this fall among 18-34-year olds? Lost? The Simpsons? Grey's Anatomy?
The surprise answer is Heroes, the rookie drama that is fast becoming the breakout hit of the 2006-07 season.
Heroes (9 p.m. on Global, NBC) is also the No. 1 new series in both the U.S. and Canada. Here it ranked No. 15 overall the week of Oct. 23-29, with 1.34 million viewers nationally. (The next highest-rated rookie in Canada that week was Justice at No. 29.) In Toronto, Heroes was the 10th most-watched show overall, ahead of such established hits as Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU. Over 14.4 million tuned in last week in the U.S.
Few critics had this on their hit list in September. It was too dark, too nerdy and too filled with no-name, international cast members. How could it connect?
SMART, ORIGINAL SERIES
Wrong, comic-book breath. Heroes is smart, original, unpredictable and just damn compelling television. In a fall littered with too many failed serial dramas, Heroes has found a way to not only seize an audience but keep them hooked.
The plot is super simple: After a total eclipse, a group of individuals all over the world come to realize that they have powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men and women. The series speaks to a desire among ordinary people to effect change -- in the environment, in the global community, in neighbourhoods -- where politicians and others have failed. More than ever today, we need heroes -- and wouldn't it be great if they all sprang from the community?
Chief among these unlikely heroes is Hiro (Masi Oka), a Japanese office worker who comes to realize he can control time, running it backwards and forwards at will. Hiro is easily this fall's most original new character. Until recently, he spoke only Japanese (translated into English through subtitles). Yet he was utterly relatable as a nerd who loved Star Trek and whose first impulse when he learns of his powers was to cash in as a gambler.
He's also a welcome bit of comedy relief in a pretty intense drama. What is surprising to learn is that Hiro was a complete afterthought, tossed into the mix at the last second by executive producer Tim Kring (Crossing Jordan).
The other cool thing about this series as it unfolds is how neatly it all seems to be coming together. Unlike Six Degrees, the new J.J. Abrams drama that was supposed to show how seemingly random lives are interconnected, Heroes really pulls it off.
FORM HEROES LEAGUE
Last week, Hiro came back from the future to tell Peter (Gilmore Girls' Milo Ventimiglia) to "save the cheerleader, save the world." (A reference to Claire Bennet, a Texas girl who can heal instantly played by Hayden Penettiere.) That seems to be the rallying cry for all these superheroes in training, who, by the end of this season, are going to form some sort of Mutant-X-ish Justice League.
Among them are Peter's older brother Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) a congressional candidate who can fly. Tonight, Nathan and his wife Heidi (Melrose Place's Rena Sofer) brainstorm on how to win the congressional election (an event that really takes place in the States tomorrow!). Then there is Isaac (Santiago Cabrerra), a New York painter who can sketch the future -- whenever he is high on heroin.
FULL-BLOODED CHARACTERS
While essentially a big-budget comic-book series, all the actors play their characters as flesh and blood, three-dimensional people. Some seem four-dimensional: Ali Larter (My So-Called Life) plays Niki, a Vegas webcam stripper who may be more of a threat to her child prodigy son (Noah Gray-Cabey) than her jailbird hubby. Her superpower: She has an alternate personality, Jessica, a homicidal savage.
Adding to the delight each week is how the casting mixes fresh faces with "that dude from that series." Tonight, '70s action hero Richard Roundtree (Shaft) guests. Cool!
Thank a refreshingly international cast for bringing such a heightened sense of realism to such a fantasy series. Races mix and intermingle, just like they do at a Brampton mall or a Toronto subway stop. Heroes looks just like the real big city world, which makes the premise just that much more intriguing -- and this series just that much more heroic.
Geeky sounding series comes from behind to become a surprise hit
By BILL BRIOUX -- Toronto Sun
Ali Larter plays a "homicidal savage" on the new NBC sries Heroes.
What is the No. 1 series in the U.S. this fall among 18-34-year olds? Lost? The Simpsons? Grey's Anatomy?
The surprise answer is Heroes, the rookie drama that is fast becoming the breakout hit of the 2006-07 season.
Heroes (9 p.m. on Global, NBC) is also the No. 1 new series in both the U.S. and Canada. Here it ranked No. 15 overall the week of Oct. 23-29, with 1.34 million viewers nationally. (The next highest-rated rookie in Canada that week was Justice at No. 29.) In Toronto, Heroes was the 10th most-watched show overall, ahead of such established hits as Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU. Over 14.4 million tuned in last week in the U.S.
Few critics had this on their hit list in September. It was too dark, too nerdy and too filled with no-name, international cast members. How could it connect?
SMART, ORIGINAL SERIES
Wrong, comic-book breath. Heroes is smart, original, unpredictable and just damn compelling television. In a fall littered with too many failed serial dramas, Heroes has found a way to not only seize an audience but keep them hooked.
The plot is super simple: After a total eclipse, a group of individuals all over the world come to realize that they have powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men and women. The series speaks to a desire among ordinary people to effect change -- in the environment, in the global community, in neighbourhoods -- where politicians and others have failed. More than ever today, we need heroes -- and wouldn't it be great if they all sprang from the community?
Chief among these unlikely heroes is Hiro (Masi Oka), a Japanese office worker who comes to realize he can control time, running it backwards and forwards at will. Hiro is easily this fall's most original new character. Until recently, he spoke only Japanese (translated into English through subtitles). Yet he was utterly relatable as a nerd who loved Star Trek and whose first impulse when he learns of his powers was to cash in as a gambler.
He's also a welcome bit of comedy relief in a pretty intense drama. What is surprising to learn is that Hiro was a complete afterthought, tossed into the mix at the last second by executive producer Tim Kring (Crossing Jordan).
The other cool thing about this series as it unfolds is how neatly it all seems to be coming together. Unlike Six Degrees, the new J.J. Abrams drama that was supposed to show how seemingly random lives are interconnected, Heroes really pulls it off.
FORM HEROES LEAGUE
Last week, Hiro came back from the future to tell Peter (Gilmore Girls' Milo Ventimiglia) to "save the cheerleader, save the world." (A reference to Claire Bennet, a Texas girl who can heal instantly played by Hayden Penettiere.) That seems to be the rallying cry for all these superheroes in training, who, by the end of this season, are going to form some sort of Mutant-X-ish Justice League.
Among them are Peter's older brother Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) a congressional candidate who can fly. Tonight, Nathan and his wife Heidi (Melrose Place's Rena Sofer) brainstorm on how to win the congressional election (an event that really takes place in the States tomorrow!). Then there is Isaac (Santiago Cabrerra), a New York painter who can sketch the future -- whenever he is high on heroin.
FULL-BLOODED CHARACTERS
While essentially a big-budget comic-book series, all the actors play their characters as flesh and blood, three-dimensional people. Some seem four-dimensional: Ali Larter (My So-Called Life) plays Niki, a Vegas webcam stripper who may be more of a threat to her child prodigy son (Noah Gray-Cabey) than her jailbird hubby. Her superpower: She has an alternate personality, Jessica, a homicidal savage.
Adding to the delight each week is how the casting mixes fresh faces with "that dude from that series." Tonight, '70s action hero Richard Roundtree (Shaft) guests. Cool!
Thank a refreshingly international cast for bringing such a heightened sense of realism to such a fantasy series. Races mix and intermingle, just like they do at a Brampton mall or a Toronto subway stop. Heroes looks just like the real big city world, which makes the premise just that much more intriguing -- and this series just that much more heroic.
Source Jam television