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Is the show really in danger?

Yesterday I mentioned the firing of exec-producers Jeph Loeb and Jesse Alexander.  Part of the reason for that was to cut on costs.  It seems that because there is such a huge cast and all the special FXs used, Heroes has become a costly show.  Each episode is costing the network over $4 million.  Since Loeb and Alexander have been with the show since the first season, you can imagine what their salaries must have been.

As far as the ratings go, each episode seems to be getting just over 10 million viewers each week.  Variety reports that this is down 21%.  Someone mentioned in the forums that maybe this drop is because some people like to wait until the DVDs to watch the episodes in one sitting.  This could be a factor.  I also say that because the last season ended in December, some viewers might have lost interest in the nine months in between.

Some insiders feel that Tim Kring gave too much responsiblity to other writers (like Loeb and Alexander) but he plans on dealing with that.

Kring has assured NBC and Universal Media Studios brass that he intends to focus on simplifying what's been criticized, even by ardent fans, as an overly complex storytelling structure to get back to the show's comicbookish good vs. evil themes and to emphasize character development more than plot twists.

I've been liking this season for the most part.  I do agree that there are a couple storylines that could be tweaked out.  It sometimes feel things are dragging on just a little bit.  Where as I find it a little interesting seeing Claire trying to take on the baddies on her own, do we really need long drawn out sequences dealing with it?  That could be an example of a subplot that isn't really necessary.  Plus, she should still be in school.  It's cool seeing the different powered bad guys but that's probably adding to the budget for each episode.

What do you think?  Is the show in danger?  Could this lead into Heroes getting canceled after this season?  I guess you better make sure you and your friends are watching.