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Added by G-Man on April 23, 2009
It looks like NBC's plan to try to make HEROES better is to shorten the season. Are they trying to save us from having to sit through a bunch of bad episodes? What they are really looking at is taking the approach that ABC and Fox have done with LOST and 24. Less episodes run closer together, with less gaps. With 24, you get a new episode for twenty-four weeks straight (actually it's less since they sometimes show two episodes back-to-back). According to Advertising Age, NBC is thinking about cutting the season down to 18 to 20 episodes compared to the 25 this season. With LOST, it's hard for me to wait over six months for the next season. On the other hand, it is nice not watching a couple episodes only to have the momentum interrupted with 2 - 3 weeks of repeats.
I think the real question is, why has HEROES slipped in the ratings. I don't think you can pin it on the number of episodes in the season. HEROES has lost some its charm for me. This season seemed like it could've been a return to greatness but for me personally, it's almost a chore to force myself to watch it. I am interested in the characters but I've become less focused on the storylines and find myself not really caring. Rather than look at the number of episodes, I think they really need to focus on the story and writing. There are still people digging the show. That's great. But obviously I'm not the only one disappointed since the ratings keep slipping.
What do you think the answer is? Would a tighter, shorter season keep the action fast paced? Are you willing to wait longer in between seasons in order to get more new episodes in a row? Are you still watching the show and will you watch next season?
24 Comments
Heroes has been INCREDIBLE in the last couple of episodes.
A shorter season might mean a more compact, and better, story.
A shorter season might mean a more compact, and better, story.
If anything, the shorter seasons really hurt Heroes as can be seen with Season 2. They obviously had great potential for that particular season but, with the writers strike, things suffered. I know people who stopped watching the show this season because of what they have done with the characters. They haven't particularly cared for the "now I have powers, now I don't, now I do again," thing or the making the previous season good guys into bad guys. It is a bit inconsistent. That said, I'm more than satisfied with the season thus far. How they manage to wrap things up, or leave with a cliff hanger should be interesting.
thatoneguy said:
Then the writers had to completely rewrite the second half of the season and have the finale condensed into three episodes instead of ten. Which is why it was anti-climactic.
But when you start from the ground up with a shorter story, there are no problems like that.
"If anything, the shorter seasons really hurt Heroes as can be seen with Season 2. They obviously had great potential for that particular season but, with the writers strike, things suffered. I know people who stopped watching the show this season because of what they have done with the characters. They haven't particularly cared for the "now I have powers, now I don't, now I do again," thing or the making the previous season good guys into bad guys. It is a bit inconsistent. That said, I'm more than satisfied with the season thus far. How they manage to wrap things up, or leave with a cliff hanger should be interesting. "What happened with Season 2 was that the story was made for a season TWICE AS LONG, and with the writer's strike, they had to cut the episode in half.
Then the writers had to completely rewrite the second half of the season and have the finale condensed into three episodes instead of ten. Which is why it was anti-climactic.
But when you start from the ground up with a shorter story, there are no problems like that.
I think the last few episodes have been really great. I didn't want to admit it but at the start of the season, the shows lagged but that did have a lot to do with the former writers and the strike and all.
Paring the season down with fewer episodes, IDK. I doubt that would have much of an impact. I think that audiences are still annoyed the season was interrupted due to the strike. I think it will pick up even more steam again as it has been doing of late. This show is pretty much aimed at "us" as a target audience yet other cross sections of the viewing audience love it.
I am surprised you aren't that into the show. I think Heroes is a good show and hope it continues. It's the closest thing to super heroes on TV we have G-Man, so praise it don't knock it!!
Paring the season down with fewer episodes, IDK. I doubt that would have much of an impact. I think that audiences are still annoyed the season was interrupted due to the strike. I think it will pick up even more steam again as it has been doing of late. This show is pretty much aimed at "us" as a target audience yet other cross sections of the viewing audience love it.
I am surprised you aren't that into the show. I think Heroes is a good show and hope it continues. It's the closest thing to super heroes on TV we have G-Man, so praise it don't knock it!!
This season has sucked.I don't know if i'm watching it next season.Depends on how they wrap this one up.
Yeah I agree with "thatoneguy".
The writer's strike screwed a lot of cool shows up i.e. "Chuck"(it's still awesome BTW, just had Season 1 cut short and it's still hurting them in the ratings because they didn't get that .5 to 1 million more viewers per last season that they would've eventually gotten) and "Smallville"(although they had a full 7th season, if you watched it all you can tell that eps. 17-20 were "off the cuff" so-to-speak because that hadn't planned on writing any more eps.).
Same for "Heroes", I saw the premiere episode this season and it didn't deliver for me(I need more Kristen Bell!). I had every episode since up until a few weeks back saved on my DVR, but due to them all taking up memory, I deleted them without thinking twice to save room for shows like "Life On Mars"(albeit cancelled), "Fringe", "Dollhouse"(gunna be cancelled eventually due to its crappy FOX Friday night slot) and "Castle"(shows all of which rock serious faces off, I'll have you know).
The first season of 'Roes might be one of the greatest single debut seasons ever. It was fresh, daring, and it worked. Damn you writers, and damn you NBC for letting go of Jeph Loeb. THAT'S ultimately why it lost its freshness, I think.
The writer's strike screwed a lot of cool shows up i.e. "Chuck"(it's still awesome BTW, just had Season 1 cut short and it's still hurting them in the ratings because they didn't get that .5 to 1 million more viewers per last season that they would've eventually gotten) and "Smallville"(although they had a full 7th season, if you watched it all you can tell that eps. 17-20 were "off the cuff" so-to-speak because that hadn't planned on writing any more eps.).
Same for "Heroes", I saw the premiere episode this season and it didn't deliver for me(I need more Kristen Bell!). I had every episode since up until a few weeks back saved on my DVR, but due to them all taking up memory, I deleted them without thinking twice to save room for shows like "Life On Mars"(albeit cancelled), "Fringe", "Dollhouse"(gunna be cancelled eventually due to its crappy FOX Friday night slot) and "Castle"(shows all of which rock serious faces off, I'll have you know).
The first season of 'Roes might be one of the greatest single debut seasons ever. It was fresh, daring, and it worked. Damn you writers, and damn you NBC for letting go of Jeph Loeb. THAT'S ultimately why it lost its freshness, I think.
I have to say, I was a little let down this season. I can only hope that the next one will be better. Personally I like having More episodes. But if they are going to be "Fillers" and not have anything to do with the main plot. Forget it. In that case Shorter Is Better.
I still watch the show, but I think better writing and maybe more of the mystery they had from Season One would really help. Stop telling us all the secrets!
Who is Rebel? Well... it doesn't take a genius to figure it's either Molly and Micah or... just Micah.
And they acted like telling us Angela's backstory was something we've been begging for. I don't care a bit about Angela! And the story they told in that episode, how the Company started, would have actually made a great Volume, not just one episode. Give stories time to breath, but don't bore the viewer!
And I don't know about anyone else, but Sylar has lost his edge. I think he needs to get his backbone back, why has the Hunter been able to live this long?
I think Heroes needs to take more cues from the comic book world and remember what it's like to tell a longer, detailed, exciting story. And bring new characters in, like Knox, and let them live, like Knox. Kill Claire, kill Matt, kill Mohinder*, I don't care! Shake things up.
*Note, I don't expect them to kill all of them, but you almost know that if you were in season one, you'll survive.
I swear the writers on this show are bi-polar. There is absolutely no consistency with characters, motivations or stories. We go through an episode about Angela's past and at the end we have a happy little moment where everyone decides it's family first. The very next week Nathan ditches everyone again and Peter goes trailing after him. So much for family, and thanks for wasting our time with ideas you're just going to toss to the side.
And with Sylar, it seems more like they randomly draw ideas out of a hat at each week's writers meeting. They had the beginning of this compelling seduction of the innocent story with Sylar and the fire kid, but then Sylar boots him. We spend weeks watching Sylar hunt for daddy and then it's done. Now Sylar is working with Danko, an idea that's just dumb, and he's having this great identity crisis...but only for one episode.
Who knows, maybe a shorter season will help the ADD challenged writing staff focus a bit more, or maybe they need to take a page from Smallville and hire a comic book writer or two to come on board and point them in the right direction. Because as it currently stands, they write super heroes about as well I as I could a sixteen year-old, Victorian era, aristocratic girl getting ready for a ball.
And with Sylar, it seems more like they randomly draw ideas out of a hat at each week's writers meeting. They had the beginning of this compelling seduction of the innocent story with Sylar and the fire kid, but then Sylar boots him. We spend weeks watching Sylar hunt for daddy and then it's done. Now Sylar is working with Danko, an idea that's just dumb, and he's having this great identity crisis...but only for one episode.
Who knows, maybe a shorter season will help the ADD challenged writing staff focus a bit more, or maybe they need to take a page from Smallville and hire a comic book writer or two to come on board and point them in the right direction. Because as it currently stands, they write super heroes about as well I as I could a sixteen year-old, Victorian era, aristocratic girl getting ready for a ball.
The only element that put me off Heroes is when they got rid of Peter's Powers. It was an intersting concept at first but this "replicating Ability" Bull**** has riled me up. The only saving grace are Hiro and Ando, especially with Andos new Power.
I've gotten to the point where I can take it or leave it. I'm usually reading with it on in the background and not really paying attention. To be honest, that's been enough. This week's episode was complete filler until the last 30 seconds with the Petrelli family realizing the shapeshifter's plans.
Well at least they finally answered the age old question: Why does Angela steal socks?
Hey, that's what I've been wondering about since the first episode. I'm glad they finally decided to dedicate an episode to answering it.
In all seriousness though, I think I'm a Heroes fanboy. I have enjoyed every Season so far, even number 2 (to a degree) although I, unlike most people, have accepted the fact that nothing will ever compare to Season 1.
The one thing that bugs me is the inconsistency sometimes. The characters just jump from story to story, which is great, but the problem is that these stories are resolved in one or two episodes. Like when Sylar started working with Noah. That could have been insanely entertaining. But in two episodes they move on to something else. And this Season just sums it up. Sylar is my favourite character. And I don't like how he jumped between storylines. Sylar's search for his father with Luke was kinda entertaining. But then he ditched Luke (who never explained how he knew Sylar's dad...) and found his dad (That episode, I liked) but then... That's it. He moves on to a new story where he joins up with... Danko? Why?!
And making Sylar a shapeshifter was a stupid move IMO. He'd better lose that power somehow. I don't want to see Sylar as a shapeshifter, because to me (as backwards as this might sound) it makes him less scary. Sure, now he can be anyone he wants. Sylar could be standing right in front of you and you wouldn't know. But before, Sylar was a very creepy guy. If you saw him, you'd know who he was instantly. But you never see him, cause he's always 'Hiding in plain sight'. Now he just seems less scary. Sylar's not gonna sneak around anymore now that he can shapeshift.
Oh, and Peter's powers. At first, they seemed interesting. He was suddenly limited in his powers, and they even had a drawback with the fact that he could replace them accidentally. But they haven't kept consistent. Peter has kept the flying ability for AGES now, even though I've seen him making skin contact with loads of people, most noticeably Angela (HE KEEPS HOLDING HER HAND! WHY IS HE NOT COPYING HER ABILITY INSTEAD OF NATHAN??? AHH!!!)
Hey, that's what I've been wondering about since the first episode. I'm glad they finally decided to dedicate an episode to answering it.
In all seriousness though, I think I'm a Heroes fanboy. I have enjoyed every Season so far, even number 2 (to a degree) although I, unlike most people, have accepted the fact that nothing will ever compare to Season 1.
The one thing that bugs me is the inconsistency sometimes. The characters just jump from story to story, which is great, but the problem is that these stories are resolved in one or two episodes. Like when Sylar started working with Noah. That could have been insanely entertaining. But in two episodes they move on to something else. And this Season just sums it up. Sylar is my favourite character. And I don't like how he jumped between storylines. Sylar's search for his father with Luke was kinda entertaining. But then he ditched Luke (who never explained how he knew Sylar's dad...) and found his dad (That episode, I liked) but then... That's it. He moves on to a new story where he joins up with... Danko? Why?!
And making Sylar a shapeshifter was a stupid move IMO. He'd better lose that power somehow. I don't want to see Sylar as a shapeshifter, because to me (as backwards as this might sound) it makes him less scary. Sure, now he can be anyone he wants. Sylar could be standing right in front of you and you wouldn't know. But before, Sylar was a very creepy guy. If you saw him, you'd know who he was instantly. But you never see him, cause he's always 'Hiding in plain sight'. Now he just seems less scary. Sylar's not gonna sneak around anymore now that he can shapeshift.
Oh, and Peter's powers. At first, they seemed interesting. He was suddenly limited in his powers, and they even had a drawback with the fact that he could replace them accidentally. But they haven't kept consistent. Peter has kept the flying ability for AGES now, even though I've seen him making skin contact with loads of people, most noticeably Angela (HE KEEPS HOLDING HER HAND! WHY IS HE NOT COPYING HER ABILITY INSTEAD OF NATHAN??? AHH!!!)
The season has really picked up the last 5 episodes or so, the show is starting to get direction. I loved the last episode but this season has been a big letdown, I really hope they don't conclude this story arc by next episode. I think they should continue with it next season instead of having the usual "next chapter" thing they do. Hopefully Nathan dies.....and Clare, I hate her.
I hate Clare too. Her boyfriends are more interesting then her! Hell her MOTHER IS! Both of them. I don't like that she's practically related to everyone. and she really needs to get over her daddy issues.
"SAVE THE CHEERLEADER."
"Uhh,,, how about we don't and say we did. Slyar get her bloody power anyway!!"
"SAVE THE CHEERLEADER."
"Uhh,,, how about we don't and say we did. Slyar get her bloody power anyway!!"
It's down to the writers, editors and producers why the last two seasons where bad. They left holes in plots. Less episodes won't necessarily make it better. Even though Lost is lesser episodes, I still want to see more of them. It's will always be the writers and these writers seem to have lost the soul of "Heroes". The last episode I stopped watching it at was 16/17, I just stopped "caring" as G-Man said. I don't care for the plot any more. The only thing I'd watch it for was Peter and Sylar. And now Peter's lost his powers, he doesn't seem to have what he had in season 1. Sylar was always good in my eyes, even though he didn't play the best of people, he still did good as the character. However, this isn't enough for me to watch it. And that's why I've stopped watching it.
So to sum up, better writers and not lesser episodes.
So to sum up, better writers and not lesser episodes.
Not sure. It has seemed to drag on this season.
Mind you, Bryan Fuller is back on board, so it should be awesome whatever the weather, and after seeing a recent interview with him, I can't wait!
Mind you, Bryan Fuller is back on board, so it should be awesome whatever the weather, and after seeing a recent interview with him, I can't wait!
Laura Logan said:
And has anyone noticed how they have severed all ties to Season 2? Every single character introduced in Season 2 is either dead or just not in the show anymore. Bob Bishop died at the beginning of this Season. Elle's dead. Maya's depowered and not in it anymore. Monica has vanished. (Although I'm actually happy about that one, lol) Maury is dead. Adam Monroe is dead. Irish-Love-Interest was forgotten about pretty quickly.
Also, they've killed off or ditched most of the major female characters... We've lost Elle, Niki, Maya, Monica (Yay!) and now Tracy. Hell, even Daphne's dead now! The only two major female characters left are Claire and Angela!
And people think comics are sexist.
"I hate Clare too. Her boyfriends are more interesting then her! Hell her MOTHER IS! Both of them. I don't like that she's practically related to everyone. and she really needs to get over her daddy issues."SAVE THE CHEERLEADER.""Uhh,,, how about we don't and say we did. Slyar get her bloody power anyway!!""Oh god, that's the second thing I hate about Heroes... Claire. She is an awful character, but everyone I know who watches the show is just like '... But she's hot!' and can't see how bloody irritating she is. I would've much preferred it if Arthur had taken her powers instead of Adam Monroe... I liked Adam :(
And has anyone noticed how they have severed all ties to Season 2? Every single character introduced in Season 2 is either dead or just not in the show anymore. Bob Bishop died at the beginning of this Season. Elle's dead. Maya's depowered and not in it anymore. Monica has vanished. (Although I'm actually happy about that one, lol) Maury is dead. Adam Monroe is dead. Irish-Love-Interest was forgotten about pretty quickly.
Also, they've killed off or ditched most of the major female characters... We've lost Elle, Niki, Maya, Monica (Yay!) and now Tracy. Hell, even Daphne's dead now! The only two major female characters left are Claire and Angela!
And people think comics are sexist.
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