Why is Heroes such a Lame Show

Is there no one else who is a critic of Heroes, the NBC show? It maybe have been better than a home cooked meal when it came out but as the time goes by, I can't watch it without cringing. It's got so much potential and Kring just wants to flush it down the drain!

What is my latest complaint about Heroes?

It started the other day when I watched X-men animated series from 1992. Ahh the 90's, with funny hair and eccentric costumes. And I don't mean the mutants! Anyway, few episodes later, this nagging feeling of de ja vu started lurking in my mind. Why does this seem so familiar? Then it hit me - Henry Gyrich ... those glasses, his role as a mutant stalker of sorts for a 'Company' that attacks, kidnaps and tests mutants - he looked like the long lost brother of Noah Bennett (aka Horn Rimmed Guy) from Heroes!


Wait, it gets better! If you think about other X-men characters, just how startlingly similar are they to Heroes super-human gang?

Wolverine - Claire Bennett - Heals wounds
Mimic - Peter Petrelli - duplicate powers of other humans
Storm - Nathan Petrelli - she can fly whilst controlling the weather
Jubilee - Elle - energy globule power
Jean Grey? Prof Xavier? - Matt Parkman - reads minds
Prof Xavier - Molly - Locate other mutants

You'd think they would brainstorm about this before production wouldn't you? Instead, this is the path that Heroes TV show is following.


Shortcomings of NBC Heroes


Think Big Picture

Seriously, none of the writers seem to have thought of the overall plot line. Looks like they only had a vague idea how to fit some mutant guys into this world and give them awesome powers and make sure everyone looks pretty! Period! For those skeptics who cry "Lies, lies, save the cheerleader, save the world", think of season 2. Given the recent episodes, what do you think is their slogan - Get the Vaccine, heck with the Bird Flu? Is Season 3 going to be averting a natural disaster like a super quake? Beef up your sub plots and come up with something creative for the over-all plot. And, while you are at it, please set some rules for what the heroes can and cannot do. I for one am still not sure about Nikki's power.


No one says Eureka anymore!

Whatever happened to the age of great ideas? What's with this cheesy peopl focus on the show? Seriously, the basis of Heroes is providing a diluted sci-fi show tinged with a soapie and reality show element. Maybe they are banking on trends that show that viewers are more interested in shows, news anything, that are about people. Yea, heck with dazzling, new, out of this world ideas. At this rate, 20 years down the line, viewers are gonna sit at home and oogle at the very mundane activity of a blue collar worker dashing off to catch the bus. That certainly explains public obsession with reality shows, paparazzi, social networks like Facebook. How many times have you heard someone complain about a show saying it's too dragging and slow cos of a boring (read well scripted, indepth story) plot while they would happily watch a live vid of a tornado tearing up some poor guy's house? It is no wonder that Heroes is copying these viewing trends and trying to make money off it. Heroes lunch box anyone?


Know your audience

It seems to be unthinkable to aim for a target audience. So here's the manual for Heroes!
You take a sci-fi theme, focus on the most mundane bits of a super hero's life ( preferably sex, drugs and politics - Nathan, Nikki, that artist dude ) and for god's sake make sure all of them look like models. Now mix in the cheap thrills - cliff hanging moments, near deaths, car chases ... don't worry everyone will love it, we can string it along with little story input for a while! This way you reel in as many segments of the population as possible?

Wrong! Instant gratification only lasts for a few minutes before majority of population wanders aimlessly for the next fix. And then you get the big C called the cancellation! Why not aim for a target audience and stick to a certain voice, a particular method of storytelling. You want to see real sci-fi? Check out Battlestar Gallactica!


My point is not to claim that Heroes is a watered down X-men. Far from it. The idea of humans with super powers has been around for generations i.e. X-men, Superman, Justice League, the exceptionally lousy Dark Angel, Mutant X. My argument is that a show like Heroes, which is regurgitating an age old theme, must make a name for themselves by:

a - Focusing on a strong plot line
b - An in depth story
c- Explore characters where you also define the boundaries of their power