NBC is reviving their show about people with superpowers for a 13 episode miniseries, called “Heroes Reborn,” slated to begin airing sometime in 2015.
That promo doesn’t tell us much, except someone knows how to put together a slick-looking ad. NBC isn’t making with the details either, except to say that series-creator Tim Kring will be back at the helm and it will feature an all-new cast of heroes… with maybe a guest appearance by an original cast member? The 13 episodes will also be preceded by a web-series which will introduce the new cast. This news also follows on the rumors last year that MSN was working on bringing a “Heroes” series exclusively to the XBox network.
This seems like a necessary way to reboot this series. While the first season of “Heroes” remains very, very good, it really fell apart after writer and co-executive producer Bryan Fuller left to make the far superior “Pushing Daisies.” So, without Fuller’s involvement, I’m not necessarily sold that this will be any good. Also working on the show were comic veterans like Jeph Loeb, who also were fired during the run of the show. No one of their caliber is coming back, either.
Kring, after all, vehemently denied ever reading an issue of “X-Men,” which “Heroes” blatantly stole from and re-synthesized the same way Elvis stole from his contemporaries. Kring is either or a liar or not responsible at all for what made “Heroes” good in the first place. So, let’s hope someone else on the creative team behind the new show knows what they’re doing, or else we’ll see a repeat of that awful “freaky carnival” season.
I’m also skeptical they can catch lightning in a bottle again. Besides the comic book vibe and storyline, what made “Heroes” great was that alchemy of cast and characters. It was an ensemble drama where every character got their due and all the characters were interesting. Not sure a new cast and new slate of characters will be able to do that again. Certainly, franchises like “Star Trek” have been able to do that, but I’m not convinced Heroes is Star Trek or that Tim Kring is Gene Roddenberry. . . or even a Rick Berman/Brannon Braga.
But, I look forward to it, and you know I’ll watch it. I watched every last episode of the original series, and it got baaaaaaaaaad. (Again– freaky carnival) So, prove me wrong NBC and Tim Kring. I’m ready to believe in you.
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Oh, hai, look– an official press release! Sent out at 10:30pm on a Saturday. That’s reaaaaal helpful, NBC. You’d think a media company would know better than to bury a presser like this– maybe try sending it during business hours on a weekday, hmmmmm? Probably just bad habits you’ve picked up from your vertically integrated bosses at Kabletown, err…. Comcast Xfinity.
Anyway– not that it tells you much more than what is above, but if you want to hear some boring marketing-speak:
NEW EVENT MINISERIES ‘HEROES REBORN’ COMES TO NBC IN 2015
Tim Kring to Executive Produce 13 New Episodes of Groundbreaking Series ‘Heroes’
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Feb. 22, 2014 — NBC is bringing back its conquering “Heroes.”
An iconic series that still commands a rabid fan base, “Heroes” will return to the network in 2015 as an event miniseries with original creator and executive producer Tim Kring at the helm, it was announced today by NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke.
NBC has ordered 13 episodes for a new stand-alone story arc entitled “Heroes Reborn,” with all details of storylines and characters being kept under wraps.
“The enormous impact ‘Heroes’ had on the television landscape when it first launched in 2006 was eye-opening,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke. “Shows with that kind of resonance don’t come around often and we thought it was time for another installment. We’re thrilled that visionary creator Tim Kring was as excited about jumping back into this show as we were and we look forward to all the new textures and layers Tim plans to add to his original concept. Until we get closer to air in 2015, the show will be appropriately shrouded in secrecy, but we won’t rule out the possibility of some of the show’s original cast members popping back in.”
The original series chronicled the life-changing stories of a series of unrelated ordinary people who discovered they had superhuman abilities. As the saga unfolded, they learned they were part of a grand plan that brought them together to change the world.
With the return of “Heroes Reborn,” NBC will launch a digital series prior to the 2015 premiere that will introduce the characters and new storylines. This leveraging of social media is a way for fans to re-engage with what was one for the true pioneers in multiplatform storytelling.
#HeroesReborn
The iconic sci-fi series, which ran on NBC from 2006-10 and was an immediate hit, ranked as television’s #1 new drama with an average audience of 14.5 million viewers during its initial season. The show was Golden Globe-nominated in its first year of eligibility for best drama series; it won the BAFTA Award for best international series, the AFI Award, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award, two People’s Choice Awards and the Television Critics Association Award for Program of the Year.
“Heroes” remains one of the best-selling TV series on DVD of all time with more than 10 million units sold.
Site link: http://www.nbc.com/heroes
Video link to promo: http://www.nbc.com/heroes/video/heroes-reborn-2015/2747853
