New Series Review: Heroes (NBC)
09/24/06 10:51 PM
Premiering: Monday night, Sept. 25, 8 central, 9 eastern
Starring: Adrian Pasdar, Milo Ventimiglia, Hayden Panettiere, Santiago Cabrera, Masi Oka, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Ali Larter, Tawny Cypress, Noah Gray-Cabey, Greg Grunberg
Created by: Tim Kring
By ED BARK
Enthralling and super-imaginative, NBC's Heroes is the surprise treat of the season.
Find it the way you did Lost, and then get ready for a Grade-A thrill ride with big, bonafide jolts at the end of its first three chapters. Monday night's opener, subtitled "Genesis," includes a printed prelude that seems prototypically overblown until the show starts delivering the goods. Here it is, submitted for your consideration in suitably bold type:
In recent days, a seemingly random group of individuals has emerged with what can only be described as 'special' abilities. Although unaware of it now, these individuals will not only save the world, but change it forever. This transformation from ordinary to extraordinary will not occur overnight. Every story has a beginning. Volume One of their epic tale begins here ...
But where to begin? Heroes is global in scope, taking viewers to TV renditions of Madras, India; Tokyo Japan; Las Vegas, New York City and Odessa, Texas in its curtain-raiser.
The Lone Star connection is high school cheerleader Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), who can't fly but otherwise seems like Supergirl. Look, up in the sky, it's Claire jumping from on high to the hard ground below while her geeky, platonic boy pal video-cams it. Unhurt, Claire is soon running into a blazing inferno, where she rescues a man trapped in a train wreck. Sticking her hand in a garbage disposal seals the deal. The kid's got something special all right, but she'll remain in Odessa on her own for at least the initial three hours.
There's a helluva lot more going on, all of it digestible and coherent without being simple-dimple.
Heroes' breakout character could be Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), an excitable Japanese plugger with a Star Trek fixation. Can he really make time stop and then teleport himself to wherever he chooses? Hiro's relationship with best pal Ando (Omid Abtahi) gives Heroes its comic relief. But the pair's quest to save New York from a mega-disaster looks as though it's going to be the backbone of the series. In future episodes, their guidebook will be a comic book, 9th Wonders!, drawn by drug-battling artist Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera). His ability to see the future threatens to drive him mad.
Other key characters include mild-mannered Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia), who thinks he can fly. But big brother Nathan (Adrian Pasdar), who's waging a cutthroat campaign for Congress, is determined to keep Peter under his finger.
On another front, dedicated Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) has journeyed from India to New York to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his mystical father. And in Vegas, single mother Niki Sanders (Ali Larter) is deeply in debt to thugs. Making ends meet by making erotic Internet videos, Niki's stunned to learn she's a savage beast when threatened.
The series' second episode introduces Los Angeles policeman Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg), who thinks he can hear people think. Pretty soon he knows he can. That might help in apprehending a so-far unseen serial killer named Sylar.
Heroes creator Tim Kring (Crossing Jordan) has fashioned a whale of a tale so far. Lost had better look out, because this could be the season's new Internet chat sensation. The show should have a huge following among 18-to-34-year-olds, who likely will respond to both the attractive cast and the evolving mythology.
Old goats with a half-century or more under their belts (hi, happy to meet ya) should hitch a ride, too. In a season full of new serials, this is the one to invest in. The first three episodes are thoroughly captivating, with cliffhangers that might well leave you with mouth agape. So let's get the word-of-mouth going. Talk this one up, and then by all means tell me if I'm wrong.
Prospects: Very solid in a relatively soft Monday night slot whose principal tenants are the CBS' comedy combo of Two and a Half Men and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Big promotional pushes on NBC's Sunday night football games won't hurt either.
Grade: A
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