Heroes (TV series)
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| Heroes | |
|---|---|
 The logo for the series featuring a solar eclipse. |
|
| Genre | Drama Science fiction Serial |
| Created by | Tim Kring |
| Developed by | Tim Kring |
| Starring | David Anders Kristen Bell Santiago Cabrera Tawny Cypress Jack Coleman Dana Davis Noah Gray-Cabey Greg Grunberg Ali Larter James Kyson Lee Masi Oka Hayden Panettiere Adrian Pasdar Zachary Quinto Sendhil Ramamurthy Dania Ramírez Leonard Roberts Cristine Rose Milo Ventimiglia |
| Composer(s) | Wendy Melvoin Lisa Coleman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 34 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Tim Kring Dennis Hammer Allan Arkush Greg Beeman |
| Location(s) | Los Angeles |
| Camera setup | Panavision |
| Running time | Approx. 42 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Picture format | NTSC (480i) PAL (576i) HDTV (1080i) |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital |
| Original run | September 25, 2006 – Present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Heroes is an American science fiction serial drama television series created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006.[1] The series tells the stories of ordinary individuals who discover that they have superhuman abilities, and also explores how these people adapt to the changes these abilities bring, and their roles in preventing catastrophes and saving humanity. The series emulates the aesthetic style and storytelling of American comic books, using short, multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing arc. Kring and the writers have an idea of where the series is heading for the first five seasons.[2] The series is produced by Universal Media Studios in association with Tailwind Productions,[3] and it is filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California.[4] The executive producers are Allan Arkush, Dennis Hammer, Greg Beeman and Tim Kring.
The critically acclaimed first season's run of 23 episodes garnered an average of 14.3 million viewers in the United States, receiving the highest rating for any NBC drama premiere in five years.[5][6][3] The second season of Heroes attracted an average of 13.1 million viewers in the United States.[7] The second season was NBC's top series in adults 18-49,[7] the top Monday series on any network in adults 18–49,[7] and the top scripted series on any network in adults 18-34.[7] 24 episodes were ordered for the second season,[8] but only eleven episodes were broadcast,[9] due to the 100-day strike by the Writers Guild of America.[10][11] The dispute led to the initial postponement and eventual cancellation of a six episode spin-off titled Heroes: Origins.[12] Heroes will return with its third season on September 22, 2008.[7][12]
A digital-internet extension of the series, Heroes 360 Experience, was created to explore the Heroes universe and provides insight into the show's mythology. It was rebranded as Heroes Evolutions at the beginning of the second season.[13] Heroes Evolutions also includes graphic novels, which have been released every Tuesday since September 25, 2006, and were published by WildStorm Comics on November 7, 2007.[14] Other official Heroes media include magazines, action figures, tie-in and interactive websites, a mobile game, a novel, clothing and other merchandise. NBC Universal announced on April 2, 2008, that NBC Digital Entertainment would release a series on online content for the summer and fall of 2008, including more original web content, wireless iTV interactivity, graphic novels available for mobile viewing and webisodes.[15]
Heroes has garnered a number of awards and nominations. On July 19, 2007 Heroes was nominated in eight categories at the 2007 Primetime Emmy awards, including Outstanding Drama Series and was also nominated for Best Television Series-Drama at the 2007 Golden Globes. The series won a People's Choice Award in 2007 in the category of Best New Drama, and was named Program of the Year in 2007 by the Television Critics Association and Best International Program at the 2008 Bafta Awards.[3] The series has also been nominated for an NAACP Image Award, a WGA Award, and a Satellite Award.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
- See also: List of Heroes episodes and List of Heroes graphic novels
The plot of Heroes is designed to be similar to the stories of comic books with small story arcs built into the series' overall large story arc plot. Each season of Heroes is designed to involve ordinary people who discover extraordinary powers, and how these abilities take effect in the character's lives. Season 2 was originally going to comprise three volumes, however due to the writer's strike, the season was redesigned to only encompass one volume called "Generations".[16] Originally Volume 3 was going to be called "Exodus", and Volume 4 was going to be called "Villains." As a result of the writers' strike, Volume 3 was changed to "Villains" and moved into season three.[7] The "Exodus" story arc, which was originally designed to be a story arc reflecting the effects of the release of strain 138 of the Shanti virus, was cancelled. Scenes from the volume two finale "Powerless", were reshot to reflect the cancellation of the "Exodus" volume, and to tie-up all the loose plot storylines of "Generations."[17][18]
[edit] Volume One: Genesis
Season one began in the United States on the NBC network and in Canada on the CTV network on September 23, 2006 and featured 23 episodes. Season one consisted of the first 'volume' (episode), known as "Genesis."[19] The series went on hiatus twice; first from December 4, 2006 to January 22, 2007,[20] and again from March 5 to April 23, 2007,[21] with the season finale airing on May 21, 2007.[22] The action goes from October 2, 2006 to November 8, 2006. The first season began in the UK on February 19, 2007 initially only on the subscription tv channel Sci Fi UK, but all 23 episodes were soon repeated on a main over-the-air network, the commercial-free BBC Two network on Wednesdays at 9:00pm, from July 25, 2007, to December 5, 2007, sometimes with two episodes shown back-to-back on the same evening. All episodes on BBC Two were broadcast in digital widescreen and without commercial interruption or on-screen network logos. They were also simulcast in High Definition on the new commercial-free BBC HD channel, with a special early screening of the following week's episode scheduled immediately after it on BBC Three. The whole Season was shown without hiatus and there were repeats of every episode across BBC networks throughout the Season, during British prime time (usually referred to in the UK as 'peak time'), late evenings and at weekends, both to attract new viewers and to ensure that current viewers had the widest possible choice of viewing times. The BBC also screened a special Catch-Up Weekend to enable viewing of all previous episodes in a marathon session from morning until night, and repeated the whole Season again during the Christmas period. A special BBC Two network logo was created which was a derivation of the Heroes' Earth graphic, and was used throughout the Season, and numerous mini-trails for Heroes appeared between other BBC shows before and during the entire Season 1 screening, and soon became part of the network's identity.
The series begins as a seemingly ordinary group of people gradually become aware that they have special abilities. Events illustrate their reactions to these powers, and how the discovery affects their personal and professional lives. At the same time, several ordinary individuals are investigating the origins and extent of these abilities. Mohinder Suresh, a geneticist, continues his late father's research into the biological source of the change, while Noah Bennet represents a secret organization known only as the "Company".
While coping, each of the characters is drawn—willingly or not—into the Company's conspiracy to control superpowered people, and into a race to stop an explosion from destroying New York City, which would kill millions of its inhabitants. Throughout the season, the predatory stalkings of the serial killer Sylar and continued manipulations from casino-owner and mobster Mr. Linderman affect the characters directly and indirectly. Several characters' individual stories culminated in a climactic meeting of the characters at Kirby Plaza in New York. These stories included Peter Petrelli's abilities, Nathan's campaign for Congress, Claire Bennet's search for her biological parents, Hiro Nakamura's adventurous journeys, Niki Sanders' multiple personalities, and Isaac Mendez's precognitive visions.
[edit] Volume Two: Generations
Season two began in the United States on the NBC network and in Canada on the CTV network on September 24, 2007 but featured only 11 out of the planned 24 episodes, due to the WGA writers' strike. The show aired on Mondays at 9:00pm[23] and consisted of the second volume in the series, titled "Generations", taking place during March 2007.[24] Season two ended with its finale on December 3, 2007.[25] Season 2 aired in the UK on the BBC Two network on Thursdays at 9:00pm, from April 24, 2008, until July 3, 2008. As British television lacks peak seasons and repeat seasons, new shows regularly appear throughout the year. [26] As with the first Season, all BBC screenings were in digital widescreen with no commercial interruptions or on-screen network logos. As with Season 1, every new episode in Season 2 was simulcast in high definition on BBC HD followed immediately by the next episode on BBC Three, and each episode was repeated on other days of the week and at weekends to enable viewer catch-up and to attract new viewers.
The second season begins four months after the events of Kirby Plaza. Peter Petrelli, Matt Parkman, Nathan Petrelli, and Sylar have all survived the events of the season one finale, and are trying to return to ordinary lives despite their extraordinary abilities, with the exception of Sylar, who is on a quest to regain the use of his abilities. The main plot arc of "Generations" deals with the Company and its research on the Shanti virus. This research is explored through the Company's founders, whose identities are revealed, as well as through the effects of various strains of the virus on The Haitian, Niki Sanders, Sylar, and others. An amnesiac Peter Petrelli observes the potential devastation of the virus in a future New York City. The "heroes" ultimately come together in an attempt to stop the release of a deadly strain of the virus and avert a global pandemic.
Interwoven with the main plot are several secondary plots. These include Nathan Petrelli's recovery following the events at Kirby Plaza; the journey of new characters Maya and Alejandro from Honduras to the United States, and their interaction with a powerless Sylar; Claire and Noah Bennet and their family adapting to a new life in southern California; Claire's relationship with her boyfriend West; Monica Dawson discovering her powers in New Orleans, with the help of her cousin Micah; Matt Parkman's reunion with his estranged father, leading to discovery of new abilities; the Company's manipulation of Mohinder Suresh; Ando Masahashi trying to piece together what happened to Hiro Nakamura; and Hiro's journey to Feudal Japan, where he meets his childhood hero, Takezo Kensei.
[edit] Webseries: Season One: Going Postal
On July 14th 2008, the first Heroes web series, "Going Postal," was released. The trilogy of online-only videos introduces us to Echo De Mille, a seemingly ordinary mailman with an extraordinary ability. The three-part series is written and directed by the same creative team behind the main show. Part one, "A Nifty Trick," premiered Monday, July 14th 2008, with new episodes being released on subsequent Mondays.
[edit] Volume Three: Villains
Season three will open with a two-hour episode, set to air Monday, September 22, 2008 on the NBC network in the US and the CTV network in Canada.[27] In the UK, Season 3 should start within a few days of the US air dates on the BBC Two network, as the BBC intends to screen every episode as closely as possible to the US screening times, to help maximize audiences and to counter the attraction of illegal internet downloading. It will also screen each episode several times per week during prime time, evenings & weekends and on the BBC HD & BBC Three neworks.
The premiere of the third volume, "Villains", will be preceded by a one-hour clip show of the past two seasons.[12] "Villains" was originally designed to be included within the second season; however, due to the writers' strike, the volume was carried over into season three. The lead-in to "Villains" featured a scene with Sylar, which was shown as the final scene of the "Generations" finale. Throughout Volume Two, Sylar's powers were suppressed by the Shanti virus.[28] After using a cure, procured from Mohinder Suresh, he regained his abilities, delivering the first lines of Volume Three, "Villains": "I'm back."
Tim Kring has claimed that the new volume will bring a cadre of villains to the show, hence the title.[29] On December 5, 2007 at the Jules Verne Film Festival Adventure, Tim Kring showed a video-preview of volume three.[30] According to an interview with Allan Arkush, filming for season three began on May 1, 2008.[31] On May 9, 2008 a season three promo clip was released with hints at possible "inner villains" within the heroes.
The promo stated, "In every hero there could be a villain," before plastering the words "hero" and "villain" over the face of every major character. Finally, at the featured Heroes panel, the entire first hour of the first episode of the Villains arc was shown.[32] In July NBC began airing a teaser for season three featuring Noah Bennet talking to Claire stating, "This was before you were even born, I was finding these people and locking them away so that they couldn't hurt anybody. Now a dozen of them have escaped, and they will kill...and they will terrorize...and they will cause...unimaginable destruction to the world...they're villains, Claire," while a montage of clips play.[33] Zachary Quinto, who plays Sylar, has stated that the Villains story arc will last for thirteen episodes.[34] At the San Diego Comic Con 2008, the booth for Heroes displayed two separate looping tracks of two people in completely white rooms. One strained against his restraints, while the other paced around the room.
In addition, Kring screened the first part of the season opening episode of the "Villians" arc, entitled "The Second Coming", which was shown in its entirety at Comic-Con and received a positive response from fans.[35]
[edit] Cast and characters
Originally, Kring designed the series to have an ever-shifting cast. However, his motivation changed when he realized how big the original cast hit with audiences; therefore he brought back most of the first season cast for the second season, with a few additions who received a star billing.[36] In its first season, the show features an ensemble cast of twelve main characters making it the third largest cast in American primetime television behind Desperate Housewives and Lost. Although NBC's first season cast page lists only ten characters,[37] Leonard Roberts (D.L. Hawkins), who first appeared in the series' fifth episode, was an additional member of the original full-time cast.[38] In episode eleven of the first season, Jack Coleman (Noah Bennet) was upgraded from a recurring role to become the twelfth full-time cast member.[39]
Zachary Quinto and James Kyson Lee, who were recurring cast members in the first season, joined the main cast for the second season.[40][41] They were joined by new cast members David Anders,[42] Kristen Bell,[43] Dana Davis[44] and Dania Ramírez.[45] Anders was originally cast for a recurring role, and was upgraded to a series regular before the season began. He was listed as a guest star until the fifth episode of season two, when he was then listed as a main cast member.[42][46] At the start of season two Santiago Cabrera, Tawny Cypress, and Leonard Roberts were no longer listed as part of the main cast,[47] although Leonard Roberts' character appeared in season two as a guest starring role.[48] The series also features many guest and recurring characters, including friends and family of the main cast, criminals and villains, and other individuals with superhuman abilities.
| Name | Portrayed by | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Claire Bennet | Hayden Panettiere | A high school cheerleader who has a regenerative ability. She is Noah Bennet's adopted daughter, as well as Nathan Petrelli's biological daughter. |
| Noah Bennet | Jack Coleman | Bennet works with and then against the Primatech Paper Company, a cover operation for an organization that investigates people with superhuman abilities. He has no known superpowers. |
| Elle Bishop | Kristen Bell | Elle has the power of electric manipulation. Her father, Robert Bishop, is head of The Company. |
| Monica Dawson | Dana Davis[44][49] | Monica is D.L.'s niece and Micah's cousin. Monica can replicate any physical motion she witnesses. |
| Simone Deveaux | Tawny Cypress | Simone is an art dealer and gallery owner whose skepticism and complicated romantic life are tested. She has no superpowers. |
| D.L. Hawkins | Leonard Roberts | A construction worker and gang leader with the power to alter his physical tangibility and phase through solid objects, D.L. is Niki's husband and Micah's father. |
| Maya Herrera | Dania Ramirez[45] | When stressed, Maya can create a deadly illness which is fatal to those around her, except her twin brother Alejandro, who can heal it. Wanted for murder in Central America, she is on the run to the United States. |
| Ando Masahashi | James Kyson Lee[41] | Ando is Hiro's friend, co-worker, and traveling companion. He has no superpowers. |
| Isaac Mendez | Santiago Cabrera | An artist living in New York who can paint future events during precognitive trances, Isaac also writes and illustrates the comic book 9th Wonders! which has also been shown to depict the future of Hiro and Ando. |
| Adam Monroe/Takezo Kensei | David Anders[42] | An Englishman who originates the role of legendary warrior Kensei in feudal Japan, Monroe, like Claire Bennet, has a spontaneous regenerative ability which has made him effectively immortal. |
| Hiro Nakamura | Masi Oka | Hiro is a programmer[50] from Osaka with the ability to manipulate the space-time continuum and thus stop time as well as travel to anywhere in the world be it past, present or future. He is convinced that he is a hero who can use his gift to help those in need around the world. |
| Matt Parkman | Greg Grunberg | Parkman possesses the ability to hear other people's thoughts, and in Season 2, he acquires the ability to see people's dreams and nightmares and put them into either and if needed, trap them there indefinitely. He can also manipulate their actions with his mind. Originally an LAPD detective, he is now an NYPD detective and a guardian of Molly Walker. |
| Nathan Petrelli | Adrian Pasdar | Nathan, who is able to fly, is a New York Congressional candidate. |
| Peter Petrelli | Milo Ventimiglia | Peter is what is described as an Empath and the most powerful of all those with abilities. His ability allows him to absorb the powers of others he has been near without having to touch them - he does not take away the power of the original holder nor does he harm them and just gains the ability to use the power indefinitely, and more often than not, is more powerful with the ability than the original holder. Also, it is apparent that he has no limit to how many different powers he can store. |
| Micah Sanders | Noah Gray-Cabey | A child prodigy and technopath, Micah has the ability to "talk" to electrical devices, giving him control of machines and electronic devices.[51] He is D.L. and Niki's son. |
| Niki Sanders | Ali Larter | An internet stripper from Las Vegas who exhibits superhuman strength and has multiple personalities. She is D.L.'s wife and Micah's mother. |
| Mohinder Suresh | Sendhil Ramamurthy | Suresh is a professor of genetics from India who travels to New York to investigate the death of his father, Chandra. Through his investigations, he comes into contact with people his father listed as possessing superhuman abilities. He does not have any known super powers. |
| Sylar/Gabriel Gray | Zachary Quinto[40] | Sylar's initial power is intuitive aptitude; he can see how everything works and can repair or build anything. He seeks out other individuals with abilities, and kills them in order to take their power. He has multiple acquired abilities. |
[edit] Casting
- See also: List of Heroes cast members
Tim Kring describes the casting process as an "incredibly simple and easy process."[52] Every actor and actress that production wanted to cast for the show came in and read for their respective parts.[52] When Jason La Padura, the casting director for Heroes, is casting for a new character for the show -major or minor- his company puts out a script breakdown, which is an analysis of a screenplay or script, which includes several production elements for the potential actors. Padura's company then receives resumes and photos and looks for potential actors to cast. When it comes to guest stars, Padura states, "we need to really be able to see what the people have done, what they're about, we pay a lot of attention to people's training, their previous credits.[53] La Padura says that casting co-stars is an easier process, and can be done through an online service used by casting directors. When it comes to well-known actors, Padura submits their names, and if production are interested, they may offer a role that was already planned or write-in a new role for that actor.[53]
Sendhil Ramamurthy's character of Mohinder Suresh was one of only a few characters that was changed based on casting. Suresh was originally designed to be a 55-year old professor, however, due to Ramamurthy's audition, the part was rewritten and made younger to fit him.[52]
Hayden Panettiere was cast by Marc Hirschfeld, executive vice president of casting for NBC Universal Television. Hirschfeld explained that when they were trying to decide who the cheerleader should be, he literally picked up the phone and said to the producers, "You got to meet Hayden Panettiere."[54] Dania Ramirez was cast on the series based on her work on The Sopranos. She was notified by Kring that he was creating a Latin character and wanted her to come and test. Ramirez was the only actress called in to test for the role.[55] Kristen Bell was first approached about being cast in July 2007, during a train ride back from the San Diego Comic Con with Heroes actors Zachary Quinto and Masi Oka, and writers from the series. The writers had mentioned that if Bell "ever want[ed] to come on Heroes, give us [writers] a call", to which Bell said she would love to. Bell had several casting options, including ABC's Lost, however it was officially announced that she was cast in August 2007.[56] David Anders auditioned for the role of Takezo Kensei. He read his scenes, impersonating Peter O'Toole, in which the producers responded by asking him to tone down the impression on his second audition. He was contacted two weeks later and given the part. Anders was aware at the time that his role was a recurring role that had the possibility of being promoted to a main cast role, however, he did not find out until the filming of episode five that he would be portraying Monroe, and that his character would be moving into the present.[57][58]
La Padura stated that the character of Peter Petrelli was the hardest to cast due to conflicts regarding the Petrelli brother's ages. La Padura states the Petrelli brothers were originally written to be twins, and it became obvious in the production process that in order to have correct dynamic between the two characters, Peter had to be the younger brother. Adrian Pasdar was cast first. Milo Ventimiglia's role as Peter was the last to be cast and the most difficult.[53] Greg Grunberg originally auditioned for the role of one of the Petrelli brothers. It was not a fit for him, but the production liked him so much, they rewrote the role of Matt Parkman to fit him. Originally Parkman's character was to be much younger, and La Padura was looking to cast a Ryan Phillippe-type actor for the role.[53]
Jack Coleman was originally cast to only be in the pilot, with an open-ended contract. The connection between the characters of Claire and Mr. Bennet, and Kring's approval of Coleman's performance led to him being upgraded to a recurring character, before being promoted to the main cast roster.[59] Dana Davis received the Heroes script during the 2007 pilot season. She auditioned once for the role and was cast.[60][61]
La Padura also states that Masi Oka was the easiest actor to cast although casting the character was difficult due to a small pool of Japanese-speaking actors. Masi walked in the door and production knew he was "terrific" and "ideal" for the role.[53] Ali Larter was cast for the show after reading several pilots during the 2006 pilot season. She auditioned for the role and was brought in a second and third time to meet with the studio and network respectively before being officially cast.[62] Tawny Cypress also auditioned for the role of Niki, but was not awarded the part. Instead, Kring rewrote the role of Stella for her and renamed the character Simone Deveaux.[63] Zachary Quinto auditioned for the role of Sylar, during the time when the series was currently airing. Tim Kring was not present at his first audition, but after a five day process, Quinto was awarded the role.[64] Santiago Cabrera was cast through an interview process. When he auditioned for the production team, he went all out, doing the scene from the pilot when Isaac was under the influence of heroin. After the scene, the producers asked, "Well thank you very much for that. Maybe you would try it now not so on the effects of drugs." He eventually landed the role.[65] Leonard Roberts was awarded the role of D.L. Hawkins, after he beat out Jimmy Jean-Louis (The Haitian), who auditioned for the same part three times. The part of the Haitian was rewritten for Louis. The original concept for the Haitian was to be a character from New Zealand, who would have been called "The Kiwi."[66]
[edit] Production
[edit] Conception
Heroes began development during pilot season in 2006, when Tim Kring, then creator of NBC's Crossing Jordan, came up with the show's concept. Kring wanted to create a "large ensemble saga" that would connect with the audience. He began thinking about how big, scary and complicated he felt the world is, and wanted to create a character driven series about people who could do something about it. Kring felt that a cop, medical, or Lost-type drama did not have characters that were big enough to save the world. He came up with the thought of superheroes; ordinary people who would discover extraordinary abilities, while still rooted in the real world and in reality. Milo Ventimiglia described the pilot as a "character drama about everyday people with a heightened reality." Kring wanted the series to have touchstones that involved the characters and the world they lived in.[52][67]
Before he began putting his ideas together, he spoke with Lost executive producer Damon Lindelof, with whom he had worked with for three years on Crossing Jordan. Kring credits Lindelof for giving him ideas on how to pitch the series to the network and advice on the lessons he (Lindelof) learned about working on a serialized drama. The two still speak and support each other's projects.[68][69][70] When Kring pitched the idea for Heroes to the NBC network, he described the network's reaction as "excited...very supportive."[71] He comments that he has been partners with NBC for some time based on his six year run as showrunner for Crossing Jordan.[71] When he pitched the pilot, he described every detail, including the cliffhanger ending. When NBC executives asked him what was going to happen next, Kring responded, "Well, you’ll just have to wait and find out."[72] After the project was greenlit, a special 73-minute version of the pilot was first screened to a large audience at the 2006 Comic Con in San Diego.[73] It was initially reported that this unaired pilot would not be released, however it was included on the first season DVD set.[74]
[edit] Writing and episode format
When the writing team works on an episode, each writer takes a character and writes the individual scenes surrounding them. These stories are then combined and given to the episode writer. This system allows every writer to contribute to every episode.[75] and enables the writing team to finish scripts sooner, so the filming crew can shoot more scenes at a location.[72] Tim Kring describes the writing process as a collaborative one and states that the collaboration process is important because production needs to shoot several scenes at a single location. In order to do this, several scripts have to be ready. Jesse Alexander, co-producer and writer, explains that this process is important in a serialized drama because one has to know where each character's development is heading.[72]
Episodes have a distinct structure: following a recap of relevant events, each show begins with a cold open, which is sometimes the beginning of a scene that was introduced in the previous week's episode. At a dramatic juncture, the screen cuts to the title graphic, which is an eclipse of the sun by the earth, with the Heroes logo and a musical interlude. The opening credits generally appear alphabetically by last name over the scenes that immediately follow. Several characters' stories are shown throughout the episode. Sometimes these stories are stand alone events, while at other times character stories intertwine and cross over. Most episodes end with a suspenseful twist or cliffhanger,[76] revealed just seconds before a smash cut to a "to be continued" graphic.
[edit] Music
Music from the first season is composed by Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, with music engineer Michael Perfitt[77] and vocals provided by Shenkar. Each episode averages thirty to thirty-five minutes of music, played entirely by Melvoin and Coleman themselves and is produced on three Intel Macs and a hard raid system.[78] Melvoin and Coleman became involved with Heroes from their previous work with executive producer Allan Arkush.[78] Tim Kring, gave general instructions to the pair, including the emotion and direction for each character. Kring wanted incredibly unusual music and gave Wendy and Lisa a lot of freedom and permission to experiment. In the pilot episode, Kring suggested that a dreamy cue be used in the scene involving Claire Bennet running into a burning train. The dreamy cue has since become "a signature piece of the show."
Melvoin and Coleman developed specific musical cues for each character. Claude's theme involved wind and voices to create the feeling of a ghost-like presence. Hiro Nakamura's involves marimbas and bassoons with staccato to re-create the sound of clocks ticking in reference to the character's power. Matt Parkman's theme involves voices being played backwards when he uses his power of telepathy. Peter Petrelli's theme involves marcato strings. Niki Sanders' theme was based on her character's alter-ego named Jessica and involved winds and Indian voices chanting in an underscore to give a feeling that she was possessed. Mohinder Suresh's theme is the piano composition that plays at the end of some episodes, and Sylar's theme is the sound of a clock.[78]
In 2007, the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards gave Wendy and Lisa the "Top Television Series" award for their work on Heroes.[79] In France, the theme music of Heroes is composed by Victoria Petrosillo. Her song, "Le Héros d'un autre", is used by television network TF1 to replace the show's original incidental music. The network created a new opening credit sequence in order to play Petrosillo's theme song.[80] The Rogue Wave song "Eyes" from the Just Friends soundtrack is featured in the first season episodes "Genesis" and "Collision".[81]
[edit] Soundtrack
- See also: Heroes Original Soundtrack
The official Heroes soundtrack was released on March 18, 2008 by The NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music & Consumer Products Group. It contains new recordings from Wendy and Lisa, and contributions from Panic at the Disco, Wilco, Imogen Heap, Bob Dylan, Nada Surf and David Bowie, among other artist and bands. The disc also includes the Heroes theme. The disk does not contain, however, "Eyes" by Rogue Wave, which was featured in the first and fourth episode. The B-side features 45 minutes of nonstop narrative by Mohinder Suresh. On February 29, 2008, NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music & Consumer Products Group released five music videos created by Heroes producer/director Allan Arkush, each combining show footage with songs from the soundtrack. The music videos were released on Zune and MSN.[82][83][84]
[edit] Filming and visual effects
Mark Kolpack of Stargate designs, is the visual effects supervisor and Mark Spatny[85] is the visual effects producer for Heroes. They work with visual effects animators Anthony Ocampo and Ryan Wieber, who are also from Stargate.[52][86] The series visual effects consist of blue screens and 2D and 3D animation. The visual effects for the series are created after the scene is shot in post-production, unlike special effects, which are incorporated into the scenes during filming.[87] Notable visual effects that Kolpack has pointed out include radioactive Claire in "Company Man", Nathan flying from Mr. Bennet and The Haitian in "Hiros", and Hiro's time freezing encounter with the schoolgirl in the red bow in "One Giant Leap".[52] The special effects are coordinated by Gary D'Amico. Stunts are coordinated by Ian Ouinn, who also uses blue screens to accomplish some of the stunts in the series, such as Nathan Petrelli flying away from Heidi during the car accident scene in "Six Months Ago". Principal filming for Heroes take place in Los Angeles and Santa Clarita, California.[4] Kolpack and his team are also responsible for making Los Angeles look like international locations, such as India and Ukraine, using blue screens and set designs by Ruth Ammon, production designer for the series.[88] The series is filmed using a single-camera setup.
In keeping with the comic book thematic elements used on Heroes, professional comic book artist Tim Sale was brought in to provide the artwork used within the series, including the artwork of Isaac Mendez, and Mendez metafictional comic book series, the 9th Wonders!.[89] Additionally, the font used in captions and credits for the show is reminiscent of traditional hand-rendered comic book lettering. It was created by Sale and is based on his handwriting style.[90]
[edit] DVD releases
The first DVD release of Heroes was a sampler disc, containing only the first episode, and was released in the UK and the Republic of Ireland on September 3, 2007.[91] UK Region 2 split Heroes into two halves on its initial release; part one being released on October 1, 2007 and part two on December 10, 2007.[92][93] When the second part was released, a complete first season boxset was also released on the same day on both DVD and HD DVD formats[94] The complete first season was released in USA and Canada on August 28, 2007.[95] It was released in Australia and New Zealand on September 17, 2007.[96]
The complete first season DVD includes nearly 3 hours of bonus features including: an extended 73-minute version of the pilot episode with audio commentary; 50 deleted and extended scenes; behind the scenes featurettes, including the making of Heroes, stunts, a profile of artist Tim Sale, and the score; and audio commentaries with cast, crew and show creator Tim Kring.[96] On February 22, 2008, the Heroes Season One DVD was nominated for a 2008 Saturn Award, in the category of "Best Television Series on DVD."[97]
Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced that the first and second seasons will be released on Blu-Ray on August 26, 2008, the same date as the DVD release of the second season. Specifications and bonus features include: Generations Alternate Ending; Inside the Alternate Ending: What if Peter didn't catch the virus?; untold stories that didn't make it on air; Season Three sneek peak; deleted scenes; a documentary on Takezo Kensei; behind the scenes featurettes; NBC.com featurettes; and audio commentaries with cast, crew and show creator Tim Kring.[98] The complete second season was released on July 28, 2008 in the UK.[99]
[edit] Heroes: Origins
On May 14, 2007, NBC announced that during the 2007-2008 season, the network would air a six-episode Heroes spin-off called Heroes: Origins.[100] The show was to introduce a new character each week, and viewers were to select which one would stay for the following season of the regular series.[101] The show was supposed to air after the completion of the second season of Heroes in April 2008, as announced at the 2007 Comic-Con International. The second season of Heroes and the first season of Heroes: Origins would have included a total of 30 episodes.[100][102] However, on October 31, 2007, reports in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter indicated that Origins had been postponed due to a strike by the Writers Guild of America.[103][104][105]
The reason given for the spin-off was to remove the mid-season hiatus, which caused the ratings to falter when Heroes returned in Season 1.[102] NBC's chief, Kevin Reilly, told reporters on May 14, 2007, "We've got something I call the 'bulk-up challenge' for next year, which is trying to stay more consistent in our scheduling for the audience. We asked [Heroes creator] Tim Kring to come up with an idea, and what I love is not only did we bulk up with 30 hours next season, but also a whole new idea which I think is going to take the show to the next level."
Tim Kring stated in an interview with The Post Show on G4 that the first episode of Origins was to reveal the secrets and meanings behind the Helix symbol. However, due to the WGA Strike, Kring commented that the secret will have to be revealed down the line. Kring revealed in the Heroes Live Blog on September 24, 2007 that he was to write the first episode of Origins and that John August had been hired to write another episode. He also said some well known directors could be expected.[106] Director Kevin Smith, a fan of Heroes, was set to write and direct an episode for the spin-off,[107] as were Eli Roth and Michael Dougherty.[108]
In an interview with The-owi.com on February 9, 2008, Tim Kring updated fans on Heroes: Origins and its status after the end of the writer's strike. When Kring was asked about Origins resurrecting during the Spring of 2008, Kring responded, "There is really no chance for that because it is even farther off the radar than would be the next episodes of Heroes. We would have to gear all the way back up and bring all those people back. It is my hope to resurrect that at some point but right now it is all about getting the show back on the air at this point."[109]
On April 3, 2008, a day after NBC announced its 2008-2009 primetime schedule, Ben Silverman confirmed Origins' cancellation. Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios stated, "We were taxing our creative team to do too much around that...We wanted thirty-five Heroes episodes and twelve Heroes: Origins, each of which was supposed to be a mini-movie and backdoor pilot. We reached far and challenged our people, and we decided it was better to focus on keeping the Heroes mothership as strong as possible."[12]
[edit] Mythology
Heroes includes a number of mysterious fictional elements that have been ascribed to science fiction or supernatural phenomena. Tim Kring and the creators of the series refer to these fictional elements as part of the mythology of the series. Kring confirmed that although the show does have a unique mythology, he does not want to sink too deeply into it. Rather, Kring has used volumes to wrap-up ongoing plot lines, rather than carrying storylines over long periods of time, as in Lost.[110] As far as the overall mythology of the series, Kring said, "we have talked about where the show goes up to five seasons."[2][111] As far as the show's ending date, Kring has commented that, "This show doesn't posit an ending…" The show does not have a designated ending point and is "open-ended."[112]
Among the show's mythological elements are the Company, the legend of Takezo Kensei, paintings of the future, superpowers and their origins, the Shanti virus, 9th Wonders! comic book and numerous other elements and mythological themes.
[edit] Recurring elements
There are several elements and symbols that appear repeatedly throughout the series: the helix, the scar, the eclipse, and the cockroach.
The "helix," as it is referred to by the writers, is a symbol that first appears in the episode "Don't Look Back", and resembles a section of a DNA helix. Writer and co-producer Aron Coleite has stated that it literally means "God sending great ability".[113] The symbol frequently appears as a pattern formed by mundane objects, but it also recurs on certain plot-significant items and on several characters. In an interview within The Post Show on G4, Kring stated that the secret behind the meaning of the Helix was to be revealed in the first episode of Heroes: Origins, however, due to the Writer's Strike and Origins confirmed cancellation, Kring stated that the secret may have to be revealed down the line.[114]
A scar consisting of two black parallel lines has been shown close to the neck of multiple super-powered characters. The scar is the mark left by the two-pronged needle of a pneumatic injection device,[115][116] which, as revealed in a biography of Hana Gitelman in the Heroes 360 experience, injects a radioisotope to allow tracking.[117] A solar eclipse has been a recurring image in the series itself, and is also used as the series' logo (a photograph of the "Baily's beads" phenomenon). A terrestrial eclipse (an eclipse in which the Earth covers the Sun, as viewed from an observation point away from the Earth) is used in the series' title sequence. Cockroaches have also appeared and have been mentioned several times in the series, particularly in relation to the villain Sylar. In the pilot episode, Mohinder Suresh refers to the cockroach as a superior lifeform, stating "God must be a cockroach." Tim Kring has stated that the cockroach represents survival.[118]
[edit] Awards and nominations
Art Directors Guild (ADG):
- 2006: Best Production Design - Single Camera Series (for "Six Months Ago", nominated)
- 2007: Best Production Design - Single Camera Series (for "Five Years Gone", nominated)
- 2 nominations
- 2007: Best International TV Series (won)
- 1 win
- 2006: Best Art Direction - Single Camera Series (for "Genenis", nominated)
- 2006: Best Directing - Drama Series (David Semel for "Genesis", nominated)
- 2006: Best Series - Drama (nominated)
- 2006: Best Single Camera Picture Editing - Drama Series (for "Genenis", nominated)
- 2006: Best Sound Mixing - Comedy or Drama Series, One-Hour (for "Genesis", nominated)
- 2006: Best Special Visual Effects - Series (for "Five Years Gone", nominated)
- 2006: Best Stunt Coordination (for "Genesis", nominated)
- 2006: Best Supporting Actor - Drama Series (Masi Oka, nominated)
- 8 nominations
- 2006: Best S