NBC have announced the return of their superhero drama Heroes, which was cancelled in 2010 after four seasons. Creator Tim Kring will return to produce HEROES REBORN; a 13-episode "event miniseries" scheduled to air in 2015.
Jennifer Salke, NBC's Entertainment President:
"The enormous impact Heroes had on the television landscape when it first launched in 2006 was eye-opening. Shows with that kind of resonance don’t come around often and we thought it was time for another instalment. 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."Ahead of Heroes' return, NBC will also launch a digital series introducing all the new characters.
How do you feel about this revival? It seems NBC have taken note of the excitement surrounding the return of Fox's 24, in an "event series" capacity this summer. They're obviously hoping a five-year absence will have created a hunger for more Heroes, especially now films like The Avengers (and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy?) have shown a huge appetite for stories involving superhero ensembles.
Of course, the worry is that Tim Kring can't change the inherent issues Heroes had as a concept: once that first season told its multi origin stories and "the gang come together" arc ended, the show had nothing to equal it. The subsequent three seasons had their moments, but mass audiences dropped away rather sharply. I can imagine them returning to Heroes Reborn out of interest, but will Kring deliver a story that will keep them watching? He has less episodes and a new cast to work with, so I guess that's promising.. right?
