Heroes - fun new TV series

[econ21]

Just caught the first two series of Heroes on the Sci-fi Channel in the UK and highly recommend it. I guess US viewers may have seen more of it, but it was the most entertaining couple of hours of TV I've watched in years. I was laughing at loud alternately at the humour and at the high concept of the thing.

Apparently, the creator conceived the idea after watching the Incredibles and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind within 24 hours, wanting to combine the two. And he has created something as fresh and inventive as those two films. The story is about some people with superpowers, but you absolutely must forget about that when deciding whether to watch it. It has no relation to your standard "underpants outside tights" superhero fare.

The most fun of the characters is a young, short, portly, bespectacled Japanese office worker who can stop time and teleport. Watching him revel in his abilities is a joy. His travel to the future and witness to New York's destruction in a nuclear explosion is the motivation for the series. The other standout is the indestructible cheerleader, whose attempts to test the limits of her powers provides the shocking opening hook of the first episiode.

The other characters have entertaining high concepts too. One can paint the future - including the nuclear destruction of NY. Another is a policeman who can hear people's thoughts; he has only a small role in the first two episodes, but it's intriguing, in a Sixth Sense, sort of way. Ironically, the one which does not work that well so far is the politician who can fly - I guess flying is just too mundane; too close to the high jinxes we are used to in Superman, Spiderman etc.

The programme has a dark, grainy quality too it - a serial killer is apparently the main protaganist and one of the "heroes" special ability is a pyschotic mirror image. It may peter out as the series develops, but the opening was most promising. Highly recommended.

UK viewers can apparently catch the opening on the Sci-Fi Channel each night, with the regular slot Mondays at 10. Too good to be confined to the Sci-Fi Channel, apparently it's coming to BBC2 later in the year.

[Beirut]

My woman likes that show. I've only seen a few minutes of it.

Mind you, I did see that cute blonde chick who looks like Diana Krall.

[professorspatula]

I watched that last night too after Medium. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought like many US shows that appear on non-mainstream channels and are hyped to kingdom come, that it would be a bit rubbish. But it wasn't. It doesn't feel quite as high production value as some other shows - Lost, 24 etc, but it certainly has it's charms. Definitely worth catching when it's on.

[Martok]

My roommate is fanatical devotee of the show. She's usually not one for most TV programs, but don't you dare get in her way of the boob tube come Monday nights at 8:00 (Central Time)!

I would mock her for her zealous dedication, except I'm the same way with NCIS, House, and Battlestar Galactica.

[master of the puppets]

i like the show but i have 1 problem with all these shows, they all come on only once a week.

sorry, i'm sure House, Lost, 24 and other such shows are good but i cannot be arranging my entire schedule around when ER is on.

[GeneralHankerchief]

As someone who's been following the show from the beginning (and who's seen all of the current episodes), I can confirm that it only gets better.

I don't want to give too much away, but let me just say that there are several interesting results when paths cross.

-edit- If you can't wait, I believe all of the shows are available in their entirety at http://www.nbc.com.

[doc_bean]

i like the show but i have 1 problem with all these shows, they all come on only once a week.

sorry, i'm sure House, Lost, 24 and other such shows are good but i cannot be arranging my entire schedule around when ER is on.

I have a VCR.

Still, I prefer watching shows when they come out on dvd, television is just too much hassle for me these days.