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Save the cheerleader, save the world. Problem is, there probably won’t be a cheerleader, and the world as we knew it apparently will be quite different.
When it premiered in 2006, Heroes – NBC’s superhero-based, science-fiction serial drama created by Tim Kring – captivated America, at least for a little while. After four seasons and 77 episodes, NBC axed the show, but not before Hayden Panettiere (“Claire Bennett”) and Zachary Quinto (“Sylar”) became household names.
To be honest, we’re pretty sure that NBC made the right decision at the time. What started off as an engaging, well-told series probably suffered, like other shows, from the Writer’s Guild strike of 2007-2008. We still watched, albeit skeptically. Ho hum, the series was cancelled, so it goes.
Still, we have to admit that we were excited when the news broke earlier this year that Kring’s series would reprise on NBC sometime in 2015 as Heroes: Reborn. Maybe it was finally time for some redemption.
We weren’t happy, however, when it was revealed that few if any of the major characters will be returning to the screen to wrap up their stories. The show was cancelled in 2010, and we know people like Quinto and Ali Larter, who played Niki and Jessica Sanders, are unable to join the show due to busy schedules. That makes sense.
But in a recent interview, Kring essentially made it sound like the show will start from scratch. Which might make sense, considering the show’s creator said NBC approached him with the idea – not the other way around.
“The vast, vast majority are brand new characters, brand new ideas,” Kring told Entertainment Weeklyrecently. Bringing back a previous character is “really only to give a sense of continuity and a tether to the original world. If it was all completely brand new, we’d miss certain elements that need to be there to give you that bridge to cross to something new.”
One familiar face we’re said to see in the new 13-episode relaunch is that of Jack Coleman, who played Claire’s horn-rimmed-glasses-wearing father, Noah Bennett.
“I approached Coleman because he was a character who had a spine through the series that allowed you to meet new characters,” Kring continued. “So he’s a character I wanted to make sure had a little part at the beginning of this thing.”
We’re curious as to whether Kring will write new characters that are in any way connected to the old ones. Will we hear explanations of what happened to old ones? Did they die? Retire from superhero life? Succumb to drug addiction?
When pressed, Kring told Entertainment Weekly he wasn’t even that focused on the reboot quite yet – “My attention is pretty much on Dig” – so it’s not necessarily the most exciting interview to read about a show we at one point loved.
Still, we feel as though Kring is due, at the very least, the benefit of the doubt. After all, he did create a world we fell in love with. He’s undoubtedly an artist who is committed to his work, and it’s not very likely, in our opinion, that he would commit to moving forward with this particular project without conviction. After all, the series definitely started on a high note and gradually went downhill. That’s not really an arguable fact.
Let’s hope it’s time for a rebound. Thankfully, Kring ends the interview on a positive note.
“I always saw Heroes as having a message about hope and global connectivity and consciousness, and those are even more solidified in me as I get older and I think I have just as much to say about it as in the beginning of the series,” Kring said. “I still have a lot more story to tell.”
Are you excited for the reboot? Why or why not?
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