Well, this is refreshing: In a candid exchange with EW.com, Heroes creator Tim Kring admits they dropped the ball with Season 2, which has experienced criticism from fans and a 15-percent decline in ratings.
Although the sophomore show seemed to rebound creatively with this week’s episode, those first six weeks were — well, sluggish is probably being kind.
”We assumed the audience wanted season 1 — a buildup of intrigue about these characters and the discovery of their powers,” Kring told EW.com during a phone call from the picket line. “We taught [them] to expect a certain kind of storytelling. They wanted adrenaline. We made a mistake.”
Kring goes on to address some of this season’s other problems, including the late introduction of the “big-picture story,” Hiro’s overly long stay in 17th century Japan, the way new characters were introduced, and the less-than-convincing romantic subplots.
Now if he can only do something about the whiny twins Maya and Alejandro. (I’m convinced their absence is the real reason this week’s episode was so much better.)
With the writers strike threatening to end the season with the Dec. 3 episode, the creative triage may be too late to save Volume 2, but it could put everything back on track for Heroes‘ third outing.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
I like this quote:
“We assumed the audience wanted season 1 — a buildup of intrigue about these characters and the discovery of their powers”
The problem is that we’re getting the re-discovery of their powers: we already know what Peter can do, so having an amnesiac Peter rediscover his powers is about as interesting as watching paint dry.
Did we really need three weeks of Claire discovering that her power can regenerate limbs? Isn’t it kinda obvious, since she’s been regenerating internal organs and her skin for a while? It seems like pointless repetition.
And, man, Maya and Alejandro (I tend to call them Paulo and Nicki, since they seem to be fulfilling the same annoying role those two did on Lost) are boring.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
And it is really going to bite them in the ass. With the writers strike, the word is that if it lasts more than a few weeks (the last one lasted 5 months) a lot of shows like Heroes are going to be forced to axe the last chunk of the season.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
As I mentioned in this post, and in the previous one, the Heroes producers already have a contingency plan for the season to wrap up with the Dec. 3 episode.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
I think Kring makes some valid points, but I don’t think that comparing this season to last season is completely valid. Heroes actually lost a lot of its audience at the end of *last* season. They took a six week break and came back to a much smaller audience.
So when the article says that the show has much lower ratings than it did at this point last season, that’s not entirely because of what’s happened this season.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Psh. I’d like to see them respond to the criticisms about misogynist elements in the storytelling and blatant rip-offs of well-known comic book storylines.
However, I’m stuck watching because of my Kristen Bell fandom, so here’s hoping this last episode IS the start of a better season.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
All-in-all, I think they’re managing the various threads well…
I think- if anything- it may be obvious that fans have preferences amongst the storylines. Hence, if you find a character’s plotline less interesting than another, you are going to perceive that portion of the hour as dragging.
Season one- to me- progressed a slow, steady, but intent pace. I don’t see why Season 2 should be much different.
Also, the romantic plotlines appear forced and awkward, but so are real romances. (said with a grain of salt)
November 7th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
At least they’ve got writers. I suspect the Smallville producers just hand pencils to elephants and go with whatever the beast manage to scribble.
November 7th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
I actually liked the romances in the show. Though I would say that Hiro’s wouldn’t have been hurt if they’d condensed it to take a few less episodes.
November 7th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
That Kring recognizes the flaws in S2 so far and is working on changing them is a huge credit to him, and this week’s episode was a welcome return to form.
Fandom is patient and willing to sit through mysteries, but we still want some kind of progression, some indication that the characters aren’t static. Maya and Alejandro haven’t progressed one iota since their first appearance, even with their interactions with Sylar. This isn’t the actors’ fault, per se–they just don’t have good material to work with.
The Claire/West storyline fails because what is supposed to be awkward and sweet on West’s part comes off creepy, stalkerish, and weird. That I DO blame on the actor–he just plays West so “off” that it’s hard to like him. I thought that was the intent, but apparently it isn’t.
Peter’s sojourn in Ireland ended up being for nothing–all of the characters he was interacting with are dead and gone. Good riddance to those terrible accents, if nothing else.
Hiro’s Japan adventure could have taken three episodes, but they slowed it down to sync it with the other storylines. I understand that, and the payoff was worth it in retrospect.
The best storyline this season has been Matt/Mohinder/Nathan/Jessica and the Nightmare Man. Awesome stuff all around. Parkman is totally the winner of this arc, no question.
November 8th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
I think the pace is very much in line with Japanese historical dramas (taiga durama) that I used to watch when I had access to Japanese TV shows. I’ve had no problems with Heroes’ second season. And can’t people remember that the first half of the first season was just as slow, introducing all those characters? My family discussed this and we’re all in agreement, Heroes is just fine. The American audience, however, seems to be hooked on adrenaline.
November 13th, 2007 at 5:20 am
I just hope they don’t react to the criticism by axing new characters like Maya and Monica, both of whom I think have great potential. There is room for Maya to be something other than a Niki clone — I want to see that happen.
Also, the Haitian needs a real name. Why does everyone who meets him refer to him by his nationality? It’s absurd.