By now, you've probably heard of the phenomenon that is NBC's Heroes.""
When this show was announced, I, like many other skeptics, scoffed at the ridiculous premise. How could anyone legitimately take such a shameless ""X-Men"" rip-off seriously? After all, if we wanted to see superheroes in skintight, colorful costumes beat the crap out of bad guys, we could pick up a comic book, right?
That was where we went wrong, because ""Heroes"" shocked the pants off everyone by doing just the opposite of the expectations. There are no flamboyant disguises, no outlandish code names and no maniacal supervillains cackling and plotting demises in subterranean lairs.
Instead, there are just people.
The genius of ""Heroes,"" the real kicker that put all of us in our place and made us shut up and watch, is the show's sheer simplicity. The characters are everyday civilians: students, nurses, politicians, etc.. They have discovered their extraordinary abilities, but most of them just want these powers to go away. No one experiences inexplicable needs to don outrageous spandex and race Superman around the world - with the exception of the imaginative Hiro, maybe. Instead, the majority of the show's characters have their own personal problems and agendas to deal with. For most of them, saving the world hasn't even dawned on their troubled minds.
Surprisingly, ""Heroes"" has become a standout series, and there are some specific things the show's creators do to keep their status at the top of the ratings.
They don't introduce the costumes. The second the ""Heroes"" cast dons anything close to superhero costumes, viewers everywhere will be flipping the channel. Why? Because the caped crusader idea works great in the movies, but when it comes to primetime television? Not so much. TV trends are changing; viewers want to see psychological intrigue and relationship drama. That is exactly what ""Heroes"" has begun to master, without the hokey outfits.
They take their lessons from TV's resident mindbender. ""Heroes"" did a smart thing when it followed the lead of ""Lost"": Do not get rid of the mystery too quickly. ""Heroes"" keeps the surprises coming and perfects the art of answering questions with more questions. Just when we think we've discovered the loyalties and motives of each character, the show pulls a fast one, turning former friends against each other and revealing each hero's history little by little.
They don't team up the characters. Comic book fans can tell you each superteam their favorite hero has been on. While the team-up concept works well for comic books and their villain-of-the-week bash-up plots, ""Heroes"" makes sure not to follow this formula. Instead, the show follows each individual character in his or her personal motives. The show's major players sometimes run into each other in passing, but they are never together all at once. Not bringing the entire cast together into one massive team-up effort will allow the writers to establish surprising connections between characters later on in the series.
As long as the show can keep its winning formula intact, ""Heroes"" will remain a strong television presence. The emphasis on human feeling, character relationships and the ongoing mystery surrounding everyone's superpowers makes for engrossing television drama.
With the new season off to a strong start, I'm anxious to see where our heroes are headed. We may not get all the answers we want, but after all, that's why we keep watching in the first place.
