| Heroes | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
 DVD cover | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 23 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 25, 2006 (2006-09-25) – May 21, 2007 (2007-05-21) |
| Season chronology | |
Next → Season 2 | |
| List of episodes | |
TheNBCsuperheroserialdrama seriesHeroes follows the lives of people across the globe who possess varioussuperhuman powers as they struggle to cope with their everyday lives and prevent foreseen disasters from occurring. The series premiered on American andCanadian television on September 25, 2006.[1] The first season, which finished 21st of 142 American primetime television programs inNielsen ratings,[2] was released on DVD andHD DVD on August 28, 2007.[3] The Blu-ray was released on August 26, 2008.[4] Within the seasons of the show are "volumes", which allow the writers to focus on shorter story arcs.[5] The first season comprises a single volume of 23 episodes calledGenesis, which is also the same title of the show'spilot episode.
The plot ofHeroes is designed to be similar to the stories of comic books with small story arcs built into the series' larger story arc plot. Each season ofHeroes is designed to involve ordinary people who discover extraordinary super powers, and how these abilities take effect in the character's daily lives.
Thefirst season, known as "Genesis", begins as a seemingly ordinary group of people gradually becomes aware that they have special abilities. Events illustrate their reactions to these powers, and how the discovery affects their personal and professional lives. At the same time, several ordinary individuals are investigating the origins and extent of these abilities. Mohinder continues his late father's research into the biological source of the change, while Noah represents a secret organization known only as "The Company". While coping with these new abilities, each of the characters is drawn, willingly or unwillingly, into the Company's conspiracy to control superpowered people and into a race to stop an explosion from destroying New York City. Meanwhile, focus is placed on Peter Petrelli as he tries to maintain his volatile power, and Sylar, a serial killer hunting superhumans.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | US viewers (millions) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume One:Genesis | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | "Genesis" | David Semel | Tim Kring | September 25, 2006 (2006-09-25) | 14.10[8] | ||||||
In October 2006, people around the world discover that they have superpowers. High school studentClaire Bennet finds herselfspontaneously regenerating. Heroin addictIsaac Mendez canprecognitively paint future events, including a nuclear explosion in New York City. Japanese office workerHiro Nakamura is able toteleport andtime travel. NursePeter Petrelli experiences visions that convince him he can fly. Indian scientistMohinder Suresh travels to New York to continue his recently deceased father's work by finding these people. A mobster namedDaniel Linderman sends two men toNiki Sanders's home to collect a loan that she has not repaid. Niki blacks out and later finds the men dead. | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Don't Look Back" | Allan Arkush | Tim Kring | October 2, 2006 (2006-10-02) | 12.96[9] | ||||||
Hiro time travels more than a month into the future of New York City; there he finds Isaac dead, and witnesses a nuclear explosion. PoliticianNathan Petrelli tries to dismiss his recent self-propelled flight, and lies to his brother Peter about it. PolicemanMatt Parkman uses histelepathic powers to find a girl namedMolly Walker, whose parents have been recently murdered by a serial killer calledSylar. Parkman is nearly arrested by his colleagues because of this. | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | "One Giant Leap" | Greg Beeman | Jeph Loeb | October 9, 2006 (2006-10-09) | 13.34[10] | ||||||
Peter begins to date Isaac's ex-girlfriend Simone. Hiro returns to the present and seeks the help of his friend,Ando Masahashi, to save New York from the upcoming explosion. Mohinder, who has been working with his father's neighbor Eden, discovers that Sylar was connected to his father. Claire's classmate Brody attempts to rape her and accidentally kills her in the process. | ||||||||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Collision" | Ernest Dickerson | Bryan Fuller | October 16, 2006 (2006-10-16) | 12.96[11] | ||||||
Matt is kidnapped by Claire's father and aHaitian. Hiro and Ando gamble in Vegas using Hiro's ability to freeze time, but are soon evicted from the hotel and assaulted by the security staff. Niki's alter ego Jessica, has sex with Nathan to repay her debt to Linderman. After she regenerates from her mortal injuries, Claire takes Brody for a car ride and intentionally crashes into a brick wall. | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Hiros" | Paul Shapiro | Michael Green | October 23, 2006 (2006-10-23) | 14.45[12] | ||||||
A Hiro from the future—who can speak English fluently—appears to Peter. He instructs Peter to save a cheerleader in order to save the world. Niki has no memories of the night before. Claire tells her father about Brody and her father secretly instructs the Haitian to erase Brody's mind. | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Better Halves" | Greg Beeman | Natalie Chaidez | October 30, 2006 (2006-10-30) | 14.89[13] | ||||||
Mohinder gives up searching forsuperhumans and returns to India. Niki's husbandD.L. Hawkins—who can phase through solid objects—returns after breaking out of prison. He takes his sonMicah Sanders from Niki, whom he thinks framed him for murder. | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Nothing to Hide" | Donna Deitch | Jesse Alexander | November 6, 2006 (2006-11-06) | 14.47[14] | ||||||
Matt works with the FBI to identify Sylar. They interrogateTed Sprague, who can emit radiation. Parkman, by telepathy, accidentally finds out that his wife is cheating on him.Micah Sanders is revealed to have the power oftechnopathy. | ||||||||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Seven Minutes to Midnight" | Paul Edwards | Tim Kring | November 13, 2006 (2006-11-13) | 15.08[15] | ||||||
Hiro and Ando meet diner waitressCharlie Andrews, who canperfectly remember everything that she has learned. Charlie is killed by Sylar shortly afterwards, and Hiro goes back in time to save her. In India, a mysterious boy visits Mohinder in his dreams, causing him to consider resuming his father's research. With Isaac now in his custody, Bennet learns that Claire will soon be killed by Sylar. | ||||||||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Homecoming" | Greg Beeman | Adam Armus & Kay Foster | November 20, 2006 (2006-11-20) | 16.03[16] | ||||||
Peter, despite warnings pointing to his death, rushes to the aid of the cheerleader, despite being convinced he is powerless alone. Claire's father forbids his daughter to go to Homecoming, fearing that she will be killed. Claire sneaks out, and is attacked by Sylar, but is rescued by Peter, who manages to hold him off before falling, dying and subsequently regenerating. Mohinder decides to continue his father's work. | ||||||||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Six Months Ago" | Allan Arkush | Aron Eli Coleite | November 27, 2006 (2006-11-27) | 15.56[17] | ||||||
Most of the events in this episode take place six months prior to the events in the previous episode. Hiro seeks to change Charlie's death by going back in time, but finds out that her death is inevitable—she has a blood clot in her brain. Suresh's father meets Gabriel Gray and runs some tests on him. Gabriel adopts the name of Sylar and kills people to take their abilities. Hiro returns to the present. | ||||||||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Fallout" | John Badham | Joe Pokaski | December 4, 2006 (2006-12-04) | 14.94[18] | ||||||
Matt and the FBI investigate the Homecoming killing at Claire's school, having arrested Peter at the scene. When Matt tries to read Claire's mind he cannot because the Haitian is blocking his telepathy. Later, Matt tries listening in on Bennet with the same results, but does hear one word: "Sylar". Unbeknownst to the investigators, Sylar has already been captured by Bennet. The Haitian is ordered by Bennet to erase memories from Claire, her mother, her brother, and one of her friends, pertaining to her regenerative abilities. The Haitian does not erase Claire's memory, instead swearing her to secrecy. Niki turns herself in to the police to protect DL and Micah from Jessica. After being released from custody, Peter collapses in front of the police station and experiences a vision suggesting he is the cause of the atomic explosion in New York. When trying to explain his vision to Nathan, he falls into a coma. | ||||||||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Godsend" | Paul Shapiro | Tim Kring | January 22, 2007 (2007-01-22) | 14.90[19] | ||||||
Hiro goes on a quest to retrieve the sword of Feudal Japanese hero Takezo Kensei after meeting with Isaac and seeing his paintings. Peter has more visions of himself exploding and there is a man whom he does not know in his new visions. Peter later meets this man, who calls himselfClaude Rains. Claude can become invisible. Certain heroes, Isaac, Hiro, Ando, Nathan, and Simone, begin converging at Issac's loft to discuss the future. Parkman and the FBI go to the Texan paper company where Bennet works with the hope of finding Sylar, but they cannot find him. | ||||||||||||
| 13 | 13 | "The Fix" | Terrence O'Hara | Natalie Chaidez | January 29, 2007 (2007-01-29) | 13.63[20] | ||||||
Claude agrees to teach Peter how to control his powers. Matt's wife reveals that she is pregnant. Claire contacts her biological mother Meredith Gordon, who possessespyrokinesis. | ||||||||||||
| 14 | 14 | "Distractions" | Jeannot Szwarc | Michael Green | February 5, 2007 (2007-02-05) | 14.61[21] | ||||||
Sylar escapes from Bennet's captivity. Claude is convinced that Peter's loved ones are distracting him. To prove this, they follow Simone who kisses Isaac. Claire meets Meredith in person. Isaac contacts Bennet, whom he had previously met, to tell him about a painting that he had finished that shows Peter becoming invisible. | ||||||||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Run!" | Roxann Dawson | Adam Armus & Kay Foster | February 12, 2007 (2007-02-12) | 14.68[22] | ||||||
Meredith informs Claire's biological father, Nathan, that Claire is alive. Meredith blackmails him for $100,000 by agreeing to keep quiet about this, as it could ruin his political career. Linderman gets Niki/Jessica out of prison and employs her as an assassin. Her first job is to kill a man (who has employed Parkman as his bodyguard after he is dismissed from the police force) who stole money from Linderman. Jessica is successful and is told her next target: Nathan. Mohinder unknowingly allows Sylar, who is now impersonatingZane Taylor, to join him on his quest to find those with superpowers. | ||||||||||||
| 16 | 16 | "Unexpected" | Greg Beeman | Jeph Loeb | February 19, 2007 (2007-02-19) | 14.10[23] | ||||||
Bennet and the Haitian pursue Peter and leave a gun with Isaac. Claude leaves Peter because he does not want to become involved with Bennet again. Ted and Parkman agree to go get answers from Bennet. Peter confronts Isaac about his betrayal and Simone is accidentally shot and killed. | ||||||||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Company Man" | Allan Arkush | Bryan Fuller | February 25, 2007 (2007-02-25)[a] | 14.42[24] | ||||||
Matt and Ted take the Bennet family hostage. Ted loses control of his powers and burns the Bennets' house. In flashbacks, Bennet is given Claire on the condition that he return her to the Company that he works for (that includes Hiro's fatherKaito) if her powers manifest. Bennet explains this as the reason why he is so protective of Claire. Bennet orders the Haitian to escape with Claire. | ||||||||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Parasite" | Kevin Bray | Christopher Zatta | March 4, 2007 (2007-03-04)[a] | 14.90[25] | ||||||
Claire and the Haitian go to the house of Nathan and Peter's mother,Angela, who is also Claire's grandmother. Jessica/Niki returns to her home with D.L. and Micah. Hiro steals the sword that he has been seeking. Ando comes back to assist Hiro. Hiro successfully gains back his teleporting power and immediately transports himself and Ando to the future. Isaac paints pictures of himself with his head cut open after being killed by Sylar. Sylar attacks Mohinder and Peter. Bennet is deceived byCandice Wilmer, who works for the Company and has the ability to change her appearance. Nathan confronts Linderman, who promises Nathan that he will win the upcoming election for congress and will be living in the White House in a few years. | ||||||||||||
| 19 | 19 | ".07%" | Adam Kane | Chuck Kim | April 23, 2007 (2007-04-23) | 11.96[26] | ||||||
Linderman reveals that his plan for Nathan includes Peter exploding. Linderman also shows Nathan one of Isaac's paintings, in which Nathan is the President of the United States. Peter and Suresh escape from Sylar, but Peter is killed. Mohinder takes him to the Petrelli's house where Claire now is and she ends up reviving Peter. Claire meets her biological father, Nathan, for the first time. Suresh joins the Company. Sylar kills Isaac and paints a picture of himself in which he is the President. Candice morphs into Niki and takes Micah to Linderman. Ted, Matt and Bennet escape from the Company's captivity and decide to disable the Company's Walker Tracking System in New York. Hiro and Ando, in New York 5 years in the future, go to Isaac's house and eventually meet another Hiro. | ||||||||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Five Years Gone" | Paul Edwards | Joe Pokaski | April 30, 2007 (2007-04-30) | 11.92[27] | ||||||
Hiro and Ando find themselves five years after the destruction of New York. People with extraordinary abilities are labeled as terrorists and Sylar, who has assumed the form of Nathan, is the President. Hiro and Ando eventually return to the present with the help of future Peter and Hiro finds out that he must kill Sylar to prevent the potential future that they had just visited from happening. | ||||||||||||
| 21 | 21 | "The Hard Part" | John Badham | Aron Eli Coleite | May 7, 2007 (2007-05-07) | 11.14[28] | ||||||
Mohinder is introduced to Molly, who can normally locate any individual, but she has the Shanti Virus that killed Mohinder's sister many years before. Mohinder uses his own blood to cure Molly. D.L. and Jessica go to Linderman's office. Hiro and Ando follow Sylar to Sylar's mother's house, where Sylar accidentally kills his own mother. Ted, Matt, and Bennet arrive in New York and reunite with Claire and Peter. Peter gains Ted's radioactive power. | ||||||||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Landslide" | Greg Beeman | Jesse Alexander | May 14, 2007 (2007-05-14) | 11.54[29] | ||||||
Hiro's father teaches Hiro how to use a sword. Candice gets Micah to rig the election for Nathan to win. D.L. kills Linderman, but is shot in the process. Sylar kills Ted. Hiro prepares to face Sylar. Matt and Bennet find the Company's Walker Tracking System: Molly Walker. | ||||||||||||
| 23 | 23 | "How to Stop an Exploding Man" | Allan Arkush | Tim Kring | May 21, 2007 (2007-05-21) | 13.48[30] | ||||||
Niki and Jessica come to peace as they rescue Micah. Hiro teleports Ando back to Japan to keep him safe. The Heroes face off against Sylar. Matt gets four bullets to his chest, Hiro impales Sylar before teleporting to 1671 Japan, and Nathan flies Peter high above New York to detonate. | ||||||||||||
Heroes began development early in 2006, whenTim Kring, creator of NBC'sCrossing Jordan, came up with the show's concept. Kring wanted to create a "largeensemble saga" that would connect with the audience. He began thinking about how big, scary and complicated he felt the world is, and wanted to create a character-driven series about people who could do something about it. Kring felt that a cop or medical drama did not have characters that were big enough to save the world. He came up with the thought ofsuperheroes; ordinary people who would discover extraordinary abilities, while still rooted in the real world and in reality. Casting directors Jason La Padura and Natalie Hart brought forth a cast of new faces such asMilo Ventimiglia who described the pilot as a "character drama about everyday people with a heightened reality." A heightened reality that was brought to light through the work of production designer Ruth Ammon. Kring wanted the series to have touchstones that involved the characters and the world they lived in.[31][32]
Before he began putting his ideas together, he spoke withLost executive producer Damon Lindelof, with whom he had worked for three years onCrossing Jordan. Kring credits Lindelof for giving him ideas on how to pitch the series to the network and advice on the lessons he (Lindelof) learned about working on aserialized drama. The two still speak and support each other's projects.[33][34][35] When Kring pitched the idea forHeroes to the NBC network, he described the network's reaction as "excited...very supportive."[36] He comments that he has been partners with NBC for some time based on his six-year run asshowrunner forCrossing Jordan.[36] When he pitched the pilot, he described every detail, including thecliffhanger ending. When NBC executives asked him what was going to happen next, Kring responded, "Well, you'll just have to wait and find out."[37] After the project wasgreenlit, a special 73-minute version of the pilot was first screened to a large audience at the 2006San Diego Comic-Con.[38] It was initially reported that this unaired pilot would not be released, however it was included on the first season DVD set.[39]
During the series' first season, theAmerican Film Institute namedHeroes one of the ten "best television programs of the year."[40]Doug Elfman of theChicago Sun-Times stated, "the show's super strengths are its well-developed filmmaking, smooth pacing and a perfect cast. It views like the first hour of a fun, thoughtful movie." Barry Garron atThe Hollywood Reporter also stated, "Heroes is one of TV's most imaginative creations and might, with luck, become this year'sLost."[41] Less favorable reviews included thePhiladelphia Inquirer, who commented that although the show had many "cool effects," it "lands, splat, in a pile of nonsense and dim dialogue." In response to the first pod of season one episodes, TheChicago Tribune went as far as saying, "you could watch the first few episodes ofHeroes, or you could repeatedly hit yourself on the head with a brick. The effect is surprisingly similar."[42]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the first season received an 83% approval rating, with average rating of 8.04/10, based on 18 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "The first season of Heroes promises a fresh take on the superhero genre, with enough style and foreshadowed intrigue to attract a following."[43] AtMetacritic, theHeroes pilot received a 67/100, with generally favorable reviews from critics.[44]
The pilot episode generated 14.3 million viewers,[45] with the season high topping out at 16.03 million viewers forepisode 9.[46] When the series returned from hiatus on January 22, 2007, the ratings averaged about the same as the pilot with 14.9 million viewers.[47] When the show went on a second hiatus during the first season, from March 4, 2007 to April 23, 2007 (7 weeks), ratings hit a new low; the lowest being 11.14 million viewers during part one of the three part finale, "The Hard Part."[48]
By the timeHeroes completed the first half of the first season, the show had already collected an assortment of honors and accolades. On December 13, 2006, theWriters Guild of America nominated the program for "best new series" of 2007.[49] On December 14, theHollywood Foreign Press Association nominated the program for aGolden Globe Award for "best television drama", and nominatedMasi Oka (Hiro Nakamura) for Best Supporting Actor on a TV Series.[50] On January 9, 2007,Heroes won the award for Favorite New TV Drama at the33rd People's Choice Awards.[51] TheNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People nominatedHeroes on January 9, 2007 for an Image Award in the "Outstanding Drama Series" category.[52] On February 21, 2007, it was announced thatHeroes was nominated for fiveSaturn Awards. The nominations included "Best Network Television Series", "Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series" for bothGreg Grunberg andMasi Oka, and "Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series" forHayden Panettiere andAli Larter.[53] On February 22, 2008, it was announced thatHeroes was again nominated for five Saturn Awards. In 2008 it was nominated for "Best Television Series on DVD."[53]
On July 19, 2007, theAcademy of Television Arts & Sciences announced their nominations for the 2007 PrimetimeEmmy awards.Heroes was nominated in eight categories, including Outstanding Drama Series. The first episode, "Genesis", earned six nominations: Outstanding Directing (David Semel), Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series, Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series, and Outstanding Stunt Coordination. The episode "Five Years Gone" also received a nomination for Outstanding Visual Effects for a Series.Masi Oka was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.[54] On September 16, 2007, the59th Primetime Emmy Awards were held andHeroes failed to win a single Emmy award despite the eight nominations. On July 21, 2007, theTelevision Critics Association awardedHeroes with the prestigious Outstanding Program of the Year title during their 23rd AnnualTCA Awards ceremony.[55] The cast ofHeroes was named in the 2006Time Magazine'sPerson of the Year issue under "People Who Mattered".[56]
The first DVD release ofHeroes was a sampler disc, containing only the first episode, and was released inIreland and theUK on September 3, 2007.[57] UK Region 2 splitHeroes into two halves on its initial release; part one being released on October 1, 2007 and part two on December 10, 2007.[58][59] When the second part was released, a complete first season boxset was also released on the same day on both DVD and HD DVD formats[60] The complete first season DVD includes nearly 3 hours of bonus features including: an extended 73-minute version of the pilot episode with audio commentary; 50 deleted and extended scenes; behind the scenes featurettes, including the making of Heroes, stunts, a profile of artist Tim Sale, and the score; and audio commentaries with cast, crew and show creator Tim Kring.[61] On February 22, 2008, theHeroes Season One DVD was nominated for a 2008Saturn Award, in the category of "Best Television Series on DVD."[53] The complete first season was released in USA and Canada on August 28, 2007.[62] It was released in Australia and New Zealand on September 17, 2007.[61]
Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced that the first and second seasons would be released on Blu-ray on August 26, 2008, the same date as the DVD release of the second season.[63]
