Tonight, NBC concludes the fourth season of NBC’s Heroes (preview footage below). The series was a breakout hit for the network a few years back but has severely dwindled in the ratings. Will it be cancelled and will fans be left hanging?
Heroes follows the lives of a group of ordinary people who discover that they have special powers and the ways that it affects their lives. The current season’s cast includes Adrian Pasdar, Ali Larter, Cristine Rose, Greg Grunberg, Hayden Panettiere, Jack Coleman, James Kyson Lee, Masi Oka, Milo Ventimiglia, Robert Knepper, Sendhil Ramamurthy, and Zachary Quinto.
Though this season’s viewership was far below what it once was, Heroes looked to be safe from cancellation late last year. The numbers weren’t good but, thankfully for fans, most of the rest of the network’s schedule was doing worse, particularly in the all-important 18-49 demographic.
Unfortunately, Heroes’ ratings have continued to decline. In recent weeks, the 18-49 demos have fallen to new lows. The worst was a 1.8/5 rating/share. That’s a terrible performance, even by current NBC standards.
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Ultimately, the NBC execs will have to decide whether to renew, based on the show’s earlier performance, or cancel, based on the most recent ratings. It doesn’t help Heroes’ chances for survival that the peacock network is looking at as many as 18 new shows to help fill their 2010-11 schedule.
As expected, tonight’s episode of Heroes will end on a cliffhanger. Coleman recently told EOnline, “This season finale sort of breaks things open to, like a Brave New World. It feels like a season finale. I think the show deserves a series finale, even if it were a two-hour movie movie-of-the-week. Something, just something. I think that it should be wrapped up. Because when you have a series like ours, with all ‘middles,’ I think it deserves an end.”
If the show is cancelled, don’t look for the resolution to come in the near future. When asked about the possibility of filming a contingency ending, Anglea Bromstad, NBC’s president of primetime, told reporters in January that production had already finished for the season.
As fans of other cancelled NBC shows (Las Vegas, Knight Rider, Bionic Woman, and My Own Worst Enemy, for example) know, the peacock network doesn’t have a good track record for wrapping up their shows.
What do you think? If NBC cancels Heroes, will they film some kind of resolution or will they leave us hanging yet again?
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Image courtesy NBC.
I just love to watch Heroes TV Show. Heroes would not be canceled it should be renewed with its next season. I really miss this series a lot. This is the popular and all time hit series.
Re: Mr. p.
I thought they were all funny.
Ideas for HEROES series finale: 1. Ando amplifies Parkman’s ability so that he can brainwash every special on earth into disabling their abilities. (Jamaican would be temporary) 2. Hiro goes back into the past to where it all began, kills the first special and therefore change the whole future (including himself), free of heroes. 3. Mohinder makes a virus which affects only specials, disabling their abilities. 4. Simon and Sylar destroy NBC (oh, wait a minute, NBC is already doing that to itself) 5. Sylar kills Parkman, absorbs his power. Then remembers how to be a human bomb, and “convinces”… Read more »
Credit where it’s due but you stopped being funny at #7.
@ Mr.P, some of these I found funny some of these I found dare I say it stupid. One thing I didn’t get was (Jamaican would be temporary) from number one, do you mean The Haitian?
Well that was a short season. The show got so bloated and all over the place. Finally they reel it back in and now it might end. I think it should go one more season like on Lost know the end date and plan accordingly. Oh wait this is NBC, nevermind.
At least Zachary Quinto became the breakout star. Much to Hayden P’s dismay.
I disagree about them reeling it back in. How anyone could feel satisfied with this recent finale, much less any of them (even the magical first season’s finale, which is arguably the tipping point in terms of the show’s quality slide) is baffling, to say the least.
Too many people seem quick to lay blame on NBC, Tim Kring, Jeph Loeb or any other scapegoat to explain the reason behind how bad this show has become but never question whether it’s a collective effort toward the ball being dropped.
Honestly, pairing a show like this up against 24 in the spring season is the worst decision that NBC could have made. I purposely watched the season finale for the ratings, but 24 – for the most part – takes priority and that’s only because if you miss one episode you’re an hour behind while Heroes has enough hints that you can pick it up an episode or so late.
I Loved the show in the first season but as the seasons went on Heroes seemed to drift further and further from where it seemed like it should go. I know several people who don’t like it anymore simply because the plots and characters seem to spred out more and more as time goes on. There is too much going on and many people just can’t follow it. Sometime there are several episodes where you don’t ever see some of the characters. I think simplifying the plots might attract more viewers but, alas it may be too late for that.… Read more »
I think it’s been going where it should go. I think Lost is the show that has too much going on and I can’t follow it. I like that sometimes I can’t see all the characters, I think MASH sometimes did that. I think simplifying the plots would be a mistake. Chance never said Sylar should go he/she was just inquiring how many times could he be killed and brought back. And I think Fix It was just implying that Sylar needs to be evil again. I feel now that Samuel has been arrested and distanced from the “specials” that… Read more »
Hi Lori, I like your feedback and passion for the show. Just to clear things up though: (Also I have to agree with “Chance” and “Fix It”.) AND (The Syler character needs to go.) Were two seperate comments or I would have put a comma between them instead of a period. My apologies to anyone else too if that was misleading or taken wrong. It is MY opinion that Syler needs to either go or choose a side. While he does show a common conflict people have with choosing the feeling of good or the temptation of evil, I feel… Read more »
Thank you very much. Thank you also for the clarification. I still believe the being good won’t last long. I agree the writers need to make Sylar choose.
Lori, Just to clarify… I have to say that Zachary Quinto is an awesome actor. He is perfect as Syler, as he was as Spock. My problem with the Syler character is how may times he’s been killed, and brought back to life. And how many times he’s gone back and forth from evil to good. It’s like the writers said, “hey lets stupefy the plot and see if any of our dumb viewers notice.” Good grief, pick a side and stick with it! Or kill him off permanently! I agree with Demented. There are simply too many heroes, and… Read more »
@Chance, I didn’t need you to clarify your statements for it was Demented’s that I had misunderstood. I disagree, there aren’t too many heroes. After reading the wikipedia entry on his character I would say he’s been killed twice. I do agree he has gone back and forth between good and evil many many times and should choose. Also read a wikipedia entry on Claire Bennet and I see nothing about using her blood to heal, I have heard many people use it as a suggestion to help someone occasionally on the show. Peter absorbs an ability then loses it… Read more »
Lori, Thanks for your comments. You force me to think and do more research, which I enjoy. Actually, in season two Claire’s blood was used to heal Noah, after he was shot in the eye. Then in season three Claire was rushing to get her healing blood to Nathan after he was shot, when Syler caught her and took her power. Her blood was experimented with in that season and the conclusion was that her blood would heal anyone. So why has that ability been dropped and ignored since then? Also, Peter’s original power was to absorb anyone’s power and… Read more »
Hi Chance, I had forgot those moments. lol, not everything is covered by wikipedia. Maybe they haven’t forgotten it just no one has seriously needed the blood so far. I think that is because even though he absorbed Sylar’s power he still maintains his own power of absorbing one at a time, it makes no sense but I think that is what the writers are doing with Peter’s power. I never initially saw that as a death but now that you mention it it could be considered another death. As long as Sylar doesn’t keep dying and coming back as… Read more »
I really hope it’s not cancelled. Sylar went from being the most incredible villain in ALL tv shows into the biggest joke (especially near the end of the finale – “I’m a hero”…….come on!!!!…..) That and so much more really needs to be resolved. At least they had Samuel to back up on as the villain, though his character really didn’t develop until over halfway through the season. I guess he would be kinda cool to see again, if he wasn’t confined to one location with everyone around him. I agree – the series needs to have a true ending.… Read more »
I think now that Samuel has been arrested and all the “specials” are not around him anymore thus weakening him, that it’s only a matter of time until Sylar drops the “I am good” act and goes back to being the villian we know and love.
(If NBC doesn’t give HEROES another chance-season- then someone else will! Hint, hint Scrubs on ABC!! So, who’s really losing out NBC! It’s a shame you don’t air repeats to gain more audiences!! Who’s running NBC is the problem not the t.v shows!)
I agree with you that the people running NBC are the problem and not the TV shows.
I think that heroes shouldn’t be cancelled because so many people are being lay off because of the ecomony and wouldn’t be an apporiate wrap up of the show and i am tired of networks puting on reality shows which its stupid if they cancelled this show i might be done with NBC
I liked the first season of Heroes, though it had a few problems. They tried to have too many story lines, and too many heroes at once, which gave the show a choppy confusing effect. But I hung in there, and mostly enjoyed the first season. Unfortunately they did it again in the following seasons. And really, how many time can they kill Syler and bring him back? After a while, I started yawning when he’d die, since they always bring him back. And is he good or evil? It would be nice if they’d make up their minds. I… Read more »
I hope NBC will not cancel Heroes. As I understand, NBC fired two of their best writers. WTH! Why would you do that. Get these people back to work and lets get the ratings up. If Heroes is canceled, I will not watch another show on NBC.
I would be so devastated if Heroes was not renewed for another season. I started watching Heroes this summer after getting the first three seasons on DVD and I am hooked. I haven’t missed a single episode this season and I can guarantee that if it’s brought back next fall I won’t miss any episodes. There are many fans like me who are in love with this show and we deserve at least a conclusion. NBC should make every effort to keep loyal viewers happy. I agree with Lori, if Heroes were to be canceled I would probably boycott all… Read more »
I started watching Heroes after I saw Zachary Quinto in Star Trek.
When I saw the conclusion to last night’s episode, I wondered if that was it for the series. It seemed like things weren’t wrapped up completely, but enough that the cliffhangers wouldn’t leave me feeling like there were massive unresolved issues (a la Bionic Woman). Still, if this WAS the ending, it ended on a whimper. But overall, it was an excellent season and, while I’ll miss it if it’s gone, I’m reasonably satisfied that the entire story might have been told.
I hope and pray every day that Heroes gets renewed for another Season. I would be very disappointed if it were canceled and would consider a boycott of all NBC shows and products advertised on NBC. If it were to be canceled I would hope that they would film something that would tie up the loose ends, because there is nothing more annoying than loving a show that gets canceled and wondering what if. Also, if it is canceled they better not fill it’s time slot with another ****** reality show.
I agree with Coleman; Heroes may not be doing so well right now but it deserves some kind of wrap up! Even just a TV movie to tie up the loose ends and tell us some things we’ve always wanted to know (like, are the specials really the product of genetic engineering or are they the next step in the evolutionary process? Or both?). It would also be cool to have a “flash forward” to about five years in the future and see how all these people end up!