“Heroes” Creator: “We made a mistake.”
It’s not every day that a person behind a show admits that they screwed up, but that’s exactly what “Heroes” creator Tim Kring did in an interview with “Entertainment Weekly” this week—via telephone from the picket lines…
Interestingly, the interview comes just a week after Kring gave an interview in which he responded to the criticism of the second season by saying that the audience just needed to learn how to watch the show. Apparently, he’s had some second thoughts…
Here are some of the highlights of what he said…
On the slow pace this season: ''We assumed the audience wanted season 1 — a buildup of intrigue about these characters and the discovery of their powers. We taught [them] to expect a certain kind of storytelling. They wanted adrenaline. We made a mistake.”
On waiting too long to get to the point: “We took too long to get to the big-picture story.” Kring said he now sees that Volume 2 (the first 11 episodes of the second season) would have been better served if Peter’s vision of the future had appeared in the season premiere instead of waiting until episode seven.
Interestingly, the interview comes just a week after Kring gave an interview in which he responded to the criticism of the second season by saying that the audience just needed to learn how to watch the show. Apparently, he’s had some second thoughts…
Here are some of the highlights of what he said…
On the slow pace this season: ''We assumed the audience wanted season 1 — a buildup of intrigue about these characters and the discovery of their powers. We taught [them] to expect a certain kind of storytelling. They wanted adrenaline. We made a mistake.”
On waiting too long to get to the point: “We took too long to get to the big-picture story.” Kring said he now sees that Volume 2 (the first 11 episodes of the second season) would have been better served if Peter’s vision of the future had appeared in the season premiere instead of waiting until episode seven.
On the hated newbies: Kring said Monica, Maya and Alejandro “shouldn’t have been introduced in separate storylines that felt unattached to the show.” Kring said the way Elle (Kristen Bell) was introduced—by weaving her into Peter’s story—is a more logical way to bring in new characters. Kring said a few of the new characters won’t survive past the second volume.
On the hated Hiro story: “[It] should have [lasted] three episodes. We didn't give the audience enough story to justify the time we allotted it.”
On the show’s attempts at romance with Claire and Hiro: “I’ve seen more convincing romances on TV…In retrospect, I don’t think romance is a natural fit for us.”
Personally, I translate Kring’s comments as him expressing regret for letting J.J. Philbin run away with his show…
The sad thing is that Kring’s realizations have come a little too late since the writers’ strike has stopped production and forced him to turn the December 3rd episode into a potential season finale. But Kring plans to use that as a chance to give the show “a clean slate” when production does begin on Volume 3. Then, Kring plans to reboot the show to attract new fans and win back those who’ve stopped watching. ''The message is that we've heard the complaints — and we're doing something about it.''
If it wasn’t for the possible death of HRG, he might even get me back watching…
