Season of television series
Heroes
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/29/Heroes_Season_2.png/220px-Heroes_Season_2.png) DVD cover
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Starring
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No.
of episodes
| 11
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Original network
| NBC
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Original release
| September 24
(
2007-09-24
)
?
December 3, 2007
(
2007-12-03
)
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List of episodes
|
The
NBC
superhero
serial
drama
series
Heroes
follows the lives of people across the globe who possess various
superhuman
powers as they struggle to cope with their everyday lives and prevent foreseen disasters from occurring. The second season premiered on September 24, 2007, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 26, 2008.
Within the seasons of
Heroes
are "volumes", which allow the writers to focus on shorter story arcs.
[1]
The second season comprises a single volume of 11 episodes called
Generations
.
The second season was designed to contain three volumes called
Generations
,
Exodus
, and
Villains
.
Exodus
was scrapped due to in part to viewer criticism
[2]
(some fans thought that the show had too slow of a build-up) but mainly due to the
2007?2008 Writers Guild of America strike
;
[3]
whilst
Villains
was carried over to the show's third season.
[4]
As a result, the second season consisted of only 11 episodes, 13 fewer than were originally ordered by NBC.
[5]
Originally, the second season of
Heroes
was to be followed in April and May 2008 by six stand-alone episodes of a new series,
Heroes: Origins
.
[6]
The spin-off was intended as an alternative to a long mid-season hiatus, which led to a drop in ratings for
Heroes
in its first season.
[7]
The project, which was later planned to be 12 episodes, was indefinitely postponed due to a decline in viewership and the strike
[8]
and eventually cancelled.
[9]
Plot
[
edit
]
"Generations" begins four months after the
events of Kirby Plaza
. The main plot arc of
Generations
deals with the Company and its research on the
Shanti virus
. This research is explored through the Company's founders, whose identities are revealed, as well as through the effects of various strains of the virus. The heroes ultimately come together in an attempt to stop the release of a deadly strain of the virus and avert a global
pandemic
.
Cast
[
edit
]
Main characters
[
edit
]
Recurring characters
[
edit
]
Episodes
[
edit
]
Reception
[
edit
]
The second season of
Heroes
was criticized by commentators and fans for a much slower pace, less engaging storyline and lack of focus compared to the first season.
Milo Ventimiglia
stated that "when there's a little bit of a delay, there's not that instant, rewarding scene or moment or episode... people get impatient, so it has been extremely important for them to strike a balance between giving and getting."
[11]
In an interview with
Entertainment Weekly
,
Heroes
creator Tim Kring commented on criticisms of season two, and the series' 15% decline in ratings.
[12]
Kring said that he felt he had made mistakes with the direction of season two. He had thought that the audience was looking for a "build-up of characters and the discovery of their powers", when viewers were instead looking for "adrenaline." Kring also outlined what he felt were problems with plot development, stating that the second season "took too long to get to the big-picture story", explaining that Peter's vision of the viral
armageddon
should have occurred in the first episode instead of the seventh. He feels that it would have been better to introduce new characters within the context of the main storyline, as with
Elle
, rather than in unattached arcs such as that of Maya and Alejandro. Kring also admitted that he should have resolved the "Hiro in Japan" storyline much more quickly, and that the romantic stories are not working well. With regard to Claire and West, and Hiro and Yaeko, he said, "I've seen more convincing romances on TV. In retrospect, I don't think romance is a natural fit for us."
[12]
In season two, the opener was consistent in the ratings, however, week-by-week, the ratings continued to dive, reaching another new low for the series on episode seven, "
Out of Time
", with only 9.87 million viewers. Although the ratings were lower than average, this episode was considered to be a turning point for the declining season, as a major plot twist was introduced and the volume's "big picture storyline" was presented.
[12]
[13]
The season two/volume 2 finale generated 11.06 million viewers in the ratings, down more than 3 million viewers from the season opener and series pilot.
[14]
Home media
[
edit
]
The DVD and Blu-ray was released on August 26, 2008 in Region 1.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Frutkin, A.J. (August 20, 2007).
"TV Hero: Tim Kring Readies Season Two of NBC Hit
Heroes
"
.
Mediaweek
. Archived from
the original
on March 10, 2009
. Retrieved
December 23,
2007
.
- ^
Jensen, Jeff (November 7, 2007).
"
Heroes
Creator Apologizes to Fans"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. Retrieved
December 22,
2007
.
- ^
Goldman, Eric (December 14, 2007).
"
Heroes
Creator Tim Kring Talks"
.
IGN
. Retrieved
December 22,
2007
.
- ^
"NBC Renews Drama Series
Chuck
,
Life
and
Heroes
for 2008?09 Season"
(Press release).
NBC
Media Village. February 13, 2007
. Retrieved
January 13,
2007
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Beeman, Greg
(November 26, 2007).
"Season 2 Episode 10 "Truth and Consequences"
"
.
Beeming Beeman
. Retrieved
December 22,
2007
.
- ^
Schneider, Michael (May 14, 2007).
"NBC Announces Schedule, Shows"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
December 23,
2007
.
- ^
Bauder, David (May 14, 2007).
"Learning From
Heroes
, Struggling NBC Embraces the Supernatural for Its Autumn Season"
.
Associated Press
. Archived from
the original
on December 23, 2007
. Retrieved
December 23,
2007
.
- ^
Wallenstein, Andrew (November 1, 2007).
"False Start for NBC's
Heroes: Origins
"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
November 4,
2015
.
- ^
Spelling, Ian (April 3, 2008).
"
Heroes
Returns,
Origins
Dies"
.
Sci Fi Wire
. Archived from
the original
on April 6, 2008
. Retrieved
April 5,
2008
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
"Heroes Ratings 2007-2008"
. TV by the Numbers. November 18, 2007. Archived from
the original
on February 13, 2009
. Retrieved
March 11,
2009
.
- ^
"Ventimiglia Exerts "Best Efforts" When Working on
Heroes
"
. Buddytv.com. December 26, 2007. Archived from
the original
on February 15, 2009
. Retrieved
May 27,
2009
.
- ^
a
b
c
Jensen, Jeff (November 7, 2007).
"
Heroes
Creator Apologizes to Fans"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. Retrieved
November 16,
2007
.
- ^
"Weekly Program Rankings"
(Press release).
ABC
Medianet. November 13, 2007. Archived from
the original
on June 18, 2008
. Retrieved
December 19,
2007
.
- ^
"Weekly Program Rankings"
(Press release).
ABC
Medianet. December 11, 2007. Archived from
the original
on June 18, 2008
. Retrieved
December 19,
2007
.