Sci-Fi News and Reviews

'Heroes' Plot Not Pre-Planned

There is a nice 'Heroes' feature over at the Entertainment Weekly site. It is a very positive article, and there are hints of a few spoilerly things in there, so be careful if you choose to read it.

However, the positives in the article are not the focus of this post. Sure, I am a big fan of 'Heroes'. I like it enough not to time-shift the show to another day via the TiVo (an action previously reserved for 'Lost' only)!

Even so, I have had a suspicion for some time that the writers were not up to the full execution of the topic - in other words, I have reservations if they can pull off this concept for an entire season. The article confirmed my belief. The lead writer, Tim Kring, is quoted from the article as saying that he "...has a general idea of where he's going...but he and his writing staff relish the seat-of-the-pants ride." He also said, ''The idea is to have so many twists and turns and cliff-hangers that it generates more story.'

Kring was also asked if any of the characters were in line to be killed off. He admitted "...that the show's sudden success makes it hard for him to figure out whom to put on his hit list...'My plan was simply to kill the ones that weren't working. And now I don't know which ones to kill off! That's how well things are working right now.''

Am I the only one who reads this and says 'Uh oh'? Shouldn't the lead writer know this type of important plot point well before the season starts?

Several of my favorite show creators plot out several years of the plot framework in advance. Joss Whedon ('Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Angel') and JJ Abrams ('Alias', 'Lost') were said to have much of the first three seasons of their shows planned out in advance. JM Strazynski ('Babylon 5', 'Rising Stars') planned the whole five year run of 'Babylon 5' prior to the show's debut. Compared to these creators, Kring's effort is a little disheartening. I had hoped that the 'Heroes' mythology was well thought out in advance, with Hiro's future self ready to be exposed in a future episode. Perhaps there would have been a heroic sacrifice by Ando to save one of the heroes, or a hero will die for a cause and a purpose. It does not sound like this will happen, unless the writers think of it on the fly.

Hey - I could be wrong about this. Kring could have had several contingencies already planned out and just may need to flesh out the framework for the remainder of the season. But, if we see the quality of the episodes drop as the season continues, I think we know the reason.

Posted by Fred on November 5, 2006 2:36 PM
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Did you ever think that maybe they're just being cagey? I know that would be my attitude if I ran "Heroes" - or any show, for that matter. Why spoil things so far ahead of time?

-- Posted by: Chris at November 5, 2006 10:50 PM

This type of article is what irritates me the most about TV "critics". They love to throw around phrases like "on the fly" and doubting that writers know what direction to go. The same has happened to LOST, even though the black smoke monster appeared in episode 1 of season 1 - not to be seen again until months later.
The writers are telling their story. If an individualk doesn't like the "direction" that does not mean it wasn't planned well. It may mean that you are too picky. All the complainers should either enkjoy the show or write your own story - just leave the writers to direct their story however they feel necessary.

-- Posted by: brian at November 6, 2006 9:58 AM

Just as athletes should always speak in cliches, executive producers should always say their entire story is planned out, even if it's not. -- mac

-- Posted by: mac at November 6, 2006 4:44 PM

Mac gets my point here. A show with a the illusion of a large plot arc (i.e. 'Save the Cheerleader, Save the World') should have a good idea of the major events that happen along the way. If not, its difficult to achieve the necessary suspension of disbelief for this type of show.

If 'Heroes' was a sitcom, or produced a ton of stand-alone episodes, I would not be making an issue of this. I don't want spoilers - just the sense that the writers know what they are doing.

Monday's episode actually made me feel a bit better, with the introduction of the new Radioactive Guy character, as his death could be the cause of the explosion. Now, if we find a connection between him and the cheerleader, my faith will be restored.

-- Posted by: Fred at November 7, 2006 10:28 AM

You smell of poo

-- Posted by: Alan at August 22, 2007 4:49 PM

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