Excellent New Shows: A Series

First up, Heroes. I love this show so, so much. It's kind of a variation on the X-Men theme: a disparate group of people begin to realize they have powers no-one else has. Eventually, they come together to use those powers for good (or possibly evil -- I guess it'll depend on how many seasons the show survives. Inevitably, a good guy goes bad, at least for a while.), and possibly to save humanity and get the girl or guy of their choice.

There's so much to enjoy about the show -- the characters as they discover and then begin to test the limits of their powers; the deliciously, creepily evil bad guy (who is -- ulp! -- the adoptive Dad of one of the Heroes); and the many ways all of their lives intersect & intertwine. This is a cult show, to be sure, and NBC is marketing it just the right way to its key demographic of fans & fans-to-be.

NBC is allowing viewers to watch episodes online if they miss them during the week; they're rebroadcasting the episodes on Friday nights on the Sci-Fi Channel (right before returning cult favorites Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica, and oh, my goodness could I talk about the genius of Battlestar for hours, but that's another post); the show's breakout character, Hiro, has a blog; NBC is offering an online version of the comic alluded to in the show; and there's even an unofficial (but pretty darn spiffy) fan site, 9th Wonders (named for the comic). Rich, rich content, served up in a most tantalizing style. Well played, NBC. Now, just don't cancel the show. Nothing irritates fanboys & fangirls more than the untimely demise of a show that is going somewhere.