Adrian Stephens's Blog - Posts Tagged "heroes"

I had spent a fair amount of time considering what I was going to write about for my next blog. I had put on the backburner my idea to solve world hunger and world peace using a jigsaw, two jars of peanut butter and a rubber mallet. I mean, world peace and world hunger…they could wait a few more weeks, right? I had even considered talking about why Bill Murray would so much rather star in my version of Ghostbusters III than the one being pitched to him currently (either way Bill, please do Ghostbusters III ).

So, I had all but decided on providing some insight as to how and why I write (sorry JK, you’ll have to wait a while longer), when I stumbled upon a topic of greater importance. No, this one couldn’t wait.

I was at lunch today with a friend of mine, and we were discussing our usual plethora of random topics…our weekends, football (I’m a Rams fan, he the Eagles), baseball (I’m a Cardinals fan, he the Phillies)…when we stumbled onto the topic of television shows we have enjoyed over the years. He was a big Seinfeld fan, while I preferred Friends and Cheers . At that point, we hit the point of this blog; the all-time show that had the biggest potential, yet disappointed badly. We were in agreement that Heroes was just that beast. My friend, Terry, and I like to have friendly banter, and often times we find ourselves on different ends of a given topic. On this day, not only did we agree that Heroes had a great premise, that it started very strong and that neither of us were around for the end because it strayed too far from what made it great, but we agreed on what to do about it.

What Terry and I decided was, Heroes needed a do over. Not a reboot per se. No this isn’t Spiderman , Superman or The Incredible Hulk . We don’t want to pretend that the original didn’t exist at all. We were pretty fond of the actors. We just want to pretend that the series didn’t happen…the way it did. Here is what I proposed (and he agreed):

1. NBC needs to re-launch Heroes . They need to bring all of the characters from the first season back.

2. Claire should be in college, but still be a cheerleader (sorry ladies, the guy part of us definitely liked the cheerleader thing).

3. The first episode should be almost identical to the original first episode, but change a few things. The viewers can enjoy spotting the discrepancies.

4. Each episode would veer further from the original series until, at the end of the first season, it would now be a completely different show with its own identity.

5. They should be careful not to introduce a bunch of new characters. Further develop the ones they have in the first season. Give them significance. There were a lot of characters. NBC will have plenty of episodes to develop them before they need to introduce more.

6. Don’t kill off characters and bring the same actor back as somebody else. Especially not several times.

At this point, Terry and I had concluded our lunch. Terry and I had agreed on more points at one sitting than we probably ever had before, or will again. The two of us agreed…it was practically a consensus. Terry was ready to present it to NBC. I thought we should get a little more input, so I thought I would present it to you, the readers. Please, let us know what you think. Let’s do this!

For my next blog, I will be giving some insight into my next novel. I’ll have it up within the week. If you would like to check out my first novel, In My Shoes , click here . Until next time!

In August 2011, I wrote about how the makers of the television series Heroes should reboot the franchise, bringing back the original cast.

You can read that post here. The concept is not one normally taken with a reboot. Usually, when a franchise is rebooted, the makers pretend the original never happened. They begin with a new story, new cast and sometimes, new characters.

What I proposed was that NBC take the franchise back to the first episode, with the same cast and characters. The first episode would remain the same, and each episode thereafter would be a little different from the original. By the end of the first season, it would have its own identity.

Let's face it, the original Heroes concept was fantastic. It was an original take on the hero genre, and it had a lot of promise. The problem was that it got too fancy, too fast, and it went in a direction that left many tuning out. So, by rebooting the franchise, keeping the origin episode intact, the series could veer in a new direction all its own. Kind of like following an alternate timeline, if you will.

While that idea spawned from a conversation a friend and I had over lunch, neither of us dreamed it would ever come true. Until now.

In February 2014, NBC aired a teaser trailer for a new mini-series, Heroes Reborn . Since that time, everyone seems to be hypothesizing as to what exactly a Heroes reboot could mean. NBC has announced that some of the existing characters will return, but that is pretty much the extent of what they have released. Though we've learned that Hayden Panettiere is not expected to return, the question remains whether other cast members such as Milo Ventimiglia, Masi Oka, Zachary Quinto, Adrian Pasdar and Ali Larter, to name a few, will be recast in their original roles.

I think many fans are hoping as I am that "Reborn" infers they will be going back to the origin to tell the story from the beginning, but with the intent to take it in a different direction.

In 2015, the questions will be answered. An idea that spawned from lunch with a friend four years earlier may actually come to life. Until that time, we'll just have to hope. NBC may not have heard my plea, but somebody had their ear. One thing is for sure...when it airs, Heroes Reborn will have my attention.

If you haven't checked into adrianstephens.com lately, check it out to get updates on my next book, Walking with Father Time or to check out my new concept for a Marvel Universe Amusement Park. Thanks for reading!