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Heroes drops 2 producers

NBC is reportedly unhappy with the direction of Heroes' third season. What were they watching in season two?

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It’s always a worrying sign when we hear of creatives leaving a show, particularly mid-season.

Co-executive producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb have been let go from Heroes.

Both have been with the show since its first season and were known to have led the day-to-day production operation under the direction of creator/executive producer Tim Kring.

Despite much promise, Heroes has struggled in the ratings in its third season in the US.

According to Variety, Alexander and Loeb are said to have been let go because of NBC’s frustration with the creative direction of the show.

There have also been hefty budget overruns this season, going well beyond its already sizable $4 million per episode pricetag.

In Australia the show is struggling too, with Seven pushing the show out to a later timeslot. From this week it airs at 10:30pm.

Source: Variety

23 Responses

  2. In regards to Season 2 you have to remember that it was cut short midstream by the writers strike which leads to the misconception that it is was misguided or lost the plot.

    Season 1 – 23 episodes
    Season 2 – 11 episodes
    Season 3 – 24 episodes (planned)

    Hopefully it will have a long life span to rival the Stargate series.

  6. Heroes needs to realise that it doesn’t need the constantly changing timelines and alternate futures. It should be able to get by on the merits of its characters. I’ve been enjoying the show but, as with everything, it could be better.

  8. Damn I hope it gets a 4th season! I’ve watched every episode of Season 3 so far and to be honest I’m loving how f****d up the story-lines are! I don’t think i’ve yet finished watching an episode this season without going “WTF?” in a really good way… especially the last episode. Whilst I’ll agree the Suresh thing is a bit stupid, i’m sure it will all make sense in due course, but everything else about the show I love!

  9. As great as the first season was, the exciting climactic finale was really a fizzer, and it’s really gone downhill from there. I would have to agree that with the way the show is being received here and in the US, chances of a 4th season will be very slim…

  12. Current season of Heroes isn’t as good as the first. Parkman in the middle of nowhere in Africa looking at the painted rocks is similar in idea to the first season paintings storyline – when I saw the paintings I thought why didn’t they come up with something original rather than copying their own story! And Suresh as a killer – what the!

  13. I got sick of the show at the end of Season 1 and didn’t watch Season 2, but I am back with Season 3 and so far am enjoying it, however the show gets stranger and stranger – I don’t really know how far they can drag it on, they’ve made everything waaayy too complicated and twisted.

  14. @Tex – just because you may like Lost more than heroes, doesn’t mean they can’t be compared. There was an entire season where Lost was in the same place Heroes is now: struggling to figure out where it was going and how to maintain its momentum. It arguably found its way again, so maybe Heroes will get a chance to do the same.

  15. Heroes is very busy with storylines this season, but it is great, more enjoyable than season 2. A fourth season would be nice, but it would be good to end on a high than a dismal end after being axed mid season.

  16. This change would probably only take effect from chapter 4 onwards, as i believe they are nearing completion of the 3rd chapter or already have. Or perhaps rewrites and re-shoots are not out of the question, but they would have to be quick.

  17. Neon Kitten – spot on about Heroes. Season 3 started well and looked promising until the constant time travel, bizzare plot twists and the Suresh storyline.

    I’m hoping the ‘Villains’ installment of this series brings it back on track…..

    As for the 10.30pm slot, shame on you 7. It will be interesting to see what timeslot they put Lost into next year…

  18. Thanks Tex, you said (about Lost) exactly what I was about to 🙂

    Heroes has been in disarray since the last few episodes of season 1, when it jumped the proverbial shark in an effort to create a big epic season finale. An effort which failed dismally. Season 2 was awful, mercy-killed by the writers’ strike thankfully. And season 3 has a major flaw – there’s literally no character left that’s likeable. Yeah, it’s called “Villains” this year, but really, do we want an entire season of characters we used to like behaving badly? Making Suresh – the show’s non-superpowered conscience, in a way – into a monster that kills and wraps his victims in cocoons… that was just insanity.

    I still watch the show – more out of the fact that it’s an easy download than anything else – but am not at all surprised that NBC has stepped in here. Expect some characters to become a little happier in future episodes 😀

  19. @ GuanoLad – Heroes and Lost absolutely do not compare. Lost has always maintained a brilliant standard of scripts and story lines, and they’ve just had an amazing fourth season, albeit if they’ve lost a few casual viewers.

    Heroes had a great first season but it’s got to the point where every episode sees a character killed off, a new character introduced, and some time-travelling surprise. The show is just getting darker and darker – even literally, last week’s episode there were barely any scenes with decent lighting. I agree with you that it’s a mess, but in no way does it compare to Lost.

  20. There is no way it will be canceled soon. It is getting enormous 18-49 ratings in the states. It is their second highest rating 18-49 show behind the office, and one of their top rating shows in total people too.

  21. Heroes has painted itself into the same corner Lost did, which is that the storylines are so complex and they have so many threads going simultaneously, that it’s hard to have exciting cliffhangers at the end of each episode without really wrangling things awkwardly. It makes for an unsatisfying experience episode-to-episode, even though the overall story arc is probably building to a spectacular climax and which will hopefully be very satisfying indeed, assuming they can sustain interest long enough to maintain their plan.

    Season 2 tried to please people with what they thought the audiences wanted, but that was a misjudgement they are trying to avoid here, though now they’re just getting stuck in a vortex of inconsistent character behaviour in order to maintain their story arc objective.

    Anyway, I think that’s why the Execs see the need to shake things up. It is, to put it simply, a mess.

  22. This is so sad. Heroes is one of my favourite shows and I don’t want to see it cancelled. I just don’t see how they could resolve every storyline this season and I really hope it does not come to that.

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