Why was "Heroes" such a Successful Show?

The show is relatable. It plays with the ideas of government secrets, espionage, scientific discoveries and evil corporate giants and in the midst of it all, ordinary people discover that they have extraordinary abilities and do their best to try to "save the world" (whatever that may mean to them).

I'm telling you it's great and it's not too late to join the bandwagon, you can find full episodes on NBC.com.

Not only that, but the show is "interactive". They've got an online comic book, games and forums, all at the show's website.

I wrote this article after Season 2. Long before the series got cancelled. The show had so much potential and the reason for it's demise should be left to another article. For now, I will just republish the article that was written in at the height of the series.

If any of you have seen the show Heroes on NBC, you know what I mean by a Comic Book comes to life.

Those of you who haven't seen it are missing out, and I mean it. It's not like Lost (which people always say "you're missing out" on, when in fact they just want to get you to watch it so that maybe you can explain to them what the heck is going on). This one actually makes sense. It's gripping and entertaining and comes from a long history of American Super Heroes.

If you want to replicate the heroes phenomenon, here are some hints to remember:

• Create compelling characters: People like well-rounded characters they can relate to
• Create 3-dimensional characters: Do your research and make sure each character has a compelling background story
• Use themes that are relatable to your audience
• Make it interactive: Create a website, sell memorabilia, etc.
• Vivid imagery sells: Whether you're writing a novel or creating and television show, film or comic book, you want to create a world that people can get lost in

I know there are a lot of comic book lovers still out there in the world today. This is evident in the crowds of people to flock to Comicon (the comicbook convention) every year. To celebrate such staples as Batman, Superman, Spiderman, the Xmen.

I believe that Heroes is comicbook history in the making. First of all, it's the first TV show that was adapted to a comic book (that I know of). Perhaps that is the secret of it's success. The fact that it does not have an established comic book blueprint to work off of probably allows it to be even more creative without worrying about those who already know the story complaining about and citing it's errors.

Eg. "In edition 325 of Spidergirl's comic, she battles the blue lantern and we learn that she has a fear of heights, yet in your adaptation she is swinging from satelites like she is invincible! That is inaccurate and I DEMAND you do justice to our beloved hero! -Sincerely, Comic Book Super Nerd"

Secondly, everything from the opening credits to the poetic ways the scenes are produced are a comic book lover's wet dream! The special effects are a great leap from the archaic attempts that gave us Adam West's Batman in the '70s.

And this is not Marvel or DC Comics or any of the giants in the Comic books industry's creation. This soon-to-be cult classic blossomed out of nowhere, and is complete with cherished comic book themes such as the "I thought you were dead" theme:

It's like:

"I thought you were dead!"

"No. The cheerleader healed me with her miracle blood."

OR

"I thought you were dead!"

"No. The time traveler went back in time and saved me."

OR

"I thought you were dead."

"No. That wasn't me. That was my evil twin."

OR

"I SAW YOU fall off the top of a 30 story building. You're supposed to be DEAD!"

"No. At the last minute, I realized I had the ability to fly."

It's great! But they don't always bring people back to life. Sometimes they kill off some of the best people, and that's what keeps it interesting. This air of unpredictability. The feeling that anything can happen when you're in the world of Heroes!

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