Hooked on HEROES

So far, so good. What little I’ve sampled of this year’s new crop of genre shows from the broadcast networks is top notch. Last week, it was CBS’s Jericho that had me cheering. Now, NBC’s new Heroes has got me happily hooked...at least until they prematurely cancel the series, as networks are always prone to do once they hook me. The “scroll” that opened Heroes’ pilot read:

In recent days, a seemingly random group of individuals has emerged with what can only be described as “special” abilities.

Although unaware of it now, these individuals will not only save the world, but change it forever. This transformation from ordinary to extraordinary will not occur overnight. Every story has a beginning.

Volume One of their epic tale begins here...

Epic tale? And Volume One? That’s quite an optimistic promise from a pilot episode. I’d like to see the wheelbarrow creator-writer Tom Kring carries his balls around in.

But Kring makes good on his promise. The first episode of Heroes was dynamite — and a fanboy’s dream. This is a superhero series that emphasizes character over flash. The biggest visual effect in this first hour involved a high school cheerleader who’s discovered she has Wolverine-like regenerative powers; other characters’ “powers” were revealed much more subtly. A nice touch. And you gotta love a TV series that acknowledges its sources; one young geek in Japan (played charmingly by Masi Oka) quotes Kitty Pride from X-Men comics while trying to explain to a co-worker how he believes he can bend time and space and teleport himself. (Incidentally, when Oka finally does teleport himself in a big way, the moment is absolutely exhilarating.)

If you love comics, Heroes won’t disappoint you. And if you missed last night’s premiere, NBC is rerunning it tonight at 8:00. (Its normal timeslot is Mondays at 9:00.) Or maybe look for a download of the episode at NBC.com or iTunes.