Heroes News (Page 6)

Netflix has sealed a deal with NBC Universal to begin offering online episodes of Heroes. The episodes will appear on Netflix's website the day after they air on NBC.

Under the agreement, Netflix subscribers will also be able to view past episodes of other NBC series, including 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights and The Office, via rented DVD or on Netflix's website.

According to Netflix content acquisition VP Robert Kyncl, the deal is part of a larger effort to start offering more TV content on its website. Currently, about 20% of the company's traditional DVD rental business consists of TV properties; Netflix is looking to assign the same percentage in the digital space.

"Netflix's aggregate content on DVD right now is 90,000 individual titles," Kyncl said. "My mandate is to continue increasing the availability of the same content in digital. We currently have 5,000 titles available. Our goal is to increase that in order to offer our subscribers multiple delivery options."

For NBC, the Netflix deal is the third prong in its off-network Heroes strategy, which gives the online movie rental service the exclusive subscription video-on-demand rights to the show.

"This deal reflects the changing landscape of the entertainment marketplace and our objective of finding new buyers that complement our traditional customers," said NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution exec VP-general sales manager Frances Manfredi.

Wanna get your hands on some serious Heroes merchandise?

Three original paintings featured the series that foretell various characters' fates are part of an online auction of studio props to be launched Monday by NBC Universal.

The auction, will also feature collectibles from such shows as "The Office," "30 Rock," "Las Vegas" and "Friday Night Lights."

The first batch, on the block through December 3, will include Michael Scott's (Steve Carell) Timex watch and Hawaiian "Convention" shirt from "The Office"; a poker set used by the main cast of "30 Rock"; Tim Riggins' (Taylor Kitsch) jersey, a signed football by three cast members and a megaphone signed by Minka Kelly from "Friday Night Lights"; and Danny's (Josh Duhamel) signed Letterman jacket from "Las Vegas."

Each auction will last two weeks, with a new group of items becoming available about every three weeks, said Kim Niemi, senior vp at NBC Universal Video, Music & Product Development.

"We worked with the shows to identify props and wardrobe items and pieces that the fans are really excited about," Niemi said. "We have a great selection of dozens and dozens of items."

It's still performing approximately 30% worse than at this time last year, but Heroes showed an improvement in ratings this week.

The much-hyped episode that took us back four months ago received 11.1 million viewers, 1.3 million more the week earlier.

Like Peter rescuing Nathan, let's hope this is just the beginning of a resurgence for the series.

Tim Kring is doing damage control. The Heroes creator recently spoke to TV Guide and actually acknowledged mistakes made in season two, while responding to questions from fans.

We're impressed. Here's the interview:

Will Mohinder ever have a power?
Not likely. "He's Mr. Science and was conceived to be the one guy in this vortex who does not have special abilities," Kring said. "We have no plans to change that."

Which is fine with Sendhil Ramamurthy:

"I'd be sorely disappointed if I got a power at this point — it would just be weird. But I wouldn't mind turning out to be the puppet master of this whole thing."

Will Hana (Stana Katic) ever be seen again? What about Claude (Christopher Eccleston)?
Though Israeli freedom fighter Hana died in outer space in a Heroes graphic novel last spring, her consciousness survives. "We will see her again on the show at some point," promised co-executive producer Jeph Loeb. But invisible man Claude? That's trickier.

"We wanted Christopher back this season because he's so integrated into the mythology of our show, not only because he was Peter's mentor but also because of his connection to HRG," said Kring. "But it probably won't work because of his schedule — he's too in demand."

Why didn't Isaac warn HRG about the painting that predicted his death?
"Isaac was in a drug-addled fugue state when he created his paintings," Kring said. "There could also be a moral dilemma in telling someone they're going to die. If you had the ability to know the circumstances of your death, would you want that information?"

Loeb tosses us another option: "If you go back and look at Isaac's last day, there is an implication that he painted a lot more that day. This is a device we may return to. There may be even more Isaac paintings out there."

What the hell is Niki's power, anyway?
"We thought this was very clear on the air," Loeb said. "Niki's power is the same as her alternate personality Jessica's: unbelievable strength. They're the same person. Niki discovered her special ability through her split personality, but it was always her ability."

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Wanna add to your collection of Heroes goodies?

TV Guide has come out with a set of four unique covers by four different artists. They're pretty darn cool, each centered around a different story line on the show. Check them out now:

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While Monday's episode of Heroes was easily the best of the season, the series hit a season-low this week, with just 9.68 million viewers.

This is sci-fi drama's worst performance since it debuted in September 2006.

Do you think things will turn around with the new Adam Monroe and virus-centered story lines? Talk about it now in our Permalink   Share  2 Comments

Troubling news for Heroes - and television - fans:

The second season of Heroes may be coming to a close a lot sooner than expected. The reason? The impending writers' strike in Hollywood.

Sources tell TV Guide that the show is going back and shooting an alternate ending to the December 3 episode that, if used, would allow the episode to function as a season finale in the event of a strike.

Originally, the episode was only supposed to serve as the conclusion of the current "Generations" arc. Hopefully, if a last-second agreement can be reached and a strike averted, the alternate ending would likely be scrapped.

So much for that idea.

NBC has pulled the plug on Heroes: Origins, the Heroes spin-off that was slated to run next April. The network declined comment, but sources said the possible strike by the Writers Guild of America — which could happen after the guild's contract expires midnight Thursday — played a role in the decision.

We wouldn't be surprised, however, is the declining ratings and sub-par reaction to the second season of Heroes itself played a major role, as well.

"Looking at everything in context of the strike, we're evaluating all of our production commitments," said one source. "Scripts haven't been written yet."

We'll keep you updated about this situation if anything changes.

On November 20, the premiere issues of Heroes magazine hits newsstands. For a cover price of $9.99, you can enjoy the following features:

• A Heroes cast interview
• Secret origins of characters
• A Season One episode guide

Wanna subscribe to Heroes magazine? Do so now.

There were three big developments on last night's Heroes episode:

1. Peter finds an evacuated, futuristic New York City;
2. Kensei turns evil;
3. H.R.G. finds Isaac's collection of paintings.

Below, we'll focus on the final item, going through a handful of the painting Mr. Bennet and The Haitian uncovered in "The Line."

The deah of Kaito, as seen in the season two premiere. Could an immortal Kensei be the culprit?

A viral of... the virus? Think it means anything that a Caucasian hand is holding it?

A blonde woman - Niki, we presume - is trapped somewhere.

Hiro takes on Kensei. The clearest depiction of all the paintings.

Mohinder takes action against someone. Bob, perhaps?

What do you make of all these? Let us know in our Permalink   Share  4 Comments