Five years after Heroes was cancelled, NBC revisited the world of Evos with Heroes Reborn. Although it was always touted as a miniseries, there were some who wondered if the show might continue if it performed successfully. Alas, the show hasn’t been a hit critically or in the ratings, and with the finale only eight days away, NBC has officially decided to not to bring Heroes Reborn back for Season 2.
Today at the Television Critics Association press tour, NBC entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt informed the press that Heroes Reborn won’t get a second installment, citing that it was always the plan to only do 13 episodes. Here's what Greenblatt said, according to EW.
[One season] was always the plan, unless [creator Tim Kring] woke up one day and said, ‘I have another chapter to tell.’ But I think we’re coming to the end of the world, maybe. Stay tuned. As far as I know, there are no more incarnations of Heroes coming.
Heroes first aired in 2006, and while Season 1 earned critical acclaim, the other three seasons weren’t nearly as well received. Heroes Reborn promised to “reconnect with the basic elements of the show's first season,” and the show followed the major characters (both new and established) as they navigated a world where Evos were being persecuted following a terrorist attack in Odessa, Texas. While the miniseries showed promise in its two-hour premiere, the later episodes fell into the same pitfalls that Heroes had in its run. Admittedly, there were a few moments where it briefly redeemed itself, but the general consensus was that Heroes Reborn hasn’t lived up to the hype.
Heroes Reborn star Zachary Levi also mentioned several months ago that he only signed on for one season, so like Greenblatt stated, it was likely always the plan for the creative team to tell only one story. Granted, they could have easily penned a follow-up had Heroes Reborn been renewed, but now the issue is moot. Hopefully the miniseries will at least provide a more open-and-closed ending compared to the Heroes Season 4 finale, which ended with Claire Bennett exposing her power on live television. For years, we had to imagine how the public reacted to the existence of superpowered people living among them, so cross your fingers there won’t be any cliffhangers of that magnitude this time around.
The Heroes Reborn series finale “Project Reborn” will air Thursday, January 21 at 8 p.m. EST on NBC. Now that the show has been cancelled, this presumably is the final nail in the coffin of this universe. Unless, of course, if a decade from now, a new regime at NBC thinks they can really crack the formula and orders Heroes: The Next Generation. Please don’t let that happen.
