TVSquad

Wasn't it the writing crew from Lost that actually gave themselves an end date??

I didn't think ABC had anything to say about it. It was that the writers felt like the story was going to have a conclusion.

If NBC were to interfere with that, I think it wouldn't work the same way, as the writers have an idea of exactly where the show wants to go.

Reply

I officially quit watching Heroes 3 episodes ago (I have not seen the last 3 eps). I just couldn't take it anymore - they were clearly just making it up as they were going along, with absolutely no idea what they want to do or where they want to go, who is good, who is bad, who wants what, who hates who. The first season was interesting, season 2 was not great but I kept watching, and now I just can't watch it anymore. They shouldn't have given it another season, as I understand that I'm not the only one who has given up on this show. But since they had, I absolutely agree that they should put a time limit on it.

But as I understand it, it's not the network that put a time limit on Lost, it was Lindeloff and Cuse who said they know where the show will go and what they want to do, and they want it wrapped up in X number of seasons. A network would NEVER put a limit on a popular, highly-watched show. Why pull the plug on something that's making you money? Most writers/creators wouldn't do that, either. We'll see if Lost actually ends when they say it will - my guess is that if the ratings are still high, they'll extend it another season, and then another one, and then another one.... with Lost spinoffs - "Jack and Kate" and "Dancing with Sawyer".... I hope I'm wrong.

Just out of curiosity, has Heroes somehow managed to do a 180 and become good again in the last 3 episodes which I have not seen? I seriously doubt it. By "good" I mean in comparison to the rest of this season's episodes.

Reply

Heroes was supposed to have multiple entry points into the series, with new characters being written in and out of the show on a regular basis.

However, when they started adding new characters in season 2, fans revolted. Yet, they weren't upset when they brought in Claude well into season 1. Same with Ted (I'm not the GEICO Caveman, damnit) Sprague.

NBC has a franchise that can exist for years, outside of the current series. It could spawn spinoff series and even feature films years down the road. They have the graphic novel and the web series. Will Santiago ever show up on the main show? Do we even want him there?

Reply

Hmm, not really. Heroes wasn't designed to tell one storyline over the course of a series in the same way Lost was. It was designed to consist of volumes in the same way a comic book does. The only problem is that the Heroes writters suck at it. Lost suffered during season 2 because they had to drag out what they had, while HEroes is suffering because the writters are useless. Setting an end date wouldn't do the show any good, what it needs to do is tighten it's writting.

Reply

Setting an end date for a series is an intriguing idea that should be used more often.

Reply

you mean like at the end of this season?

heroes is the only show that i have to force myself to watch. i dont have nearly as much time to watch tv anymore and heroes is just piling up on the dvr and if last 3 episodes aren't any better than the last two season i think i'm done.

Reply

Yea, this article was written on the wrong premise. Lost chose to end because they didn't want it to get too out of hand. Also, someone else mentioned this but The Shield chose to go out on its own terms because I think they realized that they had already told the story they wanted to tell.

Reply

If we're being honest, Heroes should have ended with the first season. They saved the cheerleader; thereby, saving the world. Why keep going? One of the great things about the British system of broadcasting is that they're slaves to the story, not to 22 episodes, or creating several seasons of a series. Life on Mars was an exceptional series, but it only lasted for two seasons; and that was enough. If the American version had succeeded they would have dragged it on for years past its prime.

Reply

My feeling has always been that EVERY show should be limited to 4seasons max. It focuses storylines and prevents the studios form overmilking the franchise.

Reply

Hey Bobby, get over According to Jim, the world on TV doesn't revolve around you. If you still watch it and hate it, you're just as big as idiot as the one's who say they force themselves to watch Heroes. Or the one's who say they stopped watching but have to ask how it's going to make sure they're not missing anything.

Reply

yes. how about next week?

Reply

Definitely need an end date. It's astounding how bad Heroes is getting lately. The first season was just so damn good, and the second fell apart almost completely, and this current season just seems to be going nowhere. Would be nice to get some serious structure to the plot again.

Reply

I'm not sure an end date would help with this show. They have NO idea what they are doing or where they are going and every episode after the first season has felt like an ass pull.

Reply

"Lost" already got out of hand. People were complaining that the show wasn't going anywhere by season 2. The whole reason the whole end date thing started because they were losing viewers and people were getting fustrated thinking they were just dragging thier heels. Most networks wants a successful show to last as long as possible. If they continue to get viewers and ad revenue for a series they don't care if "Lost" goes on for 15 seasons. They let the writers worry about the stories. They just care about the bottom line. "Heroes" slumped at season 2 and never quite got its creativity back, it just seems like they were throwing things against the wall to see what grabbed viewers attention.

Reply

I wrote a long and detailed article about why Heores SHOULD NOT set an end date:
http://tvcalling.blogspot.com/2009/03/why-heroes-should-not-set-end-date.html

Reply