Heroes: Possible Rival for Galactica?

 

Although on the surface the two shows have little in common, their similarities run deep.  Both SciFi Channel's Battlestar Galactica and NBC's Heroes (which can also be seen on the SciFi channel) are gripping dramas with incredibly well-written characters who are true to themselves being put into extraordinary situations which tie the overall arc of the story together and keep pushing it further with each episode.

 

On its surface the show borrows quite a lot from the X-Men comic series, but frankly and as much as I love Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, Heroes paints a much more intensely believable world.  Clearly there's a big difference between telling a complex story in 120 minutes and telling it in 20+ 46 minute episodes, but just as clearly the latter has a lot more potential and the producers of Heroes haven't wasted an ounce of it.

 

I'm aware that many fans in TV-land favor The Shield, but I've got to say I stopped watching because there was too-much side-story and not enough main-event.  Not as bad as X-Files, and the side-stories were well-written, like this week's Galactica, but if BSG made those episodes the norm instead of the exception I'd stop watching them also.  It's all about the quality and I don't play favorites.

 

24, another fan-fave, I find (and always have) to be a bit artificial in plot construction.  I still watch it because the characters are terrific and they overall plot keeps moving nicely, but it is still too flawed to be a contender for "Best Show on Television".  TIME magazine bestowed that honor on Battlestar last year but this year it may be Heroes that gets the nod for top-spot. 

 

Certainly it is the best NEW show on television, without a doubt. For anyone that likes their TV shows complex and extremely well-written, if you haven't seen Heroes I highly recommend you do.  It comes back on the air New Years Day with a marathon that will bring you up-to-speed, but if you can't wait NBC has jumped on-board with a new fad I actually quite like: Offering episodes of their show, streaming in their entirety from their website.  They're going to start broadcasting new episodes (second half of season 1) on January 22. Check it out, I promise you will not be disapointed.

 

- one