Holding Out for a Better 'Heroes'

I really wanted NBC's new drama Heroes (premieres Monday on NBC) to be extraordinary like the characters it profiles, but it fell short. The pacing kept this show from moving along and I found myself watching the clock at times, and not because I was trying to break the time/space continuum like one of the featured characters. Now, this was the pilot, and there was a lot of set-up involved, so it's very possible that subsequent episodes are much stronger. The premise, ordinary people discover that they have extraordinary abilities, is strong, if not unoriginal (X-Men, The 4400). And the show is loaded with potential, but the pilot doesn't live up to it. I was expecting the series to be The 4400 with a bigger budget, and although the overarching themes are the same, the show does manage to sketch out its own niche. Like most series, it has its cliched characters -- the overzealous, cutthroat politician (Adrian Pasdar), the pretty single mom who takes her clothes off for money in order to support her son (Ali Larter) among others, but there are a host of interesting ones to balance it out. In fact, one of the show's biggest strengths is its ensemble format. It constantly moves between the various characters and their newly discovered abilities. The most fascinating character is a teenager from Texas who doesn't get injured (Hayden Panettierre). She jumps off water towers, runs into a burning building and tries other tactics to injure herself, but all of these stunts come up short as the teen's body heals itself every time. With a premise full of potential, let's hope this show heals itself and lives up to that potential in future episodes.

THE 411

PREMISE: Ordinary people discover that they have extraordinary abilities
STARRING: Milo Ventimiglia (Gilmore Girls), Adrian Pasdar, Hayden Panettiere, Ali Larter, Greg Grunberg (Alias), Masi Oka
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Tim Kring (Crossing Jordan), David Semel and Dennis Hammer
EXTRA BONUS: Plenty of eye-popping special effects
BOTTOM LINE: Loaded with potential, but can the show turn that potential into greatness? Future episodes will tell. GRADE: B-
PREMIERES: Monday, September 25th at 9 p.m. (EST) on NBC. For more information, visit nbc.com. You can watch the premiere now via streaming video at Yahoo! TV.