Phoenix Will Rise Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 From Variety.com Big shakeup on the staff of NBC's "Heroes" came down on Sunday with the axing of co-exec producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb. Both scribe-producers had been with the show since its first season and were known to have led the day-to-day production operation under the direction of creator/exec producer Tim Kring. "Heroes," produced by Universal Media Studios, has struggled in the ratings its third season. It's understood that Alexander and Loeb were let go because of Peacock execs' frustration with the creative direction of the show. The show is also said to have been grappling with hefty budget overruns this season, that are going well beyond its already sizable $4 million per-seg pricetag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonniesrg Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 That sucks, those two are very good at their jobs and fan friendly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon-snowglobe Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 I can't help but be concerned for the future of Heroes, by hearing this news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DavidB Posted November 3, 2008 Moderators Share Posted November 3, 2008 The "frustration with the creative direction of the show" worries me a little. I've really been enjoying this season, and felt creatively it has been pretty damn good so hmm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon-snowglobe Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 The "frustration with the creative direction of the show" worries me a little. I've really been enjoying this season, and felt creatively it has been pretty damn good so hmm! Me too! I've loved how this season has been much darker....I'm hoping the problem with ratings is just because of the enormous interest in the US election at the moment. Heroes target audience is the same age range as possibly first time voters, and both parties have been heavy on trying to get these people to vote and take an interest...hopefully once all that stuff dies down, people will get back onto the Heroes bandwagon What with this and the other rumours about S4 being the last...I'm quite concerned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pure.Evil. Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 This is really upsetting news. I'm really worried, I never thought those guys would ever be fired. It's really strange. I'm totally gutted about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DavidB Posted November 3, 2008 Moderators Share Posted November 3, 2008 The thing that bugs me the most is I'm not sure what people want anymore, you know? I could understand the criticisms of S2 largely, but I feel they've put a solid effort into S3 and had some fantastic character development. Yet you still get people b!tching about it 'not being as good as season one' or whatever. You can't have season one again; nothing will ever be that new, fresh and intriguing again. Shows settle into their own groove and develop the characters we know and love. It's like the "oh god, they're saving the world again!" criticism - um, they're Heroes, what do you expect them to do? And realistically, the 'saving the world' part of S3 has taken a backseat compared to the development of the characters and their own inner battles. It just makes me wanna bang my head against a wall or something. Fair enough some people lose the buzz, I can't blame them for that. Not every fan will remain so into a show, but after trying to improve the show this season and answer the criticisms of before, people just come up with more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Will Rise Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 (edited) I also LOVE this season, but people are turning off (as the ratings show) Even some of my friends are giving up on the show (and they still watch the likes of Smallville!) I dont understand why exactly people are tuning out.. Below are the US ratings... anyone know who it is doing in the UK? Is it as strong as it has been for S1, or is S3 also crashing over here? (Viewers in Millions) Season 1 1. 14.3 - Genesis/In His Own Image 2. 13.0 - Don't Look Back 3. 13.3 - 9 Oct 06 One Giant Leap 4. 13.0 - Collision 5. 14.4 - Hiros 6. 14.9 - Better Halves 7. 14.5 - Nothing to Hide 8. 15.1 - Seven Minutes to Midnight 9. 16.0 - Homecoming 10. 15.6 - Six Months Ago 11. 14.9 - Fallout 12. 14.9 - Godsend 13. 13.6 - The Fix 14. 14.6 - Distractions 15. 14.6 - Run! 16. 14.0 - Unexpected 17. 14.4 - Company Man 18. 14.9 - Parasite 19. 11.9 - .07% 20. 11.9 - Five Years Gone 21. 11.1 - The Hard Part 22. 11.5 - Landslide 23. 13.4 - How to Stop an Exploding Man Season 2 24. 14.1 - Four Months Later... 25. 11.9 - Lizards 26. 10.9 - Kindred 27. 11.4 - The Kindness of Strangers 28. 10.8 - Fight or Flight 29. 10.5 - The Line 30. 9.8 - Out of Time 31. 11.1 - Four Months Ago... 32. 10.8 - Cautionary Tales 33. 11.8 - Truth & Consequences 34. 11.0 - Powerless Season 3 35. 10.2 - The Second Coming 36. 9.5 - The Butterfly Effect 37. 9.3 - One of Us, One of Them 38. 8.2 - I Am Become Death 39. 8.6 - Angels And Monsters 40. 8.7 - Dying of the Light 41. 8.1 - Eris Quod Sum shame that the last episode was at an all time low... funnily enough it seems that the downward spiral started at the Easter Break during season 1... From episode 18 - 19, where there was a 6 week break, that seems to be the start of the down fall.... Edited November 3, 2008 by Phoenix Will Rise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Will Rise Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 (edited) The thing that bugs me the most is I'm not sure what people want anymore, you know? I could understand the criticisms of S2 largely, but I feel they've put a solid effort into S3 and had some fantastic character development. Yet you still get people b!tching about it 'not being as good as season one' or whatever. You can't have season one again; nothing will ever be that new, fresh and intriguing again. Shows settle into their own groove and develop the characters we know and love. It's like the "oh god, they're saving the world again!" criticism - um, they're Heroes, what do you expect them to do? And realistically, the 'saving the world' part of S3 has taken a backseat compared to the development of the characters and their own inner battles. It just makes me wanna bang my head against a wall or something. Fair enough some people lose the buzz, I can't blame them for that. Not every fan will remain so into a show, but after trying to improve the show this season and answer the criticisms of before, people just come up with more. for me, i do love this season too... but I would LOVE a season that had no reference at all to time travel.. it just makes things messy, and to be honest, while it was fab in season 1 to have the flash forwards, since then, they have prety much forgotten about all those alternate futures, there is really no point in having any more flash forwards unless something is gonna actually stick, and not all get resolved, therefore making those future episodes pointless.. Even in Season 2, HRG getting shot was stunning, and the first truly OMG moment in a while... but then bringing him back to life just totally ruined it, and ruined a lot of peoples faith in the show too! I could also do without Peter As hot as Milo is and i love to look at him, his character is really getting sooo annyoing... (for me anyway) However, if NBC are getting rid of some of the production staff, how long is it until some of the cast get cut too (well, actually in the case of David Anders and some others, it looks like they have already started with that too!) Edited November 3, 2008 by Phoenix Will Rise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon-snowglobe Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 My thoughts exactly about the cast being cut as well....or how long will it be before some production staff or cast get fed-up with it and leave I feel very saddened by this news today....and all people keep saying to me is 'it's only a tv programme'! That is annoying me now...I'm a fan of the show, so anything which threatens it's future is sad to me. I feel people are not giving S3 a chance after watching S2 which was deemed a failure. People seem quick to judge and 'pick holes' in the storylines....it is as if some people want it to fail like season 2 did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Will Rise Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 We can always hope it manages to "pull a Lost" ie. excellent first season, and then slipped in seasons 2 and 3.. but managed to reclaim it's fanbase for season 4... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DavidB Posted November 3, 2008 Moderators Share Posted November 3, 2008 Yeah, see Lost was lucky in that the network stuck with it and the reviews got stronger etc. In America, a network can make or break a show. I've seen shows cancelled after 2 episodes aired, and I've seen ones last for 11 seasons. It's all about the backing really. I'm convinced Heroes can survive if the press it gets improves, and the network sticks by it. I know they've put a lot into hyping it up etc, but obviously it takes more than that to convince an audience that it's worth watching again. Faith is a hard thing to come by. I think they realise it's a worldwide success, and they want it to last for as long as it can, hence the frustation on their part. However, they may always get to a point where they cut their losses. Hopefully that won't happen, as the show does have a ton of potential, and can easily re-develop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Will Rise Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 (edited) The worldwide viewers, merchindising etc for Heroes must be huge, so therefore I dont think it is ever in any danger of getting axed completely, but maybe they need to do what Lost did - set an end date, and work around a solid story to bring everything together and finish.. Maybe people will regain interest if they "start again", and having an actual ending in place... These kinda shows generally last 6-7-8 seasons.. so I'm sure Heroes has another good 2 years in it before there will be any talk of cancellation... (Unless the ratings contine to drop!!) I reckon if we ever get to a stage where new episodes are only getting 7 million vierws or less, then we need to worry... Tho saying that, the lowest Lost ever dropped to was 11.5 million during Season 3... and Season 4 got it back up to a high of 17.7 million!! Edited November 3, 2008 by Phoenix Will Rise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonniesrg Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 I don't know why those two had to be let go because of 'worries with the creative direction of the show' as they have been with the show since S1 which mostly everyone loved. So as tehy were apart of that why do they now not mesh with the shows direction seeing as everyone is asking for the show to go back to the S1 roots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Will Rise Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Official statements From Loeb: “As of today, Jesse Alexander and I have left Heroes. I’m incredibly proud to have been a big part of the success a show with eight Emmy nods and a win this year for NBC.com. I will miss the superb cast and writing staff and wish everyone the best.†From Alexander: "I write this with a heavy heart. As of today I am no longer a writer/producer on HEROES. I could not be prouder of all the work I did on the show and wish all my Heroic Scribbler pals the very best. I will certainly continue to blog at GLOBAL COUCH." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Will Rise Posted November 4, 2008 Author Share Posted November 4, 2008 From Kristin: Hey All, Over the last 24hours we have had a ton of information for all of you Heroes fans out there. Some of it negative news, but how about some potential good news. Kristin at E! Online made a post today about some inside scoops on the "firings" of Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb. Apparently NBC was pretty upset with the ratings, direction of the show and that the EW article was the "straw that broke the camel's back." Well Kristin has now updated her post to report that Bryan Fuller, who was a part of the writing team in the first half of Season 1 is the top candidate to replace Jeph Loeb and return to the show. of course this would depend on his status on his current show Pushing Daisies, which seems close to be being canceled, opening the door for Fuller's return. ------ As much as I would love to see Brian back on the show, i sooooo dont want Pushing Daisies to be cancelled! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pure.Evil. Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Bitter sweet eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattman81 Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Can't say that I'm surprised. Season two and what I've seen of Season three has been awful. And when you think about it, Season One was only really good because it borrowed heavily from other sources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Will Rise Posted November 5, 2008 Author Share Posted November 5, 2008 (edited) Tim Kring to simplfy Heroes - From Variety: With the NBC fantasy-drama taking a hit in the ratings and falling short creatively in the eyes of many fans and crix, series creator-exec producer Tim Kring has been under pressure to make some changes. There's been a feeling that he's delegated too much responsibility for writing and story development to his top writing lieutenants, co-exec producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb (Daily Variety, Nov. 3). More than one option On Sunday, at the prodding of NBC execs, Kring made the tough call to let Alexander and Loeb go from the show that the duo had helped shepherd since season one. Kring has assured NBC and Universal Media Studios brass that he intends to focus on simplifying what's been criticized, even by ardent fans, as an overly complex storytelling structure to get back to the show's comicbookish good vs. evil themes and to emphasize character development more than plot twists. Insiders close to the situation emphasize that Kring has been a hands-on and diligent showrunner. The big problem is that the show's large ensemble cast and intense f/x and post-production requirements suck up a lot of his time. And "Heroes," already one of primetime's priciest hours at $4 million-plus per seg, has been grappling with budget overruns. Now, the thinking is that his focus is needed most in breaking stories and refining the tone of the show for the remainder of its third season. "Heroes" is averaging 10.4 million viewers and 5.1 rating/12 share in adults 18-49 so far in its third season. That marks a 21% drop in total viewers and an 18% decline in adults 18-49 from its second season (which was cut short by the writers strike), even with delayed DVR viewing factored in. Nonetheless, it is NBC's highest-performing scripted series. Edited November 5, 2008 by Phoenix Will Rise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambourne Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 The problem with Heroes is that it listens to it's fans way too much. I've never been a huge fan of Heroes, just a casual viewer. I thought the first Season was great (minus the last few scenes of the finale) and, although not as good as Season one, Season two was OK, it seemed as though the first Volume needed to be slow to set up what they had planned originally for Volume three. But people complained it was too slow, then the strike happened and we ended up with what is (in my personal opinion) a dire third Season. It now looks as though Volume 4 is going to be a failed attempt to re-create the first Season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Will Rise Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share Posted November 12, 2008 UPDATED (Viewers in Millions) Season 1 1. 14.3 - Genesis/In His Own Image 2. 13.0 - Don't Look Back 3. 13.3 - 9 Oct 06 One Giant Leap 4. 13.0 - Collision 5. 14.4 - Hiros 6. 14.9 - Better Halves 7. 14.5 - Nothing to Hide 8. 15.1 - Seven Minutes to Midnight 9. 16.0 - Homecoming 10. 15.6 - Six Months Ago 11. 14.9 - Fallout 12. 14.9 - Godsend 13. 13.6 - The Fix 14. 14.6 - Distractions 15. 14.6 - Run! 16. 14.0 - Unexpected 17. 14.4 - Company Man 18. 14.9 - Parasite 19. 11.9 - .07% 20. 11.9 - Five Years Gone 21. 11.1 - The Hard Part 22. 11.5 - Landslide 23. 13.4 - How to Stop an Exploding Man Season 2 24. 14.1 - Four Months Later... 25. 11.9 - Lizards 26. 10.9 - Kindred 27. 11.4 - The Kindness of Strangers 28. 10.8 - Fight or Flight 29. 10.5 - The Line 30. 9.8 - Out of Time 31. 11.1 - Four Months Ago... 32. 10.8 - Cautionary Tales 33. 11.8 - Truth & Consequences 34. 11.0 - Powerless Season 3 35. 10.2 - The Second Coming 36. 9.5 - The Butterfly Effect 37. 9.3 - One of Us, One of Them 38. 8.2 - I Am Become Death 39. 8.6 - Angels And Monsters 40. 8.7 - Dying of the Light 41. 8.1 - Eris Quod Sum 42. 7.8 - Villains Shame, Villains dropped even lower... it seems that each week more and more people are just turning off... :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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