20 Years Ago, NBC's Heroes Changed Superhero Shows Forever

Credit: Chris Haston / © NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection Published Sep 25, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Alexandria is a British-Canadian writer with a passion for network TV. She has a bachelor's degree in computer science from Aston University, Birmingham. After initially working as a software tester, she rekindled a passion for writing and has written for blogs and publications like Hidden Remote, Make a Living Writing, and The Daily Voice. She has interviewed various actors and showrunners, with her most memorably being Tony Shalhoub and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Sign in to your ScreenRant account On September 25, 2006, the entire superhero genre changed because NBC took a risk with Heroes. The series made it clear that viewers wanted more from TV storytelling. It's hard to believe that this groundbreaking sci-fi fantasy series is 20 years old. Built on a single tagline, "Save the cheerleader, save the world," the show put multiple stars on the map, including the late Hayden Panettiere, Zachary Quinto, and Sendhil Ramamurthy, while continuing to grow the star power of Gilmore Girls' Milo Ventimiglia, Landman's Ali Larter, and Dynasty's Jack Coleman. Heroes could have been as big as Lost had it not struggled after the first season, but that doesn't take away from its impact on modern small-screen storytelling. The series broke the mold, opting for a more serialized approach rather than the monster-of-the-week format that had proven itself in other similar dramas. NBC took a chance, but it was worth it. Its premiere episode alone earned 14.3 million viewers overall (via Futon Critic) and quickly became must-watch TV. At a time when social media was in its infancy, people tuned in live as the arcs progressed, forming new theories, cheering for favorite characters, and chatting about the latest episode over the water cooler at work the next day. While it lost its footing in later seasons, particularly after the 2007 writers' strike in Hollywood, the series' impact is still felt today; it's even enjoyed a resurgence, thanks to Heroes being added to Netflix. Shows such as Arrow, its Arrowverse spinoffs, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and even Daredevil might never have succeeded without this group of superheroes paving the way. Heroes Showed How Serialized Superhero Shows Could Work When Heroes first premiered, everything about broadcast TV was different. Most shows followed an episode-by-episode format, introducing a new case or a mission to follow, often solved by the end of the hour. There were always some overarching elements and arcs, like The Master's impending release in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1 or finding John Winchester in Supernatural. Even so, most episodes had a distinct monster-of-the-week structure before morphing into something more serialized in later seasons. Heroes stepped out with a new plan. Rather than building its world with a safe, episodic format, each episode continued the serialized element, pushing the plot point of "Save the cheerleader, save the world." The first few episodes focused on introducing the Heroes characters and their superhuman abilities, before digging into the threat of Sylar (Zachary Quinto) and the main characters coming together to protect Claire (Panettiere). Instead of focusing too much on the various types of monsters in the world, the series featured grounded human storytelling and balanced its ensemble cast perfectly. Claire struggled with her regenerative power, when all she wanted was to fit in with her school friends. Hiro (Masi Oka) wanted something more in his life, a sense of belonging and purpose many viewers could relate to. This led to character-driven arcs rather than purely plot-based scripts. Viewers fell in love with the overall story, instead of needing something explosive in each episode. It was building towards something meaningful. Even more impressively, Heroes wasn't based on existing IP; it proved audiences had the patience to wait and watch each character's story and the bigger arc develop organically. How Heroes' Impact On The Superhero Genre Is Still Felt Image via MovieStillsDB While there are debates over the series' quality after the first season, Heroes had a strong impact on the superhero genre as a whole. Without it, shows like Arrow and The Flash wouldn't have gained the traction they did, creating overarching, season-long storylines that required continued commitment. Yes, Arrow had individual episodes where Oliver Queen would strike a name off his list, but there was the ongoing arc of the five years he spent on the island and the mystery of the events from the boat. It's hard to compare that to a show like Smallville, for instance, which, like most other shows of its era, started with a purely episodic format. Heroes has also been the poster child of what not to do. As the quality of the storytelling suffered, so did the show's viewership, and the decline was steep. By the season 4 finale, Heroes had only 4.4 million viewers (per Variety). Creator Tim Kring initially wanted Heroes to be an anthology series, but NBC wanted to continue the story with the characters already introduced. The show is a 20-year-old lesson in listening to the showrunner. NBC may have worried about people tuning in to an anthology show, but many others have proven Kring's idea could have worked. American Horror Story and Monster are just two in recent years that highlight what Heroes could have done. It's a shame that the storytelling took such a difficult turn, to the point that Kring even publicly apologized for season 2's issues (via Entertainment Weekly); issues that only worsened from there. One other major lesson superhero shows have learned from Heroes: the importance of a closed ending. There is nothing wrong with having multiple seasons, but there needs to be a clear endgame that everyone is working toward. Otherwise, arcs drag on and are eventually forgotten without proper closure for the characters or the show's audience. Heroes Is Finding A Resurgence In Popularity Two Decades After Its Debut MovieStillsDB On July 1, 2026, all four seasons of Heroes were added to Netflix, and it immediately caught the attention of old and new fans alike. The Nielsen Company revealed that Heroes, with just 79 episodes, amassed 593 million minutes viewed between July 13 and 19 (via THR). There was genuine, deserved hype over the first season's excellent storytelling. It was a chance to revisit the past. In recent weeks, fans of Panettiere have created another wave of resurgence, rewatching her body of work in honor of the late actress's stunning legacy after her passing in August. Heroes was one of the shows that put her on the map and showcased her talent and charm. She was the glue that held the story together. Viewers are clearly interested in watching more of this serialized, darker, and most importantly, creative superhero storytelling. It's rare for a show to see such a resurgence after two decades, but recent years have proven there's an interest in nostalgia. There's less need for ambiguity. People want to see good triumph over evil and see people standing up for what's right, whether they have powers or not. Rewatching has helped many remember the brilliance of the first season, encouraging others to watch and share their enthusiasm for Heroes. Heroes is available to stream on Netflix and Tubi. Release Date 2006 - 2010-00-00 Network NBC Showrunner Tim Kring Directors Allan Arkush, Jeannot Szwarc, Adam Kane, Greg Yaitanes, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Roxann Dawson, Paul A. Edwards, John Badham, Donna Deitch, Kevin Dowling, Seith Mann, Ron Underwood, Paul Shapiro, Lesli Linka Glatter, S.J. Clarkson, Daniel Attias, David Straiton, Kevin Bray, David Semel, Holly Dale, Ed Bianchi, Nathaniel Goodman, Christopher Misiano, Ernest R. Dickerson Writers Tim Kring Cast Hayden Panettiere Ezekiel Heroes sees a number of people drawn to each other after a solar eclipse awakens incredible abilities in them. With their destinies seemingly intertwined, these evolved humans use their superpowers to influence the past, present, and future - for better and for worse. When a superpowered killer emerges who is stealing abilities from his victims, they must band together to stop him.