Actress Hayden Panettiere's death in August shocked the public, especially millennial fans who grew up alongside her. Tributes to Panettiere have been rolling in ever since, while fans have returned to some of her most famous roles. I've personally been re-watching her tenure as Claire Bennett in Heroes, and seeing how great its first season was has me angry about Season 2 and the rest of its time on NBC all over again.
Heroes (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) had a wildly successful first season back in 2006-2007, winning an Emmy and being nominated for eight in total. It was a fascinating take on the comic book genre, years before shared universes became commonplace. Unfortunately, the show was never able to return to that glory, despite strong performances by Panettiere and her co-stars.
Heroes Never Recovered From The Season 2 Writer's Strike.
Heroes Season 1 was a huge hit, but it struggled during the rest of its run. While we saw how the 2023 WGA strike brought the industry to a screeching halt, another strike happened back in 2007-2008. Eventually it was resolved, with Heroes getting an abridged second season with just 11 episodes (compared to the original's 23). Season 2 failed to live up to its predecessor, and a number of plotlines from the show's sophomore outing were abandoned when it returned for its third season.
Unfortunately, Heroes didn't join the ranks of TV shows that actually ended well. While it got four seasons in total, the later ones failed to meet the expectations set by Season 1. I watched the show's entire run, and on the rewatch, I've found myself once again frustrated at the fate of a series that had so much potential. Seriously, the first season was a perfectly crafted narrative.
While filming Heroes was sometimes awkward for the cast, you could never tell it from Hayden Panettiere's performance throughout its four-season run on the air. Her character Claire was the heart of the show, and the late actress led the cast at just 17-20 years old. She's one of many standout actors from Heroes' main cast, with others including Milo Ventimiglia, Masi Oka, and Ali Larter.
Unfortunately for the hardcore fans, Panettiere didn't reprise her role for the reboot Heroes: Reborn, although that series was cancelled after just one season on the air. Once again, no forms of the franchise were able to live up to the standards set by Season 1. I still plan to give the OG series a full re-watch to honor the Nashville actress in the wake of her death.
The original Heroes series is streaming on Netflix and Tubi. It's definitely worth the watch... even if the show's quality suffered as it got deeper into its run.
