Last year, the folks at NBC teamed up with Sprint and allowed Heroes’ fans to customize heroes that woud then compete to star in an online web series written by the show’s creative team. Fans picked specific attributes which helped to create these characters.

 Now they’re down to two– a guy and a girl– and asking for votes– whichever character wins will begin their web series in November. A profile for each character is at nbc.com, and you can vote at that link. Alternately, you can text your vote.

 I think the powers they’ve come up with both of these characters are a little odd, but Santiago’s is probably the best of the two– he has the power of “accelerated probability,” so he can guess freaky accurately what people will do in a given situation. The profile suggests this gives him some kind of “grid” vision, which might make for a neat special effect. But I don’t like that he has super speed, because that makes him far too powerful. I also think he sounds way too much like Alejandro.

I’d probably vote for Audrey– she sounds like a better character and it’d be neat to do Heroes stuff in Paris, but her power is too much like Hiro’s. She has the ability to “speed people up and slow them down.” I can’t tell if this is time manipulation or not, but it’s not very original. I kinda wish I could vote for her character with the other guy’s power.

Anyway, that’s what they’re doing. I don’t know how long these webisodes are supposed to be but I hope they have some sort of tie-in with the plot of the show. It would be neat if the winning character showed up somewhere in the real series, too, but I doubt if they’ll do that.

Heroes Season 3 begins September 22. Tune in right here for weekly reviews!

LLAP

-Cap’n Logan

I write a lot of updates and reviews of the shows I follow during the year, mostly sci-fi, and here is a list of the shows I’ll be reviewing in the upcoming season. Three start in the fall and three in the spring.

 Heroes (Season 3)

NBC, Sept. 22, 2008

Catch Up On Previous Episodes

I think there’s a good chance we’ll get the big, epic season we’ve been waiting for this year. I say this both because of the “villains” premise and because creator Tim Kring realized the error of his ways with season 2. Looking forward to finally seeing another FULL season. I just hope the don’t end up making me hate any of the characters I currently like!

Chuck (Season 2)

NBC, Sept 29, 2008

Watch Some Previous Episodes

When the writer’s strike cut Chuck off last season, it was just getting into a really interesting arc– Casey was just informed that he would have to turn against Chuck. It wasn’t intended to end there, but it ended up a cliffhanger. The show was fresh, original comedy and I’m glad it’s coming back.

Smallville (Season 8 )

CW, Sept. 18, 2008

Yep, despite the fact that Smallville has lasted well beyond its time, it’s returning for another season. Without Lex. A lot of fans are worried it’s going to become Lois & Clark again, but it looks like Chloe will be back after all, which may help deflect that dynamic. Clark will finally work at the Daily Planet and start building a secret identity, though he still won’t be in costume. Oliver Queen/Green Arrow is returning as a regular (which will be the only thing to keep me tuning in, and even that may not be enough). They’re going to do Doomsday. I can’t see how they can possibly pull that off. I’ve kept up this far, so I’ll stay with it, but probaby won’t review this one weekly.

24 (Season 7)

Fox, January, 2009

Next spring, 24 FINALLY returns after a year-and-a-half hiatus. Season 6 was kind of a bore, and I for one was happy for the breather. I’m excited to get into the show again and there are a lot of rumors that Tony really ISN’T dead (he didn’t get a silent clock, if you’ll recall) and that he’ll be Jack’s nemesis this year.

Lost (Season 5)

ABC, January 2009

Catch Up On Previous Episodes

My predictions for the next season of Lost are here. Only two more seasons left, and I think after this year, the show has really found its feet again. Lost is my favorite show to write about because there’s so much to discuss and speculate about, rather than just doing regular reviews.

Dollhouse (Season 1)

Fox, January, 2009

Joss Whedon is finally returning to television. Dollhouse stars Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy) as a memory-wiped human, or doll, who is constantly reprogrammed by a company to be whatever they need her to be. She begins to remember pieces from her own past, and the show gets going. I think the trailer is a bit confusing, but it has potential and I’ve learned to trust Joss’ instincts– I’ve liked every series he’s produced so far (Buffy, Angel, Firefly). Angel’s Amy Acker will also be recurring character.

Termiator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has also been signed for another season, starting in January. I enjoy this show and have written on it, but I don’t review it by episode.

It looks like a promsing year. Hopefully there won’t be a repeat of last season’s writer’s strike, but there is fear that it could happen again. All we can do is enjoy it while it lasts and pick up a good book when it goes away again.

 LLAP

-Cap’n Logan