TV fans, if you’re looking for something to binge this weekend – especially if you love a bit of sci-fi with world-ending stakes – you’re in for a treat.
A truly phenomenal show has just been added to Netflix in the UK in its entirety, with all four seasons available to watch, years after it was hailed as a ‘masterpiece’. Rightfully so.
Heroes premiered 20 years ago, introducing viewers to Claire Bennett (Hayden Panettiere), a cheerleader with super-healing powers; Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), a man who can manipulate space and time; Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia), a man with the gift of ‘empathic mimicry’, as well as many other fascinating characters from around the world.
I was obsessed from the start, 12-year-old me hooked by the iconic quote that will forever remain ingrained in my mind: ‘Save the cheerleader, save the world.’
Season one marks the start of a mind-blowing journey. Various people around the world, seemingly with no connection to one another, discover that they’ve developed extraordinary abilities.
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Some view their newfound talents as a blessing. Others see them as a curse.
One of those people is Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera), who realises with great fear that he can paint the future. Great fear, because one of his paintings depicts a massive explosion that he believes will occur in New York, causing devastating destruction.
But that’s not the only threat looming. There’s also a serial killer on the loose called Sylar, who’s on the hunt for people with superhuman abilities so that he can murder them and steal their powers.
When I think of phenomenal ensemble TV shows boasting huge casts, Game of Thrones and Lost also come to mind. Heroes is up there too, despite its subsequent dip in quality.
Even with that dip, I still regard it as a tour de force.
Are you a fan of Heroes?
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Yes, I love it!
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I was, but I’m not anymore
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I never liked it
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I haven’t watched it
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I don’t feel strongly about it either way
‘The first season of Heroes is one of the greatest single seasons of television ever made,’ one fan called kid100music3 wrote on YouTube underneath the trailer for season one..
‘Definitely the best first season to a show ever.’
‘Rewatching the first season only reminded me of how incredible it was. The way all these separate characters’ stories joined together in the end was amazing,’ fresh_vanilla commented.
However, they then added: ‘Shame the rest of the series couldn’t match the excitement and hype of the first.’
‘Heroes changed the game when it came to TV series. You can’t deny it 🤷♂️,’ ladies_man217 also remarked.
The first season of Heroes boasts an 82% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 92% from fans. But even with the knowledge that the drama began at its peak and then declined as it progressed, it’s still worth watching.
I, for one, will definitely be rewatching it, two decades after its launch.
In 2015, Heroes attempted a resurgence with Heroes Reborn, a spin-off which included several returning cast members, including Jack Coleman as Noah Bennett, Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohinder Suresh and Christine Rose as Angela Petrelli.
However, the spin-off was widely criticised by fans, so if in doubt, best to stick with the original. If, like me, you’ve always harboured an obsession for superheroes, you’re in the right place.
All four seasons of Heroes are available to watch on Netflix.