Today has been bad day for some fans of genre shows on network TV, especially fans of the two shows featuring members of the new Star Trek crew. Today news has come out that ABC iscancelling the time-travel show FlashForward (featuring John Cho), and NBC is saying goodbye to Heroes (featuring Zachary Quinto).
No fifth season for Heroes – maybe a MOTW
The NBC series Heroes will not be returning for a fifth season. After bringing in up to 17 million viewers in its first season, the show’s fourth season finale went out with a whimper of only 4.4 million viewers. There has been some hope that NBC might bring the show back for one last season as it has a loyal core and does well on DVD and overseas, but today NBC made the cancellation official. There are other reports that NBC may wrap up the story with a 2-hour (or maybe 4-hour) movie of the week, but a decision on that will likely follow the NBC network upfront presentations next week.
Zachary Quinto in Heroes
Over the years Heroes has had a strong connection to Star Trek. The most visible connection is the main villain of the series, Zachary Quinto, who became the new Mr. Spock for JJ Abrams Star Trek. But the connections run deeper, with regular Star Trek references to the show through the years, many of which were put in by former Star Trek writer Bryan Fuller, who worked on Heroes in the first season and consulted on the third season. A number of Star Trek regulars also appeared on Heroes including George Takei, Nichelle Nichols and Dominic Keating. More Heroes/Trek connections at the Heroes Wiki.
License plate for Kaito’s (George Takei) car – just one of many Star Trek / Heroes connections
ABC says no to FlashForward – Yes to V
After one season ABC has decided to pull the plug on the time-travel series FlashForward, co-created by Trek vet Brannon Braga and featuring John Cho as one of the main characters. After starting off strong in the fall, the show has struggled since returning from the winter hiatus. Word is that ABC decided they would only carry one of their new genre shows into a second seasons, and that slot went to V.
John Cho in FlashForward
wow!
heroes I’ve completely lost interest in, but Flash Forward was just hooking me in. a bit of a shock!
I, for one will miss Flash Forward. But I had noted it’s gotten a big frenetic. I do hope they will resolve the core quandaries with a wrap episode or two.
Never did warm up to V. Guess I picked the loser this time. I like Fringe though, a lot.
Well some days you get the bear and other days the bear gets you.
I’m not going to miss either of them. Heroes was fantastic in it’s first season, but it went downhill straight after that. They made the stories and plots WAYYYYYYYYY too complicated and way too interwoen to be interesting anymore. I watched the first 3 or so seasons then lost interest. I was interested with FlashForward for the first few episodes, but then it started to turn into Heroes in that the storytelling became so complicated that I lost interest.
BTW, “interwoen” should be “interwoven”. LOL, sorry!
The hiatus these shows take are quite a gamble.
As far as heroes, I think they never recovered from that writers strike that also caused complications for Star Trek 09, ect
wow… well that sucks on both accounts. I really liked these two shows… V, not so much
Complicated story are good. Dumbed down show are bad. I want more of the first and less of the second. V is the second, Flashforward was the first. Lost was lost in between.
Honestly, I wish they had gone into FlashForward with the expectations that it would only last one season. That’s why Season 1 of Heroes was so awesome. American television needs to take a hint from Asian television and have more miniseries. One season of a show and it’s over. No drawn out filler episodes and wastes of our time.
i also read, in non genre related news, that the original law and order has also been canceled
I will be sad to see both go, but Heroes has had a good run. FlashForward, on the other hand, is a mistake to cancel. FlashForward clearly could develop into a show of greater depth over time (he he). Especially considering that V just grazes the mediocre mark on the whole, it’s clear the leadership at ABC is losing its grip with regard to assaying quality.
Aye… well, ne’er watched either o’ them… Network tv be a fickle thing… except WB whar’ Superman keeps on a’goin’… and tha’ Simpsons arrrrrr as old as me jockstrap… howsever, cable stations seems ta’ allow shows ta’ go on and on and on… cuz’ they have nothin’ else ta’ show…
This fall on FX: (not to be confused with banging your divorced spouse)
We proudly bring back your favourite shows in one big program!
“It’s Always Sunny with Heroes Flashing Forward”
QUINTO: I am going to suck your powers out.
DANNY DeVITO: Yeah, this guy sucks alright. Am I right or what?
QUINTO: Don’t believe me… well here goes my mindmel… I mean my taking powers ability and… and… why am I so short now?
JOHN CHO: A better question is why am I naked in this scene… in the future? Running through Super Bowl 69 where the Lake Armstrong Moonies are playing the Olympus Mons Mounds? What does it mean?
DANNY DeVITO: Here- put on a freakin’ dress, Sulouis. Cover your shame.
LEONARD NIMOY: I have seen the future… and it is murder. Pass me another Vulcan Vodka Volcano, sweetie.
JOHN CHO: No. I’m not your bi***.
BND: Masssssterpiece theatre it ain’t.
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…
Heroes had a decent run but I’m annoyed that they canceled it. I really enjoyed Heroes!
FlashForward is an interesting idea for a TV series, and it looks great at the surface, but somewhere at some point something went wrong. The show simply doesn’t work… the way it’s produced, incl. direction and casting. It never felt right, never took off. Undynamic, detached, little drama, often boring. V on the other hand—while profane and inferior story-wise—, works as solid TV scifi trash. I completely agree with their decision to scrap FF in favor of V. (Maybe it would’ve helped if Braga had worked more closely on FF.)
Man, Flash Forward was just getting great! They had established characters and were going into the plot deeper. Cancel V instead! Is is weak and a fraction of what the 80’s sitcom was. Too much character development on V and not enough getting to what the V’s are here for.
I’m sorry for Heroes and Flashforward I really like these shows and Lost is the END!!!!!
FF was far superior to V. That FF was more cerebral is probably the reason it lost out to the simplistic and predictable V. Huge disappointment!
# 3
They made A story and plot for season one and two and then just shifted all the pieces around for the next two seasons. It was all one giant repeat and it never went anywhere. It was terrible and I’m glad it’s gone. Maybe a better action series will come along or something.
This is for FlashForward, !@#$ you ABC! You didn’t even give it a chance.
meh to both shows.
5. The writer’s strike gets far too much blame for Heroes decline. It was only indirectly responsible. The writers had a perfectly fine way to end the first volume of season 2 (and had filmed footage for episodes after that) but decided they needed something better and had Nathan shot, with absolutely no plan for after that point. The blame for the colossal failure that is Heroes falls squarely on the shoulders of the writers.
As for FlashForward, the show has improved but this was inevitable. Declining ratings and two showrunner changes is a pretty simple equation. I’ll miss it but it may be better as a one and done.
This is why I don’t bother with a network TV show that has an over-arching plot line until it wraps. (My viewership doesn’t get counted, so don’t say that’s part of the problem.)
I waited until Heroes was done with Season 1 then watched the whole thing in one setting – and it was great. But it lost direction quickly afterward and I never went back.
Flash Forward had an interesting premise, but why bother watching it until it actually finishes? Which, in this case, it will not.
The new V has no reason to be. The first one was just fine, thank you. It needed no update. Plus, they failed to include the creator with the remake and I felt it had nothing new to show me. Judging from the comments here, I think my hunch was right.
Yet, V survives. Whatever, ABC. Network TV is no place for sci-fi programming that has a larger story to tell.
We learned this decades ago from the Enterprise’s original 5 year mission. :)
I did like FlashForward but after the long hiatus I didn’t get back into it, mostly because I had a feeling it was going to get axed.
I am real happy that ABC have renewed V for next season. It would be much better if they bring back Jane Badler (Diana). It is a MUST!!! Her presence will help the show a huge rating boost.
Loved the premise for Flashforward, but I just could not get into it . . .
And I like almost everyone else loved season 1 of Heroes, but the crap that was dished out in season 2 put me off, i stuck with it tho, and again and again I was let down. . .
I love a good story arc, but the heroes story died a long time ago, and flashforward’s story just did not read well enough for me and both did little to keep me in the loop if i missed something.
I am really starting to miss stand alone episodes.
Just my 2 cents worth.
I lost interest in Heroes after the second episode, and I never got into Flash Forward, so their cancellations are no surprise. But as for V, they’ve really gotta ramp it up into the second season, or this time next year we’ll be hearing that it’s gone as well.
Heroes was the biggest jump on the bandwagon waste of time fad in a long time. This pretty much proves it.
Fast Forward lost me after the third or fourth episode. I never even bothered with V. Give me back my Battlestars.
Heroes’s storyline kept changing so much you just lost track. Villains were also poor and the new characters lacked depth. There was so much wrong with the show that it simply seemed to lose direction. I stopped watching it.
Flashforward on the other hand was picking up speed. The story getting better and the plot-line still more conniving, convincing an interesting. I haven’t missed an episode recently. Bad call.
The problem with “Sci Fi” is that it has the whole “geek” label stuck to the undercurrent. Just saying FF is a “time-travel” show completely turned off an entire CSI-loving demographic.
I can say the same for Stargate Universe, the story is getting better but the whole “lost in space” meme used to promote it switches off a chunk of viewers.
NBC renewed its other genre show, “Chuck”.
“Flashforward” was well-produced, but poorly-written. It is yet another ABC showed that was doomed because it spent too much time on its conspiracy story and not enough developing characters to make us care about the show .”V” did much the same (the one-hour pilot episode blitzkrieged through most of the four-hour miniseries’ material) but I guess ABC could pick one of the two and “V” performed a little better this Spring and thus will be back next season.
The networks need to learn that the “cool” aspect is important to creating a successful show, but well-written characters are just as important, if not more so. The NCIS’s and CSIs of the world are successful because the core characters are fun to watch. There was NO ONE fun to watch on “Flashfoward” (and really only Anna is on “V”.) “Heroes” kept changing its characters, either killing them off or turning them into different people, almost weekly. “Chuck” has a devoted core audience because Chuck, Sarah, and Casey are a hoot to watch (Morgan, Ellie, and Awesome are fun, too, the Buy More idiots, notsomuch.)
V gets a 2nd season, that´s great: I love this show. My whishes come true. But I´m still afraid V is to suffer the same fate as Terminator T.S.C.C. So, as a German I have no bearing on it, I can only say this to you folks in the U.S.: Please switch on V.
wow i was hoping for another season of flashforward :(
Both shows were not good
bad x-men rip off is over.
there is some justice.
Love Zachary Quinto, but his talent was being wasted on Heroes; and even though it was probably some easy money for him and a somewhat steady gig, I’m interested in seeing how he’ll blossom now that he’s not tied to the Heroes-anchor.
FlashForward had an interesting premise, but it lost all of its momentum during the winter break. ((Why do TV execs do that anyway?))
And “V” survived the cut?! What alien slept with who to keep that piece of crap on the air?! The series sucked eggs the first time it came around, and this second installment isn’t any better. *Gag*
And don’t forget that Law & Order was also axed. What’s NBC going to broadcast? They got nuthin’!
So just curious anyone know if Flash forward is ending on a Cliffhanger? Might catchup in the off season (8 eps behind) but might not if it is (hate it when they can em on one).
I just hope Fringe lasts more than 4 seasons.
All I can say is thank goodness! Both shows stunk. At least FlashFoward crashed and burned in less than a year, it’s been painful watching Heroes slowly decompose over the last 3 years. Hopefully all involved can move on to bigger and better things.
As for V…it’s trashy and soap operatic, but far more enjoyable than Heroes or FF. I rewatched the original miniseries when SyFy replayed it, and boy oh boy do people have some rose colored memories of it. It’s soooo eighties and awful. The acting outside 2 or 3 people is truly laughable. It’s wonderful for the cheese factor (like any scene involving Marc Singer), but not much else. Not to mention the incredibly heavy handed Holocaust allegory.
The best scifi on TV right now is probably the fifth series of Doctor Who and Caprica (fingers crossed Caprica is coming back).
hmmm hero’s had 4 seasons to get it’s shit together so thats ok- but flash forward deserved a second season, the characters were a bit too grim, i will miss the Cho
For once, the studios make the right decision !
“Heroes” didn’t get canned soon enough. I’ll bet that even after the final episode airs, STILL nothing will have happened.
well that’s just depressing that they decide to cancel Flash Forward, its such an intruiging series
I’ve been watching both V and Flashforward and I’m honestly a bit surprised that V got the slot over Flashforward.
@39
The studios made the right decision? In the case of Flashforward I’m not so sure about that
Re: Flash Forward… did they see this coming? :)
Now would be a good time for a new Star Trek series.
I’m glad “Heroes” got the axe. Quite frankly, it should have been cancelled after season three. The first season was great. The second season slipped a lot, and the third season was even worse, despite Tim Kring’s promise that it would be better. I didn’t even bother watching the fourth season. The show became overly complicated, convoluted and contrived. The “plot” no longer made sense, and the “stunt” casting of former Trek actors was a blatant attempt to cover up lazyass writing and and to appeal to Trek fans. It was pitiful. The show had so much potential, but they ended up wasting it.
As for “Flash Forward”, it had an interesting premise, but I gave up on it after about five episodes because I didn’t find the characters or story lines interesting.
These shows are two examples of why CBS will and should wait a few years before greenlighting a new “Star Trek” series.
#34
NBC will premire “Law & Order: Los Angeles” in the fall as a replacement.
Despite the fact that “Law & Order: Trial By Jury” (anyone remember that show?) was cancelled after only thirteen episodes. “Special Victims Unit” is stll good, but “Criminal Intent”, which has been renewed, absolutely sucks. But it is NBC we’re talking about.
I don’t live in the US. Never understood the concept of hiatus. Why would they screw the momentum of any show like that? It’s suicide.
I”m very interested on this movie, very unbelieveable
This is sad news – no doubt they will be making way for more reality tv shows which are nothing more than soporific drivel that require a memory//attention span of 2 seconds!
I’m pleased that V will continue for another season.
Heroes S2 blew, and I cut loose and freed myself after watching the first episode of S3. I can’t believe it limped along another two years.