The Calvin Hicks Show

As toddlers, we let our imaginations run free and create amazing situations. Towels became capes as to give us the ability to fly like the “Man of Steel”. Cardboard refrigerator boxes were carved out, painted, and designed with the intricacies of the most amazing “Batmobile”. And seemingly from three blocks away, our “Spider senses” could detect exactly when a fresh batch of mom’s chocolate chip cookies had just been taken out of the oven. As we got a little older, our love for our heroes took a profound turn. We started watching” X-men”; normal people mutated to have special powers or abilities.

And now as adults, while our imaginations have taken a turn towards creatively producing a source to maintain and sustain the life of a “mere mortal” in the “real world”, one of us has disappeared into the corner telephone booth and changed into a master of scribe to produce and develop successful science fiction television drama series based on many childhood fantasies called “Heroes.”

Premiering on NBC September 25, 2006 and telling the story of ordinary people who have genetic traits that have given them superhuman abilities, Tim Kring’s “Heroes” became a truly extraordinary television series. Kring’s characters slowly figure out that they are not average humans and try to balance a normal life with their life as one who is destined to do more than normal. Each character engages the audience allowing us to see what it is like to discover you have unordinary abilities and how it can enhance or impede normal life.

Now in its third season, after suffering through a 100 day writer’s strike in the middle of season two in 2007, “Heroes” is going through growing pangs. Emmy Award winning creator Tim Kring, also known for screenwriting the hit TV shows “Knight Rider” and “Crossing Jordan”, has made it clear that “Heroes” will continue to keep viewers entertained. Personally, I think the show is lacking direction and creativity; however my DVR still records it weekly. I believe Kring and his partners have taken out the very traits that made the show a Monday night addiction. They are taking the show in directions that seem a little far fetched for even the truest fan. I just don’t know that there is much more to be done …the first two seasons have seemingly fulfilled all imaginative super-human ideals, now it seems as if though they are grasping at straws and hoping we’ll continue to take a sip of their weakened potion.

All in all, “Heroes” is in need of a complete cast overhaul. Presently, there are too many characters vying for the “spotlight. It was the simplicity of the show that made it compelling and intriguing to watch. Now, all of the mystery is gone. This season’s writing seems juvenile with the insertion of calculated and predictable twists and turns. I am rooting for Kring and his team to get back on track, but if they don’t find a way to shield themselves from the kryptonite of sagging viewership and ratings, I may have to allot the time on my DVR to the mundane performance by David Caruso on CBS’s “CSI Miami” or goodness forbid, the even lamer ABC newcomer “Castle”.