It's become a yearly tradition at NBC: Heroes gets a last-minute renewal, the creators apologize and promise that the new season will be better than the last, viewers realize it isn't, and ratings continue to fall. This time, however, NBC may have run out of patience. Vulture reports that the network likes its new pilots so much that it may cancel Heroes outright, or at least bring it back in a severely truncated form. In case the show does get a reprieve, here are 5 things the writers could do to make it worthwhile.
Actually kill off characters
Part of what gave Lost its high stakes and watercooler buzz was its willingness to off main characters at any time, during any season. Heroes, on the other hand, steadfastly refuses to kill its most important characters, and when it does (in the case of Ali Larter), it brings them back over and over, negating the moment. Hell, even the supporting characters on Heroes are abruptly dropped instead of suffering a spectacular death. If Heroes gets another chance, it should start thinning out the cast, post haste.
Deliver a final battle that matters
Most people began to sour on Heroes during the first season finale, where the good vs. evil confrontation packed a whimper, not a wallop. That's become typical for the show: it'll build up to a major battle all year long, then wuss out of actual pyrotechnics. Series creator Tim Kring may want to rewatch old episodes of Buffy for tips on how to do a season finale smackdown properly.
Stop leaning on Sylar
Look, we were all intrigued by Sylar in season one, but the show really should have killed him off then. By dragging him into each season, he's been drained of his supervillain mystique, and his presence on the show is no longer required. Yes, Zachary Quinto has become the breakout star of this ensemble, but it's at the expense of developing a really interesting villain in his place. Go let the man make Star Trek 2!
Cliffhangers!
Remember when every episode of Heroes would end with a wild, "how will they get out of this" cliffhanger? What happened to that? Even if all the show gets is a two-hour wrap-up movie, the least they could do is cut to commercial on some whoppers.
Go all out with powers
It's clear now that Heroes gave its characters too many powerful abilities in the first season, as they've been backpeddling and limiting them ever since. I say, embrace the problem now and go all out with it. Have Hiro time-jump all over the place! Have Peter unleash a CG-palooza against an equally formidable villain! Have Claire get sawed in half and survive! Go nuts, Heroes. What do you have to lose?