The TV Addict 

Recently, Masi Oka, who plays fan favorite Hiro Nakamura on HEROES was kind enough to take the time to talk to reporters in an effort to assure fans that HEROES: Fugitives is a return to form for the once critically acclaimed series.

What follows is what he had to say with regards to what fans can expect from Hiro in this fourth volume titled “Fugitives,” how the cast took the surprising exits of executive producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb and most importantly, what the return of fan favorite/creative genius Bryan Fuller means to the future of the show.

What are your thoughts on the backlash that HEROES has been taking of late from both fans and critics alike?
Masi Oka: The creative process is one that kind of builds on itself and I think with a show like HEROES, that takes risks and makes bold choices, we do ask for maybe a little patience from the fans and the audience. It’s a journey that may take a little time for both the audience and the critics to get accustomed to.

Did you personally feel that the show had lost its way or were people just being too hard on it because it came out of the box so big, so strong, and so popular? 
I don’t know. It’s so hard with the creative process because we tell so much story, so fast because Tim is all about getting answers quickly and, you know, satiating the audiences’ appetite for what happens next. So I don’t think it’s necessarily lost its way, it’s just trying different paths and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t work. You know, and I think Season 3 when we started Volume 3, they found a different path and they found a way to make it work. 

And Volume 4, Fugitives, is also another completely, where we’re going back to the grounded characters and the central characters and about, you know, the – people trying to live their ordinary lives being hunted now. And that’s a completely different story than we’ve been trying to tell. So it might take a while to get us accustomed to the quote/unquote usual heroes, but it still has the core ensemble captive drama. So, you know, I’m not sure if it’s lost its way, it’s just always different. And, you know, some people will like, you know, some people will respond to the way the story is told in the one volume and maybe not to another. 

Can you give fans a preview of what Hiro will be facing in this new volume?
For me, what’s interesting about Hiro is he starts off this volume powerless which as an actor is interesting to play because you kind of get the joy of rediscovering that power and what it means to be a hero without power. So it’s about adjusting to that and how to live that. How do you live your life knowing that once you were a hero and having – still have facing yourself and also is the people around you that you can still be a hero by helping others — and possibly trying to get the powers back. 

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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
24 (9PM FOX, GlobalTV in Canada)
Geeez, one would think that on President’s Day of all days, the first family could catch a little bit of a break. Unfortunately this is 24, where tonight, the first family including daughter Olivia (Sprague Grayden) face painful circumstances.

CHUCK (8PM NBC)
Chuck and Sarah go undercover as a happily married couple in suburbia to solve the biggest mystery of all. Just how exactly does new neighbor Andy Richter score a hot wife like Jenny McCarthy. Damn.

HEROES (9PM NBC, 10PM in Canada)
Proving we’re not the only ones who can’t stand Hiro and Ando, Matt’s prophetic image sends the troublesome twosome to India. ‘Prophetic image’… righttt.

NEW & NOTABLE:
KYLE XY (9PM ABC Family)
Kyle’s job working at Latnok to repay his debt sure sounds like a great idea. Especially when you factor in KYLE XY’s recent cancellation and the fact that Kyle may soon find himself working at In & Out Burger.

HOUSE (8PM FOX, GlobalTV in Canada)
For the reason why we’re not watching tonight’s installment of HOUSE, click here.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
24 (9PM FOX, Global in Canada)
Okay, Mr. Bad Guy, it’s one thing to crash planes and threaten the people of the United States. But when you start trash-talkin’ the First Family, you’ve gone too far! Expect retribution to begin… sometime in the next 10 hours.

HEROES (9PM NBC, 10PM on Global in Canada)
Paintings predict a dire future, Sylar meets a guy with abilities he wants to use… wait, this is the storyline that was going to be different and exciting and make everything better again, right? Um, is it working?

THE BIG BANG THEORY (9:30PM CBS)
Christine Baranski swings by as Leonard’s mom. Past experience has taught us that maternal visits to any sitcom character usually wind up disasterously. Meanwhile, is it just us, or is CBS trying to kill this show by just running it whenever the heck they have a gap to fill?

NEW & NOTABLE:
GOSSIP GIRL (8PM CW)
Seeing as The CW is blowing off Obama’s talk, I bet they wish they had something new to offer folks as an alternative! Instead, we get a rerun of this year’s snowflake ball.

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Good News: In a statement released on Thursday to the media, HEROES creator Tim Kring promised that the new volume of HEROES “starts us pretty much from scratch.” Adding that “there is almost nothing that the audience needs to know from the previous volume in order to follow the storyline.” Bad News: Kring’s statement sounds eerily similar to the message he delivered to Entertainment Weekly at the end of the strike shortened second season, where he apologized to fans and professed his desire to give the show “a clean slate.” [Source]

Good News: On the subject of the now-cancelled PUSHING DAISIES, ELI STONE and DIRTY SEXY MONEY, ABC president Stephen McPherson revealed that he “really loved the shows.” Bad News: Just not enough to give the respective showrunners enough time to craft proper series endings or to make room on the schedule to air their remaining episodes.
[Source]

Good News: NBC has given early season pickups to THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK and THE BIGGEST LOSER. Bad News: While the fates of LIFE, LIPSTICK JUNGLE, CHUCK and FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS hang in the balance. [Source]

Good News: After far too long a hiatus, tonight marks the beginning of the end for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Bad news: It’s the beginning of the END! What the Frak are we all going to do when the show is over?

Now that Bryan Fuller has a little free time on his hand thanks to ABC’s total lack of economic bailout for PUSHING DAISIES. It should come as no surprise that yesterday’s Hollywood Reporter confirmed what HEROES fans have been waiting to hear since Fuller revealed to EW.com that he’d, “definitely be going back to play with my friends at HEROES” should PUSHING DAISIES get the axe: Bryan Fuller is this close to signing a two-year deal with NBC/Universal to develop new shows for the studio and more importantly return to the Peacock’s once struggling flagship series HEROES.

Another thing that should come as no surprise to readers of theTVaddict.com is that Fuller’s imminent return to HEROES got this TV Addict thinking. Would it not be delicious if Fuller lessened the blow of DAISIES demise by bringing some of our PUSHING DAISIES favorites over to the HEROES world. Just imagine the possibilities:

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When Entertainment Weekly’s Jeff Jensen recently proposed that HEROES “trim the fat by either killing some top-tier HEROES (hello, genuine life-and-death stakes!) or giving one or two a permanent happy ending.” this wasn’t exactly what we had in mind.

Over the weekend, HEROES executive producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb, two writers who have been with the show since day one, were fired over creative differences and budgetary concerns.

Reports Variety’s Cynthia Littleton, “It’s understood that Alexander and Loeb were let go because of Peacock execs’ frustration with the creative direction of the show. The show is also said to have been grappling with hefty budget overruns this season, that are going well beyond its already sizable $4 million per-seg pricetag.”

And while this TV Addict applauds the proverbial powers that be at NBC for finally recognizing that there is a serious problem with their once highly touted series, one can’t help but wonder: What exactly is HEROES spending $4 million an episode on? Certainly not visual effects (See Nathan Petrelli flying) Are Alexander and
Loeb really the villains here?

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Good News: This TV Addict just devoured Entertainment Weekly’s Jeff Jensen scathingly accurate look at the disappointment that is HEROES season three. Bad News: Leaving me once again questioning as to why exactly I renewed my subscription to the magazine that most likely won’t arrive in my mailbox until Monday (if I’m lucky!) [see article]

Good News: The seemingly never-ending US election is this close to reaching its exciting conclusion. Bad News: Coinciding with the end of the election to end all elections will be the daily can’t miss blowups between the women of THE VIEW [click for today's Elizabeth smack-down]

Good News: Next week’s season premiere of 30 ROCK is now streaming for free online on over on hulu.com, myspace.com and nbc.com. Bad News: None of which are available to fans outside of the United States of America.

Good News: Dan Byrd, star of last season’s most under-watched comedic gem ALIENS IN AMERICA has just been cast as a possible apprentice to Sylar on HEROES. Bad News: Possibly putting an end to this TV Addict’s short-lived boycott of the show come January 2009. Stay tuned…. [source]

Now that you’ve heartlessly dropped HEROES from your weekly schedule, what’s next on the TV Addict’s chopping block? — Misty

The TV Addict: Would you think any less of me if I said PUSHING DAISIES? Because truth be told, stunning visuals and Kristen Chenoweth are quickly starting to lose their appeal amidst the overly cutesy and continuously confounding series. That said, I’m not prepared to bury DAISIES just yet. In other-words, Bryan Fuller, you’re on notice.

I just saw this message about THE RICHES being canceled and I have to say, this really sucks. Is there any hope for some kind of closure, a two-hour movie perhaps to wrap up the series. I’d think FX would want to thank their loyal viewers for all of their support. — Patrycjusz

The TV Addict: In a perfect world, I couldn’t agree with you more. In fact, nothing bothers this TV Addict more than when loyal viewers are cheated out of a proper ending to a series they’ve invested hours of their life in. Unfortunately our world is far from perfect. Just ask the fans of DEADWOOD, AMERICAN DREAMS, LAS VEGAS and OCTOBER ROAD how their happy was.

Any news on the fate of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES following Monday’s episode. — FightingForTheFuture

The TV Addict: Well the good news is that TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES actually showed a small bump in viewership on Monday, up approximately 300,000 viewers. The bad news, 5.6 million total viewers doesn’t exactly guarantee the continued adventures of Sarah Connor. Which means I’d get your….. umm….. what exactly are we sending FOX in support of TERMINATOR?

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It is with mixed emotions and a heavy heart that this TV Addict must announce the following news. I think I’m done with HEROES.

Rest assured, this is not a decision I’ve come to lightly. But after tuning into last night’s third episode of the season, the TV Addict has reached following conclusion: I no longer care what happens to any of these characters.

Matt Parkman’s vision quest, the ridiculous adventures of Hiro and Ando, angry Mohinder, bad acting theater courtesy of future Peter [channeling Christian Bale's Dark Knight] and a vengeful Claire… I’m done, I’m out, there is simply too little time in the day [not to mention far too much television to watch on a Monday night] to dedicate to a show that shows so little regard for its audience’s intelligence.

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1. On Critical Backlash
Masi Oka: Every critic is different and people look for different things. So I don’t know if the critics are bashing for the sake of bashing it, but maybe it’s just like a continued – well continuing (stealing the hat) from Season 2. So I’m hoping that, you know, as the episodes progress that they could just go back to what made HEROES great with Season 1 and where Season 3 is headed towards, and then go back to seeing it as, you know, pure entertainment for the whole family.

Season 3 is definitely a lot more fast paced. You know, it’s basically the writers’ answers to what – the feedback we received from the fans. They wanted more – you know, there was fast storytelling, you know, a lot more action and a lot more of the original characters.

2. On Hiro and Daphne
I’m very excited. We’re already shooting Episode 12 and there’s a lot of great shocks and, you know, twists and turns. With Hiro and Daphne, you know, Daphne is kind of like the quintessential nemesis for Hiro. As Batman gets his Joker, Hiro gets Daphne. That said, I see it more like a Wile E. Coyote and a Road Runner scenario except she said more than meep-meep and not as many Acme gadgets although you will see Hiro fall on his face a lot.

3. On the Evolution of Hiro 
One thing we know about Hiro is that he’s always going to be very pure. No matter what it is, he’s going to do what he feels is right in terms of saving the world. While his naiveté might have gone away because of all the tragedy he’s experienced, his purity and his sense of morality will always stay the same.

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