Watch Heroes Online - Full Episodes

NBC's Heroes tracked the progress of several previously-average individuals whose lives experienced great change with the advent of superpowers. Heroes is most remembered for its early two seasons of well-paced, character driven storytelling, with each season culminating in the ending of a layered story arc.

The first season of Heroes begins with several characters coming into their powers through either random events, deep introspection or a simple, unshakable urge to test their limits. The "save the cheerleader, save the world" plot arc drew the attention of millions and quickly put Heroes in the spotlight among shows in its time slot.

Heroes season 1 first introduced the characters of the cheerleader, played by Hayden Panettiere, and Peter Petrelli, performed by Milo Ventimiglia. These two heroes would serve as the crux of the show and would help in maintaining the Heroes fan base even through its waning years.

One of the main draws NBC's Heroes presented was its multiracial component. The characters in Heroes drew from several different backgrounds, such as Hiro, who was an office worker in Japan, or Nathan Petrelli, a politician from New York. The continual juxtaposition of cultures, races and character backgrounds played a strong role in establishing interweaving story arcs and character drama.

Each consecutive season would lead in additional characters, with some episodes outright killing certain important roles. The emphasis on the fate of the world, with the show still staying strongly tied to the fates of individual characters, gave audiences a sense of dark realism. Very few characters were considered sacrosanct. Heroes' writing staff used character deaths to create a sense of suspense not present in many other science-fiction-based dramas.

Character arcs between the individual heroes and villains were equally unpredictable. Early viewers of the show would be considerably surprised at the direction the main villain/hero took from beginning to end, for instance. The assistance of strong science fiction elements, tested humanity and impossible situations did much to create storylines where even the worst enemies could find common ground.

Heroes began to struggle in later seasons, and viewership never recovered from season three's finale. Where season one and two rode strong on the backs of untold character development and a deeper look into the limits of power, season 3 began to venture further into deeper science fiction. Many critics regard this shift as the show's true turning point, with reduced viewership catching up to storytelling that had grown out of touch.