If creator Tim Kring had one super power, it would be the ability to ensure that all of America tunes into the series premiere of HEROES. Yet since Kring has yet to be affected by a total eclipse of the sun or an experiment gone terribly wrong, he’ll settle for getting this message across to television viewers across the country: “While HEROES tells the story of everyday people who have extraordinary powers, the show isn’t just for comic book fans,” he stresses. “We’re going for a much broader audience”
Ordinary people with super powers — sounds familiar right? But before you jump to Collusus-sized conclusions, know that HEROES is not an X-Men clone. In fact, Kring admits that he didn’t even read comic books as a kid. Instead, the inspiration for the NBC series — which debuts at 9 p.m. on Monday, September 25 — stemmed from two recent movies he fell head-over-heels in love with: THE INCREDIBLES and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. In fact, with a multi-cultural, globe-spanning cast of characters linked together by a mysterious destiny, HEROES has more in common with another serialized TV drama you may be familiar with: LOST.
For viewers worried about diving into yet another complicated continuing drama, Krieg is quick to offer up assurances that HEROES focuses more on character than mythology. Chimes in star Greg Grunberg — who plays mind reader Matt Parkman — “We have a lot of fun as we discover what we can do with our powers. As I learn to better control my abilities in future episodes,” he continues, “I start to use [them] to better please my wife!”
Needless to say, with great power comes great responsibility. And as one might predict, Kring previews that not all of our budding heroes will use their powers for good. Guessing which characters will be drawn to the dark side of their powers is part of the fun… and not just for the audience. “There’s an honesty and immediacy to the performances when actor’s don’t know what’s going to happen next,” says Grunberg. Not that he wouldn’t love to have his character’s mind-reading ability… if only to reassure himself about the security of his job! “I’d love to be in Tim’s head and learn the future of the show,” the actor admits. “If an episode is titled, ‘Farewell To Parkman, I’ll know I’m in trouble!” 
