On the chilly Monday morning that Hollywood’s writers went on

strike, Heroes creator Tim Kring called from the streets outside the

Hollywood studio where his NBC series is shot. ”Yes, I’m picketing my
own show,” says the 50-year-old writer-producer. ”So surreal.”

But Kring wasn’t calling to discuss labor woes — he was calling to explain
why Heroes, suffering a creative decline and a 15 percent ratings drop
from the same period last year, went from Human Torch hot to Iceman
cold. The good news? A turnaround appears to be under way. After
weeks of sluggish storytelling, the Nov. 5 episode recaptured some of last
season’s fanciful energy. We’ve also seen the next two episodes — and
we like them, too. The cliff-hangers are back. Narrative purpose has been
discovered. Old favorites like Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and Horn-Rimmed
Glasses (Jack Coleman) take center stage. Even more encouraging:
Kring himself is keenly aware that Heroes is broken. Here’s his candid
critique:

THE PACE IS TOO SLOW ”We assumed the audience wanted season 1

— a buildup of intrigue about these characters and the discovery of their
powers. We taught [them] to expect a certain kind of storytelling. They
wanted adrenaline. We made a mistake.”

THE WORLD-SAVING STAKES SHOULD HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED

SOONER The premonition of nuclear apocalypse created a larger context
that unified every story line last season. Kring now sees that Volume 2
(the first 11 episodes of season 2) would have been better served if
Peter’s vision of viral Armageddon had appeared in the season premiere
rather than episode 7. ”We took too long to get to the big-picture story,”
he says.

THE ROOKIES DIDN’T GREET THEMSELVES PROPERLY New

Heroes Monica (Dana Davis), Maya (Dania Ramirez), and Alejandro
(Shalim Ortiz) ”shouldn’t have been introduced in separate story lines that
felt unattached to the show. The way we introduced Elle (Kristen Bell) —
by weaving her in via Peter’s story line — is a more logical way to bring
new characters into the show.” (That said, Kring says a few newbies
won’t make it beyond this second volume, which wraps Dec. 3.)

HIRO WAS IN JAPAN WAY TOO LONG Hiro’s (Masi Oka) time-bending

adventure in 17th-century Japan — where he mentored samurai hero
Takezo Kensei (David Anders) — finally came to an end on Nov. 5. But
Kring says it ”should have [lasted] three episodes. We didn’t give the
audience enough story to justify the time we allotted it.”

YOUNG LOVE STINKS Kring regrets sticking Claire (Hayden Panettiere)

with a super-dud boyfriend and forcing Hiro to moon over a cutesy
princess. ”I’ve seen more convincing romances on TV,” he admits. ”In
retrospect, I don’t think romance is a natural fit for us.”

Yet while Heroes has finally found some dramatic traction, this second

volume is pretty much a wash. The Dec. 3 episode has been retooled to
function as a potential season finale — a move inspired by the writers’
strike and a desire to give the show ”a clean slate” when it goes back into
production for Volume 3. At that point, Kring wants to craft a rebooted
Heroes that can attract new fans and win back those who’ve tuned out:
”The message is that we’ve heard the complaints — and we’re doing
something about it.”

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