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Twenty years later, Netflix has added one of sci-fi‘s greatest opening seasons of all time — and the three disappointing ones that followed it. It’s no easy feat to maintain a high quality across seasons, but it’s always disappointing to see a series drop off after a truly strong start. That’s what happened with NBC’s 2006 superhero show, Heroes, which was ahead of its time (it would’ve fared well amid the subversive superhero boom of the last decade). Heroes still makes for a fun viewing experience, but its first 23 episodes are easily its best.
And now Netflix subscribers can experience the highs and lows of Heroes themselves, as it’s officially streaming on the platform. It’s one of 115 shows and movies Netflix is adding this month, and for those who missed out on it the first time around, it’s worth a look. The series follows a group of people around the world who develop extraordinary powers — and realize their fates are intertwined as they attempt to avoid an apocalyptic end.
The story spins out from there, and all four seasons of Heroes are available on Netflix as of July 1. However, the first is widely regarded as the show’s peak. Its worsening Rotten Tomatoes score from one chapter to the next is representative of the reception it received over its run. Later seasons tarnished the series’ legacy a bit, and the 2015 attempt to reboot it with Heroes Reborn didn’t help much. The first season remains a standout though, and fortunately, it can technically be watched as a standalone.
Heroes Season 1 Can Be Watched as a Standalone (& Is Still Worth Streaming)
Heroes is a gripping series that blends common superhero conventions with a high-stakes narrative full of mysteries. It’s the sort of show you won’t be able to put down, which makes it an ideal Netflix binge. Its story unfolds against the ticking clock of a world-ending event, and the questions it raises on the way there make it as comparable to projects like Lost and From as it is to any superhero series. Obviously, then, it has strong hooks — which it delivers on with impressive execution — but it also boasts a great cast that includes the likes of Milo Ventimiglia, Hayden Panettiere, and Zachary Quinto.
The plotting and pacing drops off after Season 1, but fortunately, Heroes‘ first chapter can be treated as a standalone. The show brings back its core cast and attempts to continue a number of character arcs after, but its central mysteries from Season 1 are mostly resolved by the time it ends. That’s incentive for newcomers to dig in, even knowing the show’s reputation for having just one great chapter. Of course, with Netflix streaming Heroes in its entirety, subscribers can also judge the later outings for themselves. It’s possible they’ll enjoy them, even if they never reach the heights of the original run.
Are you planning to stream Heroes now that it’s on Netflix? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the Forum!
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