I think that Winston had woobie potential.

Only potential though-- Hiro was adorkable right off the bat, and it gave the show a focus while the other characters were developing.

On Drive, I think the characters might have ended up more interesting, but they were all developing, and there wasn't a focus, which made it more challenging and scattershot.

Not everyone likes that.

I think that Winston had woobie potential.

Especially now that he made it home to Queens and [Ugly Betty spoiler]!

Hey, there's a pretty good review of Drive in the April 20 EW, giving it a B.

NBC went all-out to launch Heroes. They gave away free downloads of the premiere, plugged it in movie theaters, and hyped it all summer. It aired with limited ads, had Deal or No Deal as a lead-in, and was competing against some sitcoms, Supernanny, and Vanished. And 14 million people tuned in. It dropped for a few weeks after that before rebounding, but that's a pretty good base upon which to build, to put it mildly.

But you can't make every show into a must-see event, and even if you try, it doesn't necessarily work. Studio 60 started with numbers similar to Heroes but hemorrhaged viewers till half the audience was gone. However, if Drive had premiered to 14 million, it would have had a bit of breathing room, at the very least.

Tim, Kristen, I'm also sorry to hear this news. I don't understand FOX, if they really believe in a show why don't they slide it over to MyNetwork or F/X?

Are there shows being developed for the web or any sites showing web only serial content yet? I have network shows I like and watch online or via iTunes, but so many things I have liked in the past 3 - 5 years get cancelled that it seems like less expensive production and then distribution via web could be profitable with a smaller audience. right?

I'm very into this. Drive actually has very strong ARG elements that I think would really be a hit on the web. I'm going to ramble so bear with. Youtube started this all but in fact all they did was put existing technology behind a unique concept. Now they're stalled because they don't know how to take the next step. The big problem has been in getting advertisers and sponsors but recently the UK Times wrote "The internet will overtake radio by next year and become the world’s fourth-largest advertising medium, a year earlier than forecast." Quietly Hollywood has been dipping their toes in the water. There is the "24" spinoff "The Rookie" airing online and in addition to rebroadcasting series episodes networks have been offering original programming online. Recently Newscorp and NBC agreed to basically put a network online. Like Youtube-it's technology that is already available, any one of us can do it, but they are going to load it with their content. Personally I don't think putting TV quality content online is going to explode the medium but that's a story for a different day. I can go on and on. It's going to happen it's just a matter of when.

And cue John Rogers on fourth generation media:

New Media Writing (Rage against the Studio Machines, Baby):

Strega's got the key's to the "Heroes" success story in one. And there were a lot of other reasons why it worked, too - not the least of which is it got to ride the "superhero zeitgeist," what with the popularity of the Spidey and X-Men films, but it was carefully designed to be accesible to someone who's never read a comic before. (I didn't really know HOW much so until I read the interview with Tim Kring over in the Heroes thread.

And make no mistake, NBC got lucky -- they needed a hit bad and were willing to take a gamble on a show, and go for broke. That could have easily gone the other direction.

No matter how cool "Drive" looked going in, I think there's a lot of people who reacted the way my friend Elmo did when I was talking about it: "It's the 'Cannonball Run?'" There was an element where you had to really look at the show, at the creative team and the actors, and have some knowledge of what was going on to have a sense of just how cool the show could be, and Joe Q. America doesn't really bother with any of that.

Superheroes == cool. (Now).

That pilot got leaked onto the web MONTHS in advance. It got, like, a lot of ILLEGAL downloads back then. Buzz was everywhere. Real life, the interweb. So was the advertising.

Contrast Drive. A few weeks before launch, nobody online was talkin' about it. Those that were, were often saying 'Gee, that promo looks like Fastlane'. I think, looking back now, driving is a universal thing everybody can understand, but I don't think it's something people normally equate to interesting, or done well. When people think of superheroes now, what do they think of? Likely, well done Hollywood big budget movies. Cars? Rat race. Cannonball run.

I think Heroes worked because it was pretty distinct. It's not like you could compare it to anything else on TV at the time. The advertising, the concept and the timing all clicked together.

When people think of superheroes now, what do they think of? Likely, well done Hollywood big budget movies

I dunno--although the latest Batman was good, and people seem to like the Spiderman movies, I still feel they're fringe. Now, it might be all those fringe people sighing in relief and tuning in to their fringe writ large. But as long as the Fantastic Four movies are also coming out, there's a taint to the genre.