“Heroes” creator Tim Kring says the ailing NBC series could move away from its serialized format.
“It’s a bear to do,” Kring said at last weekend’s Screenwriting Expo, according to tvi.ign.com.
“It’s a very flawed way of telling stories on network television right now, because of the advent of the DVR and online streaming,” he said.
“The engine that drove [serialized TV] was you had to be in front of the TV [when it aired].
“Now, you can watch it when you want, where you want, how you want to watch it – and almost all of those ways are superior to watching it on air.”
Kring also took an inexplicable swipe at people who do watch serialized shows the old-fashioned way, likening them to “saps and dips***s who can’t figure out how to watch it in a superior way.”
Maybe he’s just angry, since “Heroes” has lost a chunk of its audience, fired two show runners and has come under fire from fans who say its has added too many characters.
Kring said he created the show after seeing the success of serialized series like “24” and “Lost.”
“My original idea was more of an anthological vibe to it, where you regenerate the characters,” he said.
“The problem is you run into a whole series of issues where show and business run into each other.
“The network falls in love with characters, the audience falls in love with characters, the press falls in love with characters.
“And it’s contractually hard to get people on board for a brief period.
“As a result, you find yourself writing for characters you thought would be gone.”