By Jennifer Larson

HEROES:ORIGINS is shaping up to be the show to watch, during the blank space left by the newly introduced fall finales. The fall finale started last year, and it left TV viewers with idle time on their hands, leaving us with no new programming to watch. But, those ingenious and innovative creators of last season’s smash hit, HEROES, have figured out a way to ease our television withdrawals. HEROES:ORIGINS will replace HEROES during their fall hiatus, and will give us a deeper look into the lives and abilities of the people who have these amazing powers. I know I for one can’t wait to find out more about that adorable little scamp, Hiro (Masi Oka). The new show has already garnered the likes of Kevin Smith – writer/director of the cult classics CLERKS and CHASING AMY – and now there are two more heavyweights jumping onboard.

I just got the news from zap2it.com who says, “HOSTEL director Eli Roth and Michael Dougherty, who co-wrote SUPERMAN RETURNS, will each pen and direct an episode.” This couldn’t be better news, especially after the diss the show got from writer/director, Quentin Tarantino, last week. Apparently, the KILL BILL director has never heard of either show. No matter, millions of other people have, and we couldn’t be any happier at how this new one is shaping up. Given that HEROES is a show were everyday people find themselves in extraordinary circumstances with powers they have to hide, you couldn’t ask for a better collaborator than they guy who brought superman to life. HEROES is a larger than life show, and having people come in who are familiar with this genre of entertainment ensures that its spin-off will retain the high entertainment value and quality we have all come to expect.

Bringing in director Eli Roth gives the new show an even greater opportunity to explore the darker side of its characters. Most of the heroes have good intentions, but there are those who do not. In fact we began seeing more and more of the shady heroes as the series progressed last season. Add that to the fact that Roth is best known for his hugely popular horror film, and my gut tells me HEROES:ORIGINS will not be for the faint of heart. With six episodes being planned for the new series, we have three directors down and three more to go.