The Worst Movies And Shows That Were Products Of The 2007-2008 WGA Strike – Looper

“Heroes” originally premiered on NBC in 2006, becoming one of the network’s quickest hits after its first season, both critically and in ratings. To follow it up, creator Tim Kring planned to go even bigger with its second season, planning to incorporate three separate story arcs: “Generations,” “Exodus,” and “Villains.” However, the show ran into some difficulties that just so happened to intersect with the start of the 2007 writers’ strike. 

Shortly into the second season’s airing in fall 2007, it was clear that the show was disappointing its longtime viewers, which resulted in a course change from Kring and the rest of the creative team. It was so bad, in fact, that Kring issued an apology to fans via Entertainment Weekly, explaining the decisions behind the season’s slower pace and failure to properly introduce new characters to the series, saying, “We assumed the audience wanted season 1 … They wanted adrenaline.” 

As a result of the fan criticism, as well as the writers’ strike interrupting production, the “Exodus” plotline was shelved entirely, and the “Villains” arc was saved for season 3. Furthermore, NBC cancelled “Heroes: Origins,” a spin-off miniseries that was meant to air mid-season, as a result of declining ratings and the impending strike possibly shutting down production before it even started. “Heroes” ran for an additional two seasons once the strike ended in 2008, though its ratings slowly dwindled over time and sadly never returned to their Season 1 highs.