Pushing Daisies fans will probably take a hit out on me for saying this, but something good has come out of the comedy’s untimely death: It’s freed up Bryan Fuller to rescue Heroes from the villain known as "What the Frak Have They Done to a Once-Great Show?!" In his first interview since rejoining the series as a consultant, the writer-producer-genius behind such acclaimed season 1 hours as "Company Man" reveals where it all went wrong, what it’ll take to make it right, and who’s gonna have to be sacrificed before that can happen.
AUSIELLO: Where did Heroes go wrong, in your opinion?
BRYAN FULLER: It became too dense and fell into certain sci-fi trappings. For instance, in the “Villains” arc, when you talk about formulas and catalysts, it takes the face off the drama. And I think the goal for everybody is to put a face back on the drama. You have to save something with a face; otherwise you don’t understand what you’re caring about. I thought the "Villains" arc started out very interestingly, and then became sort of muddy and dense and I couldn’t get my hooks into the characters to understand their motivations. I also started to feel confused about what people’s abilities were. One of the great things about the first season is that the metaphor for their abilities was very clear. Those metaphors seem to have gotten complicated in the past two seasons. I share that concern with everybody on the writing staff. It’s not like I’m coming in and saying, "This is what you need to do to fix it!" Everybody knows what needs to be fixed and everybody is sort of rowing in that direction.
Your work starts with episode 19, yes?
Yes. I’m fortunate to be coming into a very exciting story line. [Former co-exec producers] Jeph [Loeb] and Jesse [Alexander], before they left the show, set so many great events in motion with the "Fugitives" arc [kicking off Feb. 2]. It really is a fresh start. All of the characters are back in their real lives. You see Peter as a paramedic. Claire is looking for colleges. We get away from the world of formulas and quasi-magic.
Are the "Fugitives" episodes leading up to 19 solid?
Yes. Episodes 14, 15 and 16 are amazing. The whole "Fugitives" arc starts out very strongly, and then it gets a little dense in the middle in terms of the mythology. So I came in right at the point where everybody was realizing, "Oh, we’re getting too dense here and we need to put faces on stories because there is no face to a formula; there is no face to saving the world." So it’s turning this big ship back into a character stream, and everyone on the writing staff shares that desire. We need to get back into a character place, because that’s where this story started: Very clean, superhero metaphors to everyday life. That’s the path that we’re taking. But it is a big ship so it’s going to take a little while to turn it.
Any plans to trim the sprawling cast?
People will die. And some will return. Matt’s wife [Janice] comes back. We’ll find out what happens when you have a superbaby. We’re also going to tell fewer stories per episode. We’re going to limit it to three or four with one big one that you can wrap the stories around. We’re altering the structure of the show so that there’s a very clear A story that takes up a larger percentage of the show so that that story gets traction.
Are you looking at Season 4 as a complete reboot of the series?
It’s not necessarily a reboot as much as it is going back to the basic spirit of the show and pulling people back in. I don’t think the issues with the show have been about the serialization as much as about the density of the stories that have been serialized.
Will you be part of the show next season?
That’s the idea.
Will the recent behind-the-scenes changes at NBC impact the show at all?
It’s really hard to imagine Heroes without [Universal Media Studios president] Katherine Pope, because she has been such a proponent of the show. She was so instrumental in [setting] the tone and style of the show in the first season. She is as vital a piece as any of the players on the show at this moment. Her contribution can’t be undervalued. It’ll be very interesting to see how things shake out.
What’s your working relationship with series creator Tim Kring been like since returning?
It’s actually been very positive.
Who gets final say: you or Tim?
Tim. I’m a consultant. My job is to help facilitate the vision of the show, and the vision has been a little inconsistent. But “Fugitives” is such a great sea change. I think people who have been critical of Heroes will come back.
More Heroes Scoop:
Find out who’s playing Sylar’s dad!
i hope it all works out…
Dear Mr. Fuller,
You really, really, really should take a page out of the Apatow playbook and move into film, your ideas are just too big and genuine for TV.
Seriously.
Mr. Fuller, Please don’t let Kristen Bell’s charactor be written out forever? Please????????
While i’m glad Bryan is getting work, i’d sacrifice Heroes for Pushing Daisies in a New York minute.
I gave up watching Heroes midway through last week’s episode because I just couldn’t take it any longer. (The eclipse stuff was just… Ugh.)
This, however, sounds promising, so I will record the first few of the next arc, listen to what people are saying about the episodes, and possibly watch again.
Good luck to everyone involved, because I think it would be great to have an engaging, entertaining Heroes again.
the meer fact that bryan fuller can alternate a cliffhanger into a (hopefully) good conclusion to my super-loved Pushing Daisies (*sobs quietly b’cuz of its cancellation* and also, doesnt anyone else want it? i mean, NBC can benefit from having Pushing Daisies, god knows it can far better than crusoe or Knight Rider.)
umm… where was i? oh yeah, if bryan fuller can do that with Pushing Daisies im sure he can help improve Heroes with great intentions. i seriously hope he does, i love heroes and i will watch out of devotion but the show needs a big tune-up. hopefully it will start with the “Fugitives” chapter.
off-topic: if knight rider gets some sort of reboot i will loose my mind. and cant the ever-worsening NBC buy ABC’s Pushing Daisies. i mean you know spare some of that money that you saved by giving Leno (ugh) the 10pm slot 5 days a week? i honestly think Pushing Daisies would do well next to Heroes, seriously!!!
Tim Krige obviously wasn’t doing a great job if he couldnt guide his writing staff with clear cut ideas and structure.
Sounds like Fuller is doing just that.
But is it too late??
while i may admire your return to heroes, it’s just a little too late for me to pick up the show again. like fuller said over and over again in this interview, the show just got too dense to a point where i rather watched reruns of family guy on TBS. i’ll be looking forward to bryan fuller’s new creation, even though it’ll likely be shortlived, like all of his shows. it’s a shame tv viewers don’t appreciate good tv when it’s right in front of them.
Let’s reboot the recaps. Stick Marc Bernadin with something more to his style, such as Project Runway or America’s Next Top Model.
I’m actually positive. Thanks for this!!
So, Peter is on the run and a paramedic… hummmm.
They should fire Kring and make Fuller show runner
lol! “It’s actually been very positive.” That says a lot!
NBC sacked the wrong person. It should’ve been Silverman. Hopefully Brian Fuller’s vision could help pick up all the pieces Kring dropped.
Mikey M and DJ Rogue articulate two very good points.
Mr. Fuller should introduce 6 new characters to the show. One of them has superpowers to bring the dead back to life but just for one minute. The other one is his forbidden love. And…okay, they should just re-introduce the Pushing Daisies cast on Heroes. Then people will love them and start watching Heroes again. NBC will have no choice but to do a spin-off titled “Pushing Daisies Redux.”
:sigh: In a perfect world…
Yes, because we also need a crotchety private eye and a crotchty eye-patched, gun-toting woman to bring the grumbles when the rest of the cast gets a little too cutesy.