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Sep 24, 2015 By Jeremy Nisen Web Exclusive

In the comics that serve as an inspirational source for NBC’s Heroes franchise, rising from the dead, like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes, can be a pivotal, franchise-defining feat. Or killing off a hero and bringing him back can be tried, and the resurrected hero can prove as boring or stagnant as before, rather than refreshed. In the case of NBC’s Heroes Reborn miniseries, at least the first episode seems to point to a result more like the former: a refreshed show, with new ideas, new characters, and a new focus.

It’s a world where the super-people, so-called “Evos,” are much more common, yet due to a terror event, most of whom have gone into hiding. One of the main characters is still former shady operative Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman), a.k.a. HRG (“horn-rimmed glasses”), who is the father of Claire, a.k.a. “The Cheerleader” (“save the Cheerleader, save the world”), who was more or less the central character of the original series. So far, she’s nowhere to be seen in this one (Hayden Panettiere being busy with Nashville, we suppose), but the series certainly doesn’t suffer for it. In the role of “young Evo” we now have Tommy Clarke (Robbie Kay), a disturbed young Evo who doesn’t know how to control his teleportation powers.

The two hour premiere introduces a swath of other intriguing characters: the military hero (Ryan Guzman) who feels like a fraud, discovers his brother is an Evo, and has the chance to pick up the mantle of another hero by facilitating the Evo underground railroad; the fantastic Zachary Levi (known from the shows Chuck and Geeks Who Drink) and Judith Shekoni as an Evo-murdering married couple; and quite a few more.

The one character’s story I found painful to watch was that of “Katana Girl” (Kiki Sukezane). The actress is delightful—our problem is when she vanishes into video games and we’re forced to watch her participate in a ninja-analog of Evercrack. The concept of someone disappearing into a video game, with real-world repercussions, is definitely interesting, sure. But the graphics just aren’t as exciting to watch as the actors. It’s like being forced to watch someone’s MMORPG video on YouTube and it really slams the brakes on an otherwise pretty high-octane show.

On balance, Heroes Reborn shows great promise. The challenge will be how the writers and producers pull all the disparate threads into a cohesive storyline. But, for now, color us hooked. (www.nbc.com/heroes-reborn)

Author rating: 7.5/10