It's a whole new world for NBC's "Heroes Reborn."
A lot has changed since sci-fi spectacle "Heroes" came to a close in 2010, and no one knows that better than series creator Tim Kring.
Addressing reporters at the network's Television Critics Association presentation on Thursday, Kring revealed that the cancellation news came at a time when it was too late to try and give his story the conclusion he'd intended.
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"We didn't know we were going off the air," Kring said, calling the final scene in which Claire (Hayden Panettiere) goes public with her powers "an obligatory baton pass" to lay the groundwork for a follow-up.
The new 13-episode revival will take place five years later, ultimately reflecting the passage of time both on and off-screen since the original series ended.
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"The exact amount of time it’s been off is the exact amount of time the story has moved," Kring said.
"We're treating this not as the fifth season, but more like the tenth," he added.
However, the showrunner went on to explain that "Reborn" boasts more than just the benefit of hindsight.
"Heroes" debuted in 2006 to critical and commercial success, which Kring attributed to the initial luxury of time.
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However, having 14 months to complete the first season was an impossible schedule to maintain, he said, and the pressure to fulfill subsequent production requirements within tighter increments proved more difficult with each passing year. The show's ratings and reception dropped accordingly.
"The biggest pitfall always was the amount of story we had to tell in a year," Kring said of "Heroes'" downhill trajectory. Scrambling to complete at least 22 episodes per season, he explained, was "a mathematical difficulty and an uphill battle."
With a new 13-episode framework for "Reborn," Kring is confident that viewers will now get a well-crafted "beginning, middle and end" that allows for "a very aggressive form of storytelling."
"Reborn" will deliver "50 pounds of story in a 10-pound bag," he said.
As for what's in store for the heroes themselves, Kring is "confident" the premise will provide equal footing for both new and returning characters. Furthermore, the explosion of both Marvel and DC franchises doesn't affect his vision.
"You always hope that what you're doing is different and driven by your own creativity," Kring said of the "Heroes" universe. He continued, explaining why he has no interest in comparing his ideas with any outside source.
"[I was] never shy about talking about the fact that I was not a comic book geek," Kring said. For him, the fact his characters happen to have extraordinary abilities was never the driving influence.
"[It's] called 'Heroes' and not 'Superpowers,'" he said.
"Heroes Reborn" premieres on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
-- Erin Biglow
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