Bryan Fuller's plan to fix "Heroes"

from entertainment weekly

Exclusive: Bryan Fuller's Rx for 'Heroes'
by Michael Ausiello

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.

On Dec 11, 6:19*pm, David <dimla...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> from entertainment weekly
>
> 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.

Dream on.
There is only one way : cancel this mess ; start a new show.

sef@kithrup.com (Sean Eric Fagan) wrote in news:KBq73t.1vII@kithrup.com:

> In article <vt6dndJXONDSyNzUnZ2dnUVZ_uednZ2d@supernews.com> ,
> PV <pv+usenet@pobox.com> wrote:
>>David <dimlan17@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>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
>>It turns out both were McGuffins. So much for that idea. *
>
> We don't know that yet. If the formula (which has been catalysed now)
> is used to get Peter back his powers, it's no longer a MacGuffin. If
> the Marine is involved in the plot, it's not a MacGuffin. Etc.

The marine is already a part of the show, and I think Peter will get his
powers back, because he's such an important character. Although I suppose
there's a chance that he may get different powers, because the original
ones he had made him too omnipotent.

David <dimlan17@yahoo.com> wrote in news:l9f2k49pedrdshvdvm870o4mh05tocbpe6
@4ax.com:

> from entertainment weekly
>
> Exclusive: Bryan Fuller's Rx for 'Heroes'
> by Michael Ausiello
>
> 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.

I like his idea about "putting a face" on the threats, but I suspect that
it's going to be easier said than done. "Save the Cheeerleader, Save the
World" worked because it had the face of a unbelievably cute, seventeen
year old, blonde hottie. They can't go down that road again, and any other
faces they choose to use to humanize their threats will not be so
compelling as Hayden Panatierre's. She is the show's breakout star.

I also agree with him about the stories being too dense, and that there
should be fewer story arcs per episode with one of them dominating over the
rest. But the biggest problem with the show is that it meanders. The
stories are spread out across too many episodes, and by the time we get to
the end, we've forgotten what happened at the beginning.

This all reminds me of Marvel's 1970's Moench/Gulacy issues of Master of
Kung Fu. That team wrote three brilliant story arcs, of 3, 3, and 2 issues
each. But when the editors realized that they were a top quality creative
team, they were told to write a 7 part story, which brought back Fu Manchu,
but was still quite mediocre.

The hard part is not writing stories where the heroes save the world, but
writing enough different ones to fill all the episodes that need to be
filled. If Fuller can't tighten up the stories, so that they don't meander
and aren't confusing, the show still might not survive. That would be a
real downer, because super-heroes are a welcome addition to prime time tv.
Look how well they're doing at the movie theatres.

I wonder if his first decision was to make Sylar a villain again.

"Bluuuue Rajah" <Bluuuuue@Rajah.> wrote in message
news:Xns9B71AC3461C2Efdgdfjhsrtg@207.115.33.102...
> David <dimlan17@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:l9f2k49pedrdshvdvm870o4mh05tocbpe6
> @4ax.com:
>
>> from entertainment weekly
>>
>> Exclusive: Bryan Fuller's Rx for 'Heroes'
>> by Michael Ausiello
>>
>> 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.
>
> I like his idea about "putting a face" on the threats, but I suspect that
> it's going to be easier said than done. "Save the Cheeerleader, Save the
> World" worked because it had the face of a unbelievably cute, seventeen
> year old, blonde hottie. They can't go down that road again, and any
> other
> faces they choose to use to humanize their threats will not be so
> compelling as Hayden Panatierre's. She is the show's breakout star.
>
> I also agree with him about the stories being too dense, and that there
> should be fewer story arcs per episode with one of them dominating over
> the
> rest. But the biggest problem with the show is that it meanders. The
> stories are spread out across too many episodes, and by the time we get to
> the end, we've forgotten what happened at the beginning.
>
> This all reminds me of Marvel's 1970's Moench/Gulacy issues of Master of
> Kung Fu. That team wrote three brilliant story arcs, of 3, 3, and 2
> issues
> each. But when the editors realized that they were a top quality creative
> team, they were told to write a 7 part story, which brought back Fu
> Manchu,
> but was still quite mediocre.
>
> The hard part is not writing stories where the heroes save the world, but
> writing enough different ones to fill all the episodes that need to be
> filled. If Fuller can't tighten up the stories, so that they don't
> meander
> and aren't confusing, the show still might not survive. That would be a
> real downer, because super-heroes are a welcome addition to prime time tv.
> Look how well they're doing at the movie theatres.
>
> I wonder if his first decision was to make Sylar a villain again.
will the Fugitives arc include robot hunters (Sentinels) or Enhanced
soldiers like the 4400???

On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:19:14 -0500, David wrote:

> from entertainment weekly
>
> Exclusive: Bryan Fuller's Rx for 'Heroes'
> by Michael Ausiello
[snip]

Thats promising, Fuller sounds like he knows exactly whats gone wrong
with the show.


--
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure, and the
intelligent are full of doubt." - Bertrand Russell

In article <l9f2k49pedrdshvdvm870o4mh05tocbpe6@4ax.com>, dimlan17
@yahoo.com says...
> 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.
>

And he has to say that or he would be fired, but in reality the twit
should stay the hell out of it and shuffle papers in her silver spire.

In article <1c1hxoaaxers3.wo0b5ijt2fi0.dlg@40tude.net>, me@privacy.net
says...
> On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:19:14 -0500, David wrote:
>
> > from entertainment weekly
> >
> > Exclusive: Bryan Fuller's Rx for 'Heroes'
> > by Michael Ausiello
> [snip]
>
> Thats promising, Fuller sounds like he knows exactly whats gone wrong
> with the show.

That's what people said about Tim Kring last season when he apologized.

Michelle Steiner <michelle@michelle.org> wrote in news:michelle-
6FBA86.18345111122008@mara100-84.onlink.net:

> In article <o7i0l.1308$7I6.754@nwrddc01.gnilink.net>,
> "Patient Zero 2.03.....Now with more cleaning power..."
> <noonan24_7@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> will the Fugitives arc include robot hunters (Sentinels)
>
> Time-traveling human-looking androids with Austrian accents.

A platoon of super soldiers?

Bluuuue Rajah wrote:

> Within the span of one season, they've taken Sylar back and forth three
> times from good to evil. That's waay too much for one season. Quinto
> is beginning to look like some sort of favored child, who they insist on
> keeping around, but can't figure out what to do with. The new story arc
> with the super soldier looks quite interesting, but the Sylar arc is
> looking very disorganized.
>
> Nathan's story arc is also starting to look disorganized, because he
> teamed up with his evil father to build the super soldier, which makes
> him evil again. The problem with this show is that it's not clear at
> all who's evil and who's good. That just makes the whole thing
> confusing, and we don't know who to sympathize with. Just as we get out
> hopes up, they yank the rug out from under us, and we feen betrayed.

I thought the whole point of the Villains volume was to show the Heroes
could be either and both good and evil. Just like all us humans, the
capacity for both is there.