She works hard for the money

Despite Six Degrees turning out to be a real disappointment, I'm pleased to say that NBC's Heroes was even better than I expected. This one was engrossing and (at least for now) will be appointment television for me.

The character development is the focus in the show, which is very appealing. In fact, it has a lot in common with Lost - complex characters, an air of sci-fi mystery, and strong writing. Heroes also has a real sleek high-budget look to the camera work, which is impressive for network TV.

NBC made a smart move by getting a presenting sponsor, so they could have just a couple commercial interruptions. That helped keep us involved in the story. Speaking of the story, let's meet our cast of characters, shall we?

* Isaac is a painter strung out on heroin, who paints pictures that appear to be precognitive visions. Has he seen a great evil that is coming?

* Claire is a high school cheerleader in Texas who has discovered that her body appears to be indestructible, able to repair itself rapidly. Part of her wants to test the limits of what she can do, while part of her just wants to be normal again.

* Hiro is a Japanese office worker in a dead-end job, but he thinks he has the ability to manipulate time and space. Did he really teleport himself to New York City just by thinking it?

* Peter & Nathan are brothers that couldn't be any more different. Peter is a meek hospice nurse who has dreams of flying. Nathan is a high-powered politician running for Senate. What power links them together?

* Niki is a struggling single mom, trying to provide for her savant son by stripping on the internet. She owes a lot of debt, and thinks she's being watched all the time - but by whom?

* Mohinder is a professor in India who receives news that his father (also a professor) has disappeared. Did the father's research into the next level of human evolution put him in danger?

What Heroes has is a lot of inter-connectedness - exactly what Six Degrees purported to have. For example, Peter's current charge is the father of Isaac's girlfriend. And the myserious man in horn-rimmed glasses that is following Mohinder turns out to be related to another person in the cast. It's all VERY intriguing.

And there's still more to come - we have yet to meet the cop who hears the voices of other people...

Anywho, I think the show has great promise, and I'll be tuning in next week!