While not itself a comic book adaptation, the series was basically written like a comic book, with each season having one or more volumes in which part of the story plays out, and there are several main storylines in each volume. As the main plots develop, smaller sub-stories are told within them. Each main character's story is developed separately and as time passes their paths cross and it is explained how their stories are intertwined and connected.
The series starred Milo Ventimiglia as Peter Petrelli, Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennet, Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura, Adrian Pasdar as Nathan Petrelli, Greg Grunberg as Matt Parkman, Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohinder Suresh, Ali Larter as Nikki Sanders, Jack Coleman, who was initially a mysterious recurring character whom many called HRG because he wore horn-rimmed glasses and then midway through the season we find out exactly who he is.
The large story that gets intertwined was around saving the Cheerleader, played by Panettiere from a shadowy character known as Sylar who has been going across the country finding and killing superpowered people. The show builds up that story slowly throughout the season and reveals more elements of the overall story with each episode. The plot jumps back and forth between the present, the past, and the future (since one of the characters has the ability to travel through time) and so even within single episodes the show can take drastic turns in style and tone.
For those who get the Blu-Ray, the show looks and sounds great. Obviously, it is an effects-laden show and you can tell it had a substantial effects budget. The A/V quality is wonderful and the effects look as good as they do in any movie. There are a ton of extras including commentary tracks, which include picture-in-picture pop-ups, deleted scenes, artwork, and several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. So if you like bonus materials, there is a ton of stuff (multiple hours) here to keep you occupied.
While the quality of the show did go down in subsequent seasons, this season was nearly perfect. The writing and acting were top-notch, the pacing of the story was perfect and the show intertwined the various storylines in a way that all members of the large ensemble cast were given great material. The show had a lot of twists and turns and they all worked (which is rare). The show also had a very strong recurring and guest cast including James Kyson Lee, Zachary Quinto, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Christopher Eccleston, Clea DuVall, Missy Peregrym, Eric Roberts, Rena Sofer, and Malcolm McDowell. Overall, if you are a fan of the sci-fi genre, this is definitely one you want to check out.
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