Nearly two years ago to the day, I was sitting with my group of friends, having just watched the “fall finale” of Lost, then a freshman sci-fi drama we’d all gotten hooked on. Jack, self-righteous beyond all repair, and newcomer hottie Kate (who at the time still looked like a trashier Kate Beckinsale, not that there’s anything wrong with that) had just magically brought Dominic Monaghan’s character back to life, a move I strenuously objected to. To make matters worse, Locke (before he went button crazy and lame) and soon-to-be-dead Boone had just stumbled upon the infamous hatch. While my friends were wowed by the twist and mused on what may lay inside, I remember turning to them and saying “Man, this show just went off its rails”.
And I was right.
By the end of the season, everyone, Locke especially, had gone hatch crazy, a plot device that essentially flipped off the original concept of the show and nearly caused a mass ABC exodus of Lost-devotees after we were forced to wait till the next season just to see what was inside the damn thing (oh look, an Irishman with his own condo… um, ok?). All those things that had originally gotten me interested in the show: how the group would survive, when are they gonna violently kill off the hobbit, what the deal was with the mysterious metal smoke monster, and of course, the um, prominent display of Evangeline Lilly’s assorted naughty bits, were dropped in favor of Locke’s show-crippling hatch-capades. The metal monster was neglected, the polar bear that randomly attacked them was forgotten, nobody seemed to be sharing crucial information, and the stench of hero worship on Jack was threatening to overpower a small country.
Since I vehemently disagreed with the change and now find myself increasingly hateful towards a show I once threw a party each week to watch, I found myself open to the possibility this fall of finding a new show to slavishly devote all my TV geek energy to.
And lo and behold, I found one on Monday nights.
When the pitch on Heroes first crossed media lines, the buzz was unkind. It was immediately deemed a Lost rip off, which at the time seemed spot on. The two shows have a lot more in common than you might suspect.
They both have:
- A plot revolving around a group of strangers coming together to figure out how to cope with their new situation in life.
- A one-named title with a double meaning
- A multi-racial, multi-ethnic cast of beautiful people.
- A slew of the same type of characters: self-righteous male lead, mysterious older white guy that has all the answers, resident slamming hottie, seemingly unnecessary blonde bombshell, middle eastern guy with emotional baggage, Asian couple with translation problems, kid with special powers and a bad dad, long-haired bearded rebels and of course, an all-important set of numbers.
I went to the broadcast upfronts back in May and saw the extended preview NBC put together. I was impressed by the production value and the scope of the pilot, but was convinced there was no way the show could continue at such a high level for an entire season. I dug the girl from Remember the Titans Groundhog Day-ing herself off a bridge. I was amused by the tiny Asian guy who could jump through time. And I was thoroughly thrilled to see Ali Larter returning to her scantily-clad hottie days. As a whole I was pleased to find the early negative buzz had been premature and was intrigued to see what the show would look like when it premiered in the fall.
So I tuned in and was… fine with it. I wasn’t amazed, but I didn’t hate it. They shot their load in the previews with the flying Gilmore Guy money shot; aside from the extremely welcome re-introduction to Ali Larter’s gyrating backside, nothing about the pilot wowed me the way the extended plane crash scene did in Lost (a sequence whose sheer kickassness that series has never been able to replicate). But little by little the show started growing on me. It was a neat twist to find out it wasn’t Gilmore Guy/Peter Petrelli that could fly, but actually his magnificent bastard of a brother, Nathan. Hiro, the aforementioned amusing Asian guy, was a breath of fresh stereotypical TV character air. For a landscape that had seen its fair share navel-gazing comic heroes (Angel!), Hiro’s super-excited take on his new-found powers was fantastic. Claire, the indestructible cheerleader, was a nice cross between real teenager and post-Mean Girls fictional teen. And then a little ways into the first act of episode five, a moment happened on the show that made me fall completely Cruise-on-the-couch in love.
Nathan Petrelli flew.
He didn’t just fall of a building and figure out his power. He stood with his feet on the ground and out of nowhere, SCREAMED into the sky! And then a second later there was a sonic boom and Nathan had taken off, leaving a ring of smoke in his wake. It was literally the most awesome thing I had seen on a network show since Jack started racing through the wreckage in the Lost pilot. From that point on I was hooked.
However, once burned twice learned, so I’m a little hesitant to drop-kick Lost to the curb after having followed it for two and a half seasons, only to find myself let down by a “the cheerleader is safe, now what” Heroes. So I’m gonna break down the two shows, sticking as much as possible to just the first season of Lost (for fairness sake), to see if Heroes really has what it takes to be the premiere science fiction drama on TV, and my TV geek salvation.
Better Central Concept
On Lost, no matter what happens with The Others, or the hatch, or the metal smoke monster, the central premise of the show is always going to be “How do we get off this island?” A lot of people think the point is to figure out the purpose of the island, but that’s naïve, because the intention of the characters is merely to stay alive long enough to be rescued. They may focus their attention on other things (like wooing pregnant Australian girls, saying “dude” a lot, and pushing goddamn hatch buttons), or on their immediate situation, but the long-term goal is to be rescued. That makes the show decidedly closed-ended. There’s no such limitation on Heroes. Their central concept is fluid and adaptable. How do these people cope with their newfound powers, what to they do with them, what does it mean that they have them while others don’t, what forces may align to try and hurt them because of their powers? These are concepts that can applied towards just about any plotline. And since they aren’t bound by the limits of an island, the characters can literally go anywhere. I’m gonna take the show whose endpoint is juicily uncertain to the show whose endpoint is mostly predetermined (and inevitably frustrating).
Advantage – Heroes
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Least Annoyingly Self-righteous Male Lead with a Background in Medicine and Emotionally Unavailable Fathers
If Dawson Leery were a doctor, his name would have been Dr. Jack Shepherd. Jack’s righteousness is so profound that even the tertiary characters started commenting on it. Everything in the first season was “Where’s Jack?” “I need Jack” “Jack will know what to do?” “Jack is smelly!” Ok, I added that last one, but you take my point. Jack is selfish, pig-headed, emotionally crippled by self-doubt, and seriously, kind of an ass (even to Kate). And while Peter can sometimes grate with his “I must save the Cheerleader, I can fly, I’m special” blabbity blabbity importantcakes, at least he’s a nice guy. He welcomes group interaction, he actually cares for the people he gives care to, and seems to generally like his bastard of a brother. He’d have to maim Claire, spit in Hiro’s face and take a crap on one of Isaac’s future paintings before he even begins to reach the levels of assholishness that Jack reaches week to week.
Advantage: Heroes
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Hotter Resident Slamming Hottie
This isn’t a tough one, as the winner is clearly Evangeline Lilly. No disrespect to Claire, who is not only an awesomely pre-approved hottie, can work a cheerleader outfit like nobody’s business, and can repair her own gaping chest cavity, but she is, after all, still jailbait. As much as I joke about fronting Hermione, I do still like to keep it on the legal tip. So until Hayden Panettiere (Claire) becomes legal, Evangeline’s wonderfully dewy lips tragically deflate or the metal smoke monster chews her up like a Swedish fish, I’m going with the legal hottie. But trust me, all things being equal, this would have been close.
Advantage: Lost
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Cooler Mysteriously Creepy Older White Guy
People forget now because he’s become such a nag, but when Lost first aired, Locke was a top notch bad ass. He threw knives around, hunted boar, took on the metal smoke monster and lived, and had a secret that turned out to be the best episode of the season (where we found out he used to be in a wheelchair). He was my favorite character on the show. But a season of hatch worshipping and button pushing effectively neutered him, and now I doubt it would be believable seeing him wield any weapon, least of all the Rambo-like one he used to sport. H.R.G. (otherwise known as Claire’s overly-touchy Father) is very similar to first season Locke. We don’t really know his intentions, as he seems to do both good things and bad, but he knows more than us, and he doesn’t hesitate to get messy should the situation call for it (like shooting up a detoxing Isaac to save his daughter). I dig him a lot. Even more so now that it appears he may have some sort of power-dampening ability. But in the end Locke is the cooler cat, because while HRG needs the silent Haitian guy to do his dirty work, Locke only has his magical working legs and a big ass knife.
Advantage: Lost
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Cooler Long-haired, Bearded Rebel
In the first 45 days of being on the island, Sawyer survived the following things: the plane crash, a Sayid torture session, several beatings, a bullet to his shoulder, a boat exploding next to him, more beatings, Kate’s level five cock teasing, more shots to his face, probably some wicked beard itch and finally Jack’s holier-than-thou attitude. And despite the varied traumas, he still had the sense to trick Kate into a hot snog, steal all the plane supplies and barter them for his own benefit, and dole out nicknames like “Freckles”, “Mr. Clean” and “Captain Falafel”. Wake me up when Isaac does anything more than pine away for drugs and paint cartoon bombs on his oh so perfectly art-directed loft floor.
Advantage: Lost
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Better Villain
Sylar likes to open people’s skulls and dissect and/or eat their brains. Henry Gale/Ben likes to fuck with Jack. Man alive, this is a tough one. We know just about the same amount of info for each guy, give or take. We’ve seen them both be equally evil, creepy and clever. I really want to root for the guy who tortures Jack and was indirectly responsible for Ana-Lucia’s death, but the Others are a major source of Lost-frustration for me. And Sylar looks just a touch too much like Clark Kent for my tastes. I don’t know… I think they both kinda rock.
Advantage: Push
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Least Offensive Asian Stereotype
As much as I like Hiro, I must admit that his “I no speaka any engrish” has gotten pretty tired. He vacillates between speaking full, understandable sentences and muttering phrases that would have made Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s embarrassed. The show better decide how much English he can actually speak, and right quick. He’ll still be just as cute yelling “Yatta!” if he follows it up with a pronoun or two. Meanwhile, I have to praise Abrams and Lindelof for having two Korean characters, one of which speaks not a world of English. Their first flashback episode was the first time I could remember a major network drama spending so much time telling a story about two Asians characters, who didn’t end up as the defendants on a Law & Order, or were played by David Carradine. That’s pop culture progress I can respect.
Advantage: Lost
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More Interesting Set of Numbers
Lost has “4 8 15 16 23 42”, a set of numbers I could care less about, despite how powerful Hurley, Locke or Damon Lindelof would like me to believe they are. On the other hand, Heroes has “8/21/07” the date of Hayden Panettiere’s 18th birthday, which is a set of numbers I’m sure we can all agree are far more exciting.
Advantage: Heroes
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Least Offensive Middle Eastern Stereotype
Let’s get this out of the way: Mohinder is boring. He’s probably the weakest part of the show. On the other hand, he might be the first Indian character on TV not working a cab or rocking a Quickie Mart register, in the last decade. And the fact that he doesn’t do these things is cause for praise. But still, the boring. Now the same can not be said about Sayid, the former Iraqi National Guardsman who fashions himself the island torturer. He fixes radios, hunts down crazy French woman and woos hottie towheads. And yet, for reasons that have yet to be explained in three seasons, the extent of his back story boils down to “Iraq, Torture, Iraq, Caroline in the City and Iraq”. Ok, not so much with the Lea Thompson cartoonist vehicle, but you take my point. I can’t get around the fact that while Moyawnder is a highly educated Professor with a multi-layered work, family and life back story, Sayid can’t get passed how much sticking knives in Sawyer’s fingernails makes him hard up for his dysfunctional homeland. Can we get the man an order of daddy issues?
Advantage: Heroes
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Cooler Silent African Dude
I’m reaching into the second season here, but I like the exception because it means I can talk about how awesome both Mr. Eko and The Haitian (a.k.a. Mindblower) are on their respective shows. While other characters are blowharding their way to my anti-heart, these two guys are playing it cool, calm and collected. When we first meet Eko he’s deep into a self-imposed 40-day silence, a welcome change to the jaw-flapping Michelle Rodriguez was inflicting upon us. And The Haitian’s had only one line in the first eleven episodes, despite quietly climbing the charts as one of the most important characters on the show. But man, what a line! His one sentence, said to Claire, propelled the show straight into the spring, a teaser far more interesting than “Are you on the list?” Put these two in head-to-head competition, I’d have to take The Haitian and his mindblower powers, but Eko and his Jesus stick would put up a hard fight. However, for their awesome silent contributions in the face of blubbery, overacting co-stars, I salute them equally.
Advantage: Push
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Better Young Black Kid With Special Powers and Bad Dad’s
The title pretty much says it all. The boys line up pretty square, with each excelling at certain things (Micah being a better technical actor, and Walt rocking the emotions), but neither doing so at such a high level as knock the other out. So in a case like this I must defer to the hate, as in which kid has done something to make me hate their respective show. And Walt did the worst thing of all, he got himself kidnapped, which lead to an interminable plotline where his bad Dad Michael spent an entire season yelling “WALT!!!!!!!!!11!!!” until the audience’s collective ears bled. Yeah, Mike, I get you want your boy back, but Abrams sent the kid away until May sweeps, so can you please turn your radio down? Thanks!
Advantage: Heroes
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Better Audience Desirability a.k.a. Which show would you rather be a character on?
If you were a character on Lost you’d get the benefit of spending some quality time with Kate, but suffer the downside of watching her mack down on the two assiest guys on the island. You also stuck on an island with no real food, water or hygiene products, and have a better than average chance of getting mauled by the metal smoke monster should you need to hit the jungle for a mid-morning deuce. Suddenly, Evangeline Lilly ain’t looking so good. But if you’re a character on Heroes, you get to have a freaking superpower! Sure, Sylar might come after you to cut your skull open and eat your brain, but did I mention you have a freaking superpower? You could walk through walls, or fly, or have extendo-junk, or be invisible, or have the power to immobilize and silence people who talk during movies (the one I’d want). I think it’s worth the risk.
Advantage: Heroes
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Better Blonde Femme Fatale / Least Useless Eye Candy
Heroes made a clever change three episodes into their run; they had Ali Larter keep her clothes on. Up until that point I had assumed her role on the show was as a pure skin show, akin to the role Shannon used to play on Lost (before they killed her and replaced her with Cynthia Watros, who may be a fine actress, but is not nearly as qualified in the ways of sweater puppetry). But once she pulled a “Cerrado” on her online stripper ways, she turned into the de facto femme fatale of the show. Alternating between her submissive Niki and her (far more awesome) Angelus-like alter ego Jessica, Larter spends her time either throwing her husband into walls, ripping gamblers apart or bedding Adrian Pasdar. I’m not sure yet what her role is on the show, but I’m intrigued to find out. As for Shannon, well, she may not have served much purpose, but she sure looked good in a bikini.
Advantage: Heroes
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More Quotable One-Word Catchphrase
Hurley’s got “Dude”, Hiro’s got “Yatta”. One is a word that many movies and characters have used in far more funny and quotable ways (Hell, Keanu’s practically made it an art form). And the other is a new piece of slang that’s barely scratched the surface of its potential awesomeness. You can use it during sex, at the moment you splooge (Yatta, orgasm!). You can use it when you score the digits of a fine-looking 310 fox (Yatta, digits!). You can use it when you unexpectedly find money in the back pocket of your jeans (Yatta, cash!). Hell, you could use it when ordering waffles, just like Hiro. We are on the forefront of a new era in one word lingo, and Heroes is leading the charge.
Advantage: Heroes
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Most Annoying, Most Annoying Character
This is a sham category because there’s no way any character on Heroes could ever conceive of the hope to dream to be as annoying as Charlie. Loud, nagging, weak, obnoxious, lame, exasperating, feckless, grody, and unfunny, Charlie is easily the least helpful, least likeable and least interesting characters in the never-ending Lost ensemble. His only contribution to the show has been his pilot teaser line “Guys, where are we?”. I hated him in LotR, and I can’t stand him on the show; every time I have to sit through another of his “Woe is me, I need me drugs, my band was a one-hit non-wonder” episodes, I wanna commit suicide by lethal Scientology purification. Seriously, go away and DIE, Charlie!
Advantage: Lost
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Which show gives the better goods?
Here’s a partial list of the day one answers we are still yet to receive on Lost:
- What is the metal smoke monster?
- Who controls the metal smoke monster?
- Why have no planes ever flown over the island?
- How is Locke able to use his legs on the island?
- How did Sawyer’s hair magically grow seven inches over the course of 45 days?
- Who are they really, what are the true intentions of the Others? (It can’t seriously be to have Jack remove Ben’s spinal tumor. All the killing and kidnapping and violence for a procedure Jack would have volunteered to do if it made him 1/800th more like a hero? Seriously, lame.)
Meanwhile, over on “AnswerFest 2006” aka Heroes, we’ve already found out each main character’s power (to the exclusion of Ali Larter, mostly) and seen each hero use their power, we are starting to learn how the Heroes found out about their powers, we know who the villain is and what his agenda entails, and we’ve already seen the show cycle through one major plotline (plus on this show we get, like, 117% fewer red herrings). Further, when Lost answers questions, it answers them with even more frustrating questions. When Heroes answers questions with questions, the questions themselves are inevitably cooler (i.e. How does Sylar get other people’s powers? He opens their heads. But what does he do then? Does he go Hannibal Lecter on them, or does he put their brains under the microscope and break ‘em down? Who knows, but either way, it’s awesome.).
That’s called audience satisfaction, Lost. Take a memo.
Advantage: Heroes
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Final Tally: Heroes wins, 9-5!
Smell ya later, Lost. There’s officially a new badass sci-fi show in town.
Yatta!
Dude , Heroes is number 1 right now , Lost has LOST its appeal , mystery. Where do polar bears , comics and black fog fit in together with the Others? , Is it magical or a freaking government plan?. Theres too much to there story for gods sake It can just be that theres puppets controlling the island seeing who they can kill off first. Lost isnt predictable at all , but it answers a question WITH A QUESTION. Who does that?
//
Well, We’ve gotta say that is the most wrong, most ridiculous thing we’ve ever heard.
Heroes is not number 1 right now. I dunno if you saw the LOST finale, but it totally raped heroe’s super powered ass. LOST’s finale has been called the best episode of anything ever, changing the way we see modern television. Heroes, however, has been called the worst episode of the series, a complete let down to an otherwise acceptable series.
Then you ask where all those things come in. Let me enlighten you a bit. You wonder were the polar bears come from. I dunno whether your mentally ill or just normally stupid, but in the very first episode of season 3 we learn were the bears come from. The comics were from Hurley, luggage he brought on the plane. In case your to stupid to notice these things, people are aloud to bring things on planes. Finally, the smoke monster. The smoke monster is the essence of LOST, one of the many great things about the show. Its the point to not know what it is.
Then you claim theres too much story. There are 54 hours of LOST currently out. Thats two and a half days. If you can’t comprehend a few story lines in two and half days, you must have severe brain damage. It’s a miracle you learned how to type. The puppets idea is just damn retarded, if they “puppets” wanted them dead the show would have been over long ago.
And then you say lost isn’t predictable. What the hell is wrong with you? If you like things predictable, you are perfect for the heroes fan base. This may be just us thinking, but we have a slight idea that most people like things unpredictable. The only people who would want something predictable are those too stupid to predict even predictable things.
Finally you ask who answers a question with a question. LOST effing answers a question with a question. Thats what makes the show so good, the fact that we don’t know everything, and that there’s still mystery. What the hell is going to happen in season 2 of heroes, now that all the questions have been answered?
In conclusion, LOST is out-right better than it’s retarded rip-off copycat counterpart. If thats to much for your pathetically small mind to understand, than just go and die. You’d be doing humanity a favor.
Thank you for your time.
P.S. We watch both LOST and heroes(or, we did until the heroes finale)
P.P.S. Take our advice; Stop watching heroes, go to school, learn a thing or two, then try to watch LOST again. You may find you like it. If not, try to go to school again. and complete it this time.
P.P.P.S. Sorry this article is so long. We’re just really pissed off right now.
I watch both Heroes and Lost, and personally, Heroes is my favourite.
Some of the best characters on Lost were ruined by self-pity/button pressing. And Mr Eko, the best thing that happened to Lost in the second season, was killed off just so his freakin stick could show Locke and the others which way North was. To be honest I’m quite tired of that “He died for a reason” shit. Sometimes I just wish I could skip the flashbacks, and currently the only character that draws me is Desmond, mainly because of his future flashes. The other characters have just been tired and worn out.
I find as well that whenever questions are actually answered on Lost, the answers bore me, and almost make me afraid to watch it to the end (it may spoil what is left). Lost just piles on gimmick after gimmick, and to tell you the truth, I’m almost buying it. Almost.
I will still watch on though, mainly because of the intruiging motives of ‘the rescuers’. I wonder if they’ll turn out to be as dull and boring as the others are. Season two, with the amazing episode “the other 60 days” (not sure if that’s what it called) the show promised the others were almost supernatural, stronger than any man (apart from Eko of course).
Heroes on the other hand, keeps most of the characters interesting, and even the worst of characters redeemed themselves by the end of the season. Mohinder torturing Sylar was gold, as was Isaacs sacrifice and Niki’s realisation of her powers (especially when she whacked Sylar over the head with a parking meter). Heroes is good because the characters are not just guy who flies, girl who’s invunerable, guy that reads minds (like the x-men for example) it has characters that I refer to by name because they have real interesting personalities.
Any X-men comparison/link with heroes is ridiculous, as the characters do not run around in tights, give themselves silly names (well, with the exception of Sylar, but thats better than Magneto) or go around in teams with silly names. End of.
P.S. To the last commenter, who likes to personally insult anyone who does agree with their OPINION (I highlight opinion for a reason) Lost does not have 54 hours of story. Half of those hours were taken up by flashbacks which may give you more insight into the character, but is not part of the actual storyline.
Also, may I point out, that the flashbacks may have ruined most of the characters. You barely ever see anyone tell anyone else anything about their past, because the writers can just call upon the magical flashbacks. Flashbacks can’t tell us how character’s feel about something now, so we see less emotion. So the flashbacks mainly provide a collection of short stories some of which have a moment of revalation, which only takes about 2 minutes.
I believe that the 3 seasons out now could have been condensed to half the amount, by cutting the crap so to speak. Maybe focus on more than one character in an episode (and I’m not talking just Jin and Sun) which I believe season 1 finale did succesfully. Plus what was that crap with ‘Dave’ and ‘Expose’. The first one just reminded us that Hurley used to be mad, and provided a revalation on a character that gets killed off around 5 episodes later. The other gives us a murder mystery, where the side characters aren’t really dead, and shock horror, are buried alive. Like anyone cares. In fact, only one surivivor of 815 introduced after the pilot episodes is still alive. That doesn’t really prove anything except the writers only introduce other survivors to kill them off. Dr Arzt was only introduced to display the volatility of the dynamite.
Actually, Cindy (the flight attendant) and the two children are also still alive. I think Heroes is a fun show, though it’s concept isn’t as orginial (or possibly just not as frustratingly indecipherable) as Lost’s. My problem with Heroes is that at some points the dialogue is just too much to take and the acting gets so over the top I feel like barfing. I feel that the actors on Lost are generally better.
India is not the Middle East!
The Middle East was defined by the British in the early 20th century to refer to the area between the near East (modern Turkey) and the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire, India. So Mohinder cannot be a Middle Eastern stereotype, any more than Greenland inuits are American!
I think generally Lost is more grown-up and to do with character development. It’s not really fantasy because everything theoretically (so far) has a straightforward or at least scientific explanation. It has elements of drama, action, romance and comedy. Heroes is more “pure fantasy” – plot-driven and comic book-esque. I like both, but it’s like comparing cheese with jogging.
This blog blows. Wow, Heroes took Lost’s geek viewers, big deal.
Desmond’s a Scot, not Irish.
Charlie isn’t the least bit annoying, he is (was) probably the best character. The loveable little scamp. Plus he’s one of the only one’s without a whiney annoying American accent.
Heroes just isn’t as well produced.
As far the long story arcs: can be annoying, but it’s so satisfying when you find something out!
I can’t count the times an episode has ended and I’ve been shocked to a state of near catatonia!
It’s just more exciting. I’ve not watched a lot of Heroes, but that’s because what I have seen is boring.
Lost is genuinely unique, whereas heroes just tapped into a recent trend of superhero films.
Lost win’s in straight sets
P.S. Ignore the apostrophe on wins
i hated the flashbacks in lost and the only flashbacks in heroes are when hiro is actually there, walking around in the flashback.
and lost is just drags, last i watched it was series 1, i took weeks just explaining that there was a hatch, and now its nothing interesting. wheras in heroes they threw in a cliff hanger right at the end of the series, which snaps you into attention and makes you scream for the next season.
therefor, i agree, heroes wins
oh and anyone notice that heroes is beleivable?
jack randomly meets his dad in the middle of some water, there are polarbears, a giant magnet, and spooky black smoke that is alive, hmmm…
heroes deals with genetics and evolution, not mystical smoke
“Heroes in 11 episodes, managed to give details on all the characters, bring several together, show the powers of all the characters, and get to a fairly massive plot twist while wrapping up the delima set out in the first episode.”
That’s exactly my problem with Heroes.. not as good character development as Lost. It’s the journey not the destination.
Yeah Crabby I get you totally! I soooo beleive that there are people going around with superpowers and going back and forth through time is happening! I mean…Heros is amazing, it totally beats lost, whose characters are very well developed, there are twists in the story all the time, its totally orignal, it keeps you wanting more each week etc etc. Thats why heros, which it totally unorginal is soo much better
:P:D:D lololololololol hehehe! Heros better cause it good! HEHEHEHEHE!
I disagree. I think LOST is more unique than Heroes because it rewards its fans for consistent viewing. LOST demands patience and dedication of its viewers, and if your not dedicated or patient, then it leaves you in the dust. Heroes has some great mysteries but the fact that it prides itself on resolving those mysterys so quickly makes it look shallow in comparison to LOST’s ever evolving story arc. Also, LOST’s characters have so much depth. And flashbacks, though often tedious, ensure that we know who these people are and their motives for behaving the way they do, etc. Heroes simply places its characters in situations and just expects them to resolve it (besides, how many “new powers” can they introduce before all of that gets really old?). Now that LOST has an end date and select number of episodes I think we’ll start to see more resolution to the aforementioned unsolved mysteries. I think years from now, when both shows are over, LOST will be looked upon as the greater and better constructed of the two.
Just finally finished season 1 of Heroes and I think it didn’t quite live up to Lost season one. There were a few “wow” moments but it just wasn’t quite up there with Lost season 1. I think the problem with Lost was that they needed a specific track to follow knowing when to end it by. Now that they have that (three more seasons of 16 episodes each) I think they’ll do a much better job. There shouldn’t be anymore BS episodes which leave you bored and pissed off with no answers. Last season there were a lot of those in the first half of the season but second half near the end, it definitely picked up. And the finale from season 3….that was just freaking amazing. I have actually enjoyed all three Lost finales so far. Explaining the plane crash at the end of season 2 was awesome. I know a lot of people complained that it is just something that no one would ever even be able to guess, but I still give the writers props for coming up with something and giving us an answer for that (b/c it seemed like that wasn’t something planned from the beginning).
I can also see now why a lot of people were pissed off at the Heroes finale. The show is starting to remind me of Prison Break where there is just a lot of intense silly shit going on but it just drags. And the lead characters in both shows are terrible actors. I’m still enjoying it because there are good characters and I like the whole superhero thing and also think the show has potential to stay good for a lot longer than some of the other shows I enjoy like 24 and Prison Break. Those shows started off good because of a good premise but have died down because of repetitive story lines. I think currently Lost and Heroes are #1 & #2 respectively on my list but if we are just comparing season one of shows, Id have to say the following order:
Lost
24
Heroes
Prison Break
SPOILER ALERT!!! Here is a list of a few “wow” moments that come to mind from the above shows which aren’t in any order:
24 – end of season 1 where Jack’s wife is killed
24 – end of season 2 where we though Palmer would die
24 – season 2, the nuke goes off
24 – season 4, Air Force one is shot down
24 – season 5, Palmer is assassinated
24 – season 6, nuke goes off in city
Lost – season 1 plane crash
Lost – season 1 Locke was the one in a wheel chair
Lost – season 1 Locke crying on top of Hatch door when it lights up (a lot to do with the score and build up of scene)
Lost – season 1 finale when the teach guy blows up
Lost – season 2 finale, plane crash answered
Lost – season 3 finale, flash FORWARD
Heroes – season 1, Nathan flies
Heroes – season 1, Peter is visited by Hero from the future in the train
Heroes copies so much from Lost. Its like the creator took the BOX DVD SET of Lost, put it on a plate, and took a giant crap on it and said,”Hey…look what I made!” And someone was like, thats art, we must put it on television! yeah right, don’t give that BS about Heroes being better.
it sounds like you made up some categories to give heroes the lead. the heroes creators openly admit that lost inspired them and taught them lessons on how/what to do. lost’s “worst” ratings 14.6 million average in season 3 are still better than heroes “best” of 14.3 in season 1. not that it’s the number that count anyway. half the heroes cast can’t act, and their stories are floundering in their second season.
Lost is definitely better than Heroes! And Parkman is about 100 times more annoying than Charlie. And by the way, Mohinder did drive a cab early in the first season
I like the comparison. I have a love/hate relationship w/ both shows, but I’m still watching.
What about Vincent vs Mr Muggles?
I can’t believe this blog entry of yours is still up especially after the super lame season and a half heroes managed to shat out of their creatively sterile womb. Meanwhile LOST is kicking ass and talking names.
You’re not embarrassed for attaching you name to this? Jeez you must be stupider than Peter Petrelli.
You are talking bo**ocks. Heroes and Lost are amazing together. Dont you think people would have got bored quicker if LOST had stuck to just a group of people struggling to survive? The story had to develop and the writers did a great job in introducing the hatch, the others and dharma, it only makes the journey more fascinating. Although i do agree jack is an ass. Don’t slag off charlie either. His character is far more interesting than most of the others. WOW! jacks a doctor with a drunk dad, Michael at the moment is pointless. Give him a break.
I totally disagree with this. I have watched a few episodes of Heroes, to be honest I just hate it. The acting sucks, the writing sucks, the music sucks, the cinematography sucks, compared to Lost. I’ll admit the tone of Lost has changed a lot since its first season, but thats because each season has its own theme. I know you’ll never like Lost more than Heroes, so I’m not gonna bother with it. I just can’t see how you can say Heroes is a better show. I think the evidence I found was that you called Lost a ’sci-fi’ show. While it definitely has strong sci-fi themes, I think calling it a sci-fi show is a pretty dumb generalization. So if you want to call Heroes a better sci-fi show, sure, go ahead. But don’t say it’s better than Lost in terms of plot/all other forms of storytelling, I think it’d be an insult to even compare Heroes to Lost on an even playing ground. Well, yeah. Thats all I have to say. At least we can support the writers strike together, right?
I guess what I forgot to say was that, well, Heroes is definitely a better show to watch if you like to be given the answers to things. It’s a plot driven story. So, yes, if you’re a viewer who hates to be challenged intellectually while watching TV, and needs constant gimmicks and events to keep you watching the show, then YES, Heroes is your show. If you read every comment supporting Heroes, almost all of them refer to what isn’t happening on Lost — not the way Lost doesn’t have this and that. Lost isn’t meant to drive you out of your seat every minute. It’s a calm, artfully produced and written story with lots of metaphors, historical references and allusions, as well as smart, interesting, and believable characters, beautiful classical music, and violence and plot twists in all the right places (not every 2 minutes). So yes, Heroes is probably a better sci-fi show, because Lost is hardly sci-fi. Its like comparing Star Wars to Star Trek — one is an epic tale about life, and the other is a nerdfest. Okay, that’s all I have. Sorry if I offended you.
[...] will take the mantle from Charlie as the show’s Most Annoying Character? My money is on Hurley. His “dude” crap is wearing thin. Unlike his waistline, which [...]
Wow…you are an idiot. Hey, if your a fan of horrible horrible writing and bad characterization go ahead and keep watching Heroes. It’s a shame that magnificent shows like LOST don’t appeal to the masses, but you can’t blame them when you have people who are only looking for a rehashed formula. Trust me…LOST’s writing is far better then you know…but I don’t expect you to realize that ever so I’ll stop my little rant. You have horrible taste.
TOODLES!
Here’s what it all boils down to: Lost keeps you watching because you want to know just how in the hell any of this is going to make sense. They show you the puzzle pieces and ask you to put it together. People watch Heroes because it requires no effort to do so. They show you what the finished puzzle looks like and then break it down into the hugest pieces you can imagine and then they still put it together for you. Heroes is a cash-in whereas Lost at least aspires to be something more than another prime-time drama. Undoubtedly it’s less satisfying to a larger amount of people (i.e. those with no patience) but the true fans get so much more out of it from most single episodes than anything Heroes has offered in both of its seasons combined. Nothing overtly wrong with either show, you just have to know what it is you’re getting into. If you want fast and cheap thrills and to be able to just sit back and not think for an hour a week, go watch Heroes. If you want to be engaged and stimulated into using your brain to put things together Lost is your show. It’s like the old art/entertainment debate. The writers and producers of Heroes go out of their way to be anonymous and give you exactly what you think you want. It’s pure entertainment designed to be spoonfed to the masses. Lost’s showrunners are interested in giving us something that’s completely their own creation. It may be unfamiliar but it forces the viewer to be an active participant and develop their own ideas. It’s art and some people just don’t like it. So like I said earlier that’s what it boils down to.
i too think heroes is a lost ripoff. i mean, two black kids with superpowers? come on. i’m pretty sure in a showdown, michael would own micah (mostly since michael would just manage to summon a polar bear out of nowhere).
but i’ve grown to like heroes. it’s like a lost supplement. it moves faster. not as well written but still good.
and as for the bad guy, i like sylar. when he’s not clark kent, he’s pretty damn good looking.
I’ve seen Heroes once and I did’nt like it! it was horrible! Saylor is bad realy bad! (sorry if my english is not so good, it’s my 2nd langued)What’s youre favorite tv show, The Jay? LOST or Heroes and why? Write back!
Rebecca_9322@hotmail.com
LOVE REBECCA THE LOST LOVER
[...] what shows am I really into lately? Well honestly I can care less for Heroes. For some reason I feel “tired” after watching those episodes (too many pointless [...]
I had this EXACT conversation with my friend me siding with Lost and him with Heroes, but I checked out Heroes, and its definetly better.
Okay the only thing I’m going to say is, get a life. C’mon, who spends this much time rating two tv shows (that are incomparable anyway. Lost is far better.)
20 years from now we’ll all look back on this debate and clearly see that Heroes was nothing more than a Lost rip-off and that it couldn’t make it past 3 seasons. 4 at the most.
This comparison is completely biased based on opinion, not true comparison and contrast.
Btw the hatch didnt contain an ‘irishman in a condo’ hes scottish. Thats ignorance.
In my opinion i would say lost has a better concept because of its originality. While heroes is good its concept is nothing new, a bunch of people who find they have super powers coincendentally at the same point in time.
However i agree with you on lost’s closed endingness. You would think if you were stuck on a magical island you would be curious enough to try and found out what the hell is going on, instead of being so eager to get rescued despite it being past 4 months already, and the fact that all the survivors lives suck on the real world anyway.
HEROES IS SO BAD I WANT TO DIE WHEN I WATCH IT!
These are the thoughts that fill my mind when its on:
Ive seen this before in another film or tv show (pretty much every scene)
this plotline is so boring i might cry, and everything is laid out for me like im stupid.
hiro needs to stop saying yatta.
all the characters are 1 dimensional and cliche
the acting makes me want to scratch my eyes out its so bad
bad script writing- SOOOO annoyingly simplistic, no attention to detail.
Arent these the exact same characters as lost with the same concept only dumbed down and not as good?
its SO SO bad.
if ur gonna do this at least be fair. compare first series of heroes with first series of lost and LOST wins.
of course lost lags a bit sometimes, its in its 4th season, but in my opinion its still going strong.
i kept trying to watch heroes, but it just made me so confused at why anyone would think it was interesting.
what a bad show!
I LUV HEREOS
i think it is amazing!! But Lost was gd 4 the 1st season!! BUT THEY ARE STILL LOST!!
Luv Heroes Loads
G.N.R.
[...] It basically boiled down to "Heroes" vs "Lost". I’d argue Farscape but it’s been cancelled. Yes, even the reruns. Everyone pretty much had a favourite and no one changed their minds, so as promised, I turned to the internet for help. To the sceptics and my "Lost"-loving pals, here’s a rundown on which show is better:Sci-Fi Rumble – Lost vs Heroes. [...]
G.N.R. you are an idiot. Spoilers, but they’ve gotten off of the Island. Or half of them at least. And LOST, while maybe originally so, doesn’t really mean “They are lost on an Island”, but it means they are lost in their lives, and the ones who left are even more lost than they ever were on the Island.
Thank you rrrr for your comments.
I agree that it simply comes down to this, whether you want to admit it or not; A smarter, more patient person enjoys Lost, an ignorant, very ignorant person, prefers Heroes.
The writers of Lost have a set seven seasons, they “already” have all the loose ends tied up, and I look forward to seeing all the answers. Heroes has not even explained yet what the hell “Save the cheerleader save the world,” really means, and that was from the first season.
I am a little uneasy over the constant evidence I see showing me that people are getting dumber these last couple generations. When I started watching Heroes, I kept watching because I was in total Ah over how lazy and untalented the writers are, and how so many people spoke so highly of the show. The writers have even come forward and confessed to their ignorance, apologizing to the fans. They insult your intelligence all the time, and only now during the most recent season are the fans scratching their heads and thinking back, realizing that they have been fooled the whole time, and the writer was never really going anywhere with this blatant rip off of a show.
Amazing, absolutely amazing! This would be the perfect time for someone like Hitler to rise to power, because the people would be dumb enough to follow him, especially if he had some kind of super powers. LOL!
Our country spends the most money on education yet the last couple generations have proven to be significantly dumber, because they are just lazy, impatient and selfish. Start reading to your kids once in a while, instead of leaving them to the TV which is getting dumber by the minute, and watch smart shows with your children instead of shows like Heroes. Be a parent or they will find one else where.
I know, I know, we hate the truth and prefer ignorance…Were screwed….Sigh!
written from the flawed perspective of obvious low brow heroes fans. Id be surprised if this comment is allowed to be displayed.
“Amazing, absolutely amazing! This would be the perfect time for someone like Hitler to rise to power, because the people would be dumb enough to follow him, especially if he had some kind of super powers. LOL!”
Dodds Corollary to Goodwin’s Law states:
“When debating a particular subject, if a comparison or implied connection is drawn between the opponent’s argument and Hitler and the Nazi Party, the maker of that statement is automatically discredited and the debate is automatically lost by the person or group who referenced the connection to Hitler or the Nazis.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin’s_Law
Therefore, by referencing Hitler, your argument is invalidated and Heroes has been declared the victor.
Case closed.
claire sould of won she is so HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lost was good seasons 1 and 2, then it just got ridiculous. I still watch it, but Heroes is far better. The thing about Heroes is that it has been getting better as it’s progressed.
I cant believe what I am reading here. I dont even know where to begin. Heroes is decent. Lost is far better. A little known fact about lost is that the plot for all 6 seasons is already written. Its like a really long well written movie with good acting. The acting in heroes is terrible I want to punch mohinder in his dumb stupid face for not killing sylar when he had the chance. Every episode i think in my head that i would have done things that the characters dont, (fly out of the way here stop time there) but you dont have that in lost they have perfect reactions in every senario. Holy crap it blows me away that people want answers every episode like your watching full house. no one told zemeckis and speilberg to wrap up back to the future in one movie. You morons want shit that apeals to the masses well your in luck cause jj abrams just came out with a new show that is perfect for you. the fringe is just what you are looking for. shitting long term plans unlike lost and stupid lame day to day adventures like the x files. Finally a show comes around that is going somewhere and doesnt sell itself out in a season and people complain that they have to wait for answers. Well as long as i get to buy the seasons and watch them over and over ill be happy cause i know there will never be a better more well put together show. until judd comes out with freaks and geeks season 2.
“Therefore, by referencing Hitler, your argument is invalidated and Heroes has been declared the victor.
Case closed.”
You were kidding, but I’m compelled to point out that’s a Fallacist’s Fallacy nonetheless.
In all seriousness, there’s no question which show has the better acting.
Lost. Locke’s performance alone, even in button-crazy plot pits, blows anyone in Heroes out of the water. There’s also no question which has a better plot and cares more for details and continuity (why didn’t Sylar put the PK pause on Hiro’s running charge? Whatever happened to his super-hearing? Where did internet-girl go? How do you cause a NUCLEAR EXPLOSION in the skies over New York city and barely hear anyone mention it a mere four months later? Why did Peter’s brother have to fly him out there in the first place, when he could fly himself? Where are Micah and copycat at this point? Niki was an identical triplet whose sister happens to enter the show just after she dies, ARE YOU KIDDING?). Lost wins by a landslide.
Originality also favors LOST. Here’s a modern-day magic island with it’s own mythology and competing guardians vs. here’s a group of people “evolving” (in the same pseudo-scientific sense Pokemon do) and coming to terms with their power. Heroes, while not copying X-men directly, does use the same plot foundation.
Lost wins. That said, I do watch and enjoy both shows.
Yea, I like LOST better. It has a more original storyline with better acting. And what show has more cultural references?? I mean, that takes a lot of research which results in better writing. Anyone could write about someone with supernatural powers, using it for good vs. evil, but how do you write about trying to get off an island that is mysteriously unseen to the world? Good question, watch the show…. AMAZING… and then they need to GO BACK???? WOW!!! Obviously, mysterious storylines draws the viewers in more than just straightforward plot and resolution.
The best shows have 5-6 seasons, otherwise, it just drags on…
hi! I just thought I’d put my two cents in.
I’m a LOST fan, and have been for quite some time. I was looking for a show that was at least 1/2 as good as Lost to watch, so i started watching Heroes.
I’d have to agree with the Lost fans here. Lost is great, no 1 hour drama show will beat it for quite some time.
I had good hopes for Heroes, but it is..udderly ridiculous, the acting, story, dialogue, pretty much everything. For me, watching a show should be about the journey to get there, and the characters. Lost has great characters. Heroes has zero.
When I watch Heroes, and somebody dies, I’m kind of happy, as I don’t have to listen to them anymore. When they are suddenly alive next episode (or after commercial break) again, then I am upset. You see what I mean?
I’m only watching it now as a train wreck. How much longer will it be on? I just started watching season 3, and it’s completely ridiculous as well. Hiro is now got the mind of a 10 year old? I think a 10 year old must have wrote that episode. oh well.
But whatever. I can understand why people watch it. They’re the same kind of people that watch plot-based stuff like 24. Lost is different as it’s a character based show.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh dear.
How wrong this article turned out to be.
I used to be a lost fan. But lost got lost with its stories. Past mysteries were not solved, additional mysteries add, some non-sense stories added, etc. etc.
I watched an episode of lost recently and its still lost!
Unlike heroes, story is great! Although all stories have holes, original writers are back. I just find Volume 3 last episodes and Volume 4 Episode 1-5 are boring and not so good. But upon Episode 6 to end, its great again.
Cheers!
lost DOES give answers but not in a lame way that answers everything after 2 or 3 episodes to make it exciting………some people dont like it because they are simply stupid and dont understand it >.< (no offense)
and lost has moooooooore and better twists than heroes (which ripped off most of lost’s )
some characters also has some abilities but doesnt turn the show into X-men
btw lost let us know each characters life so when there is some sad scene it affects u like locke’s dad scenes ….as for heroes…..the characters themselves dont seem affected like in genesis when the fat indian guy tells mohinder “ur dad is dead” he simply replies ….”how
ok whatever lets get to his apartment and take some stuff”
dont let me talk about rewards now……
First of all, I must thank the author of this article becasue i was constantly laughing my ass off. The part with the YATTA thing that you can use it during sex, when finding money, etc… couldn’t make me stop laughing. So congrats
Secondly, I used to love heroes more than lost during their first seasons but now it is obvious that Lost is putting up everything together while most of the time on heroes, something new and unrelated happens.
IMO, lost is at its best from season 3’s finale (the one with the flashforward). Season 4 rocked because we knew that they survived because of the flashforwards, and… man, season 5 put up everything together. We came to realize that in the end the show is not about leaving the island since they realised that they must go back. The show came down to good and evil (related to God and the Devil as in Jacob and his enemy)
I used to be a huge HEROES fan. And by HUGE I mean HUGE! If HEROES was a religion I would be it’s pope. Anyway, I feel that HEROES has degenerated into a great big pile of cow S**T! It sucks! And not just kinda sorta sucks! It sucks atomic balls! It is the pimp of suckage!