When you've got a good thing, stick with it. Last year's breakout hit for General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC Network was unarguably Heroes, the sci-fi/drama/comedy hybrid that quickly developed a cult following, made household names of Masi Oka and Hayden Panettiere, and turned the cheesy and clunky "Save the cheerleader, save the world" into the year's most memorable catchphrase. Last night, the program kicked off its second season and earned 10% more viewers than its first-season premiere, according to The Futon Critic. With their flagship show already deemed a solid hit after just 23 episodes, the masterminds behind Heroes are hard at work on a different kind of spin-off. The new series - called Origins - is set to air in the U.S. next spring and will feature new characters not yet referenced in the original program. Taking an American Idol approach to the program, fans of Heroes will be voting on one character from the spin-off to defect to the parent program for Heroes season 3.
On board to pen an episode of Origins is Eli Roth, the writer/director behind the disturbing and grisly Hostel series, which helped launch the new theatrical genre of "torture porn." Michael Dougherty, co-writer of last summer's Superman Returns, will also be writing an episode. Kevin Smith - creator of Clerks, Dogma, and other feature films - was already announced as an Origins scribe.
NBC has ordered six episodes of the new project. They are expected to air while Heroes is on hiatus.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
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