'Heroes': Five Ways to Fix a Series In Crisis

Image credit: Adam Taylor/NBC

PULLING PUNCHES Robert Forster, Sendhil Ramamurthy, and Zachary Quinto stay in the fight

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PROBLEM 5: HEROES IS TOO DISPOSABLE

SOLUTION: FIND A BIG VISION — AND SET AN END DATE

After its own uneven third season, Lost staged a remarkable comeback due in large part to ABC's willingness to let the producers tell a long-term story through shorter seasons that would ultimately end the series itself. Heroes should seriously consider stealing a page from that script. Fewer episodes for each volume will translate into more meaningful episodes for each season. And with an expiration date, Heroes can instill an ongoing mythic arc that keeps viewers hooked for the long haul. In Kring's mind, the show already has that kind of meta-narrative: ''Heroes is, at its heart, a family drama that deals with two main families in particular, the Bennet family and the Petrelli family,'' he said. Sorry, but that's not compelling enough. Both The Sopranos and Lost found epic traction by embracing second chances and fate as grand themes. Heroes should do the same, and explore those ideas through a single central character. The best news about Volume 3 is that it has suggested a story line that can shoulder that weight: the redemption of Sylar. Can TV's most engrossing villain possibly become its most riveting hero? It's a question that upcoming episodes will continue to investigate and could be worthy of at least two more seasons.

NEXT PAGE: A fresh start in season 4?