Heroes - Damn it! It doesn't suck.

I am beside myself with grief today.

Not only am I about to give NBC kudos, but I am also going to give a thumbs up to a show that I desperately wanted to say sucked. After 11 episodes, I am still watching it, and I am still enjoying it.

I hate that.

First off, kudos to NBC for finally wising up and putting full episodes online...congratulations, you have just caught up to where the rest of us were 5 years ago in terms of content and the value of online video. I realize it is all in preparation for the "great-super-secret-NBC-YouTube-killer," but I appreciate it anyway. Extra kudos for one-upping many other television network sites by posting all the episodes for the shows, and not just the last one or two. You succeeding in turning me into a fan of not one, but two new shows, Heroes and The Black Donnellys simply by putting them online...they are now also programmed in my DVR.

Of course the fact that you are doing something right for a change is killing this blog, but I'll trade a blog for something decent to watch on a network anyday.

So back to Heroes. I wanted to hate this show, I really did. I couldn't wait to write here about how it is an X-men rip-off, a sad attempt to cash in on the comic book movie phenomenon without paying any licensing, etc...

Then I watched. Then I saw Hiro Nakamura. Two words: Hiro Rulz.

So Hiro kept me watching because I felt there was a character archetype present that wasn't completely overused on TV and, more importantly, he managed to make a Star Wars and a Star Trek reference in the same episode...always a plus in my book.

After about six episodes, it wasn't just Hiro that kept me coming back, although I knew the show had a writing staff with some chops after "hip-Hiro" came back from the future wrapped in black and sporting a sword, it was also the moral ambiguity of several of the characters. The ones I am referring to in particular are the congressional candidate and the eye-glassed villian. Both of these characters gave me reasons to like them as well as reasons to recognize that they may in fact be the villians of the show...that sort of ambiguity breeds real tension, not the manufactured sort we are used to seeing from hack writers.

The other thing I noticed was that because the characters do not get ridiculous super hero names, I enjoyed making up my own when discussing the show with friends and neighbors. That on it's own is shocking, because I rarely find a show I like enough to actually talk to someone about it. So anyhow, just for kicks I am closing today with my list of super hero names for characters on Heroes (in no particular order). See if you can guess who is who.

• Icky Stripper Chick
• Techno-boy
• The Great Chocolate Dad
• Creepy Quiet Dude
• Waffle Cop
• Nurse Boy
• Hiro, just Hiro
• Busted Watch Brain Eater
• The Flying Politician
• Gee I Can Fly Boy
• Cadaver Girl
• Funky Junky Art Hipster
• Naughty Neighbor Girl
• The Great Soccer Waif