“Heroes” Will Be Back

“Heroes” will be back for a fourth season according to the Hollywood Reporter.   NBC picked up a new season of the series yesterday though the total episode order will be reduced to 18-20.

Angela Bromstad, NBC’s entertainment president, told reporters that the show was not on the bubble and that it would return next year.

That’s fewer hours than “Heroes” first or current third season (which each had orders of at least 23 episodes), with season two having been cut short due to the writers strike.

For all its headline-making audience erosion, “Heroes” is still tied with NBC’s “The Office” as the network’s top-rated series among adults 18-49 this season.

Also being factored: NBC’s pilot project “Day One,” about a group of survivors in the wake of a catastrophic global event. If the serialized “Day One” goes to series, having an established sci-fi drama like “Heroes” could help the new show in a few ways, including possibly airing as part of the same Monday night block.

“Day One’ is a big event and we’re looking at that to come into the ‘Heroes’ spot,” Bromstad said. “It’s right now being looked at as a 13-episode run — something people could commit to and we could make a big splash with.”

If “Day One” does launch in the “Heroes” time period, “One” would get the advantage of its strong sci-fi-established slot for a number of weeks. With a slightly shorter episode order, “Heroes” can then continue its usual pattern of airing with few breaks by virtue of debuting later in the season. A second potential home for “Day One” is on Sundays, she said, where quasi-futuristic “Kings” will premiere March 15.

Another point in “Heroes” favor is the show performs well internationally. Bromstad said she experienced the drama’s global popularity first-hand in her previous NBC post, heading the network’s international efforts based in London.

“Every single place you go has heard about ‘Heroes’ — whether you’re in China or Japan or Russia,” she said. “And to me, that is global content.”

And while this is a vote of confidence for “Heroes,” it’s not an offiical renewal yet.  But it’s positive news for fans of the show.

Now, if only they’d go ahead and renew “Chuck….”