Television Series Created By Hancock Graduate Tim Kring Premieres This Thursday, "Heroes Reborn" Airs At 8 p.m. On NBC

Series chronicles the lives of ordinary people with extraordinary abilities

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015--A new era is about to begin for a popular science fiction television drama created by Allan Hancock graduate and Santa Maria native Tim Kring. “Heroes Reborn” begins with a two-hour series premiere on Thursday, September 24, at 8 p.m. on NBC. Kring is the creator and executive producer of the series that chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities. The original series, “Heroes,” aired on NBC from 2006-2010.

“The show is a complete reboot of the original with the idea that the original existed,” said Kring during an interview with NBC. “A lot of the methodology form that show does factor into this. But we start five years from where we left off.”

The original series ended with Claire, the cheerleader played by Hayden Panettiere, going against the wishes of her father, Noah Bennett, played by Jack Coleman, to reveal the existence of people with special abilities to the world.  

“When we come back five years after, sure enough, her father was right. The world has not accepted them. They are persecuted and hunted and exploited. Our show starts with that as the main premise,” said Kring.

The 13-episode series begins with people who have extraordinary abilities in hiding or on the run.

“We are going to tell a beginning, a middle and an end where the world is in danger and now the people who have to save it also have to come out of the shadows into a world that kind of doesn’t want them and it’s dangerous,” he added.

The original series included 77 episodes and resulted in eight Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. The first season garnered an average of 14.3 million viewers in the United States. The second season attracted an average of 13.1 million viewers in the United States and was NBC’s only series among the top 20 ranked programs in total viewership during the 2007-08 season.

 “We are going to populate the show with a lot of new characters. There are going to be some appearances from people that were characters in the original show. Some of them will play slightly bigger parts, but most of them will be kind of Easter eggs for the audience to eventually get to,” hinted Kring.

Returning cast members include Coleman as Noah Bennett, better known as Horn Rimmed Glasses, Jimmy Jean-Louis as The Haitian, Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura and Greg Grunberg as Matt Parkman. Zachary Levi from “Chuck”, Robbie Kay from “Once Upon a Time”, and Judith Shekoni from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 2 have also joined the cast.

Kring, an Emmy Award nominee in 2007 for Outstanding Drama Series, also created the popular television shows “Crossing Jordan” that ran from 2001 to 2007, and “Touch” which featured Kiefer Sutherland and ran for two seasons. He also served as the executive producer of “Providence.”

Tim studied drama at Hancock, and attended the college from fall 1975 through spring 1977, and fall 1980 through summer 1982. Kring’s father, the late Ray Kring, was a legendary track and cross country coach at Hancock from 1968 to 1990. He led the Bulldogs to 16 conference titles and three state titles. Tim and his three siblings all competed in cross country at Hancock under their father’s tutelage.

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Caption: "Heroes Reborn," a television show created by Allan Hancock College graduate Tim Kring, premieres this Thursday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. on NBC. The series chronicles the lives of ordinary people who possess extraordinary abilities. The original series, "Heroes," aired from 2006-2010.