Companion Web Series Will Precede 2015 Debut Of NBC’s “Heroes” Reboot

During its primetime coverage of the Olympics, NBC announced its plan to reboot Heroes, the superhero TV series that ran from 2006-10. The rebooted series will be titled Heroes Reborn, and was introduced through a short teaser commercial. NBC has now followed up its announcement by informing fans that the show’s return will be preceded by an accompanying web companion and social media campaign.

The web companion will arrive before Heroes Reborn‘s 2015 debut, and, according to a press release from NBC, will “introduce the characters and new storylines.” It will join a growing number of NBC web companions; most recently, the peacock ordered new companions for four of its shows, including Parenthood and Parks and Recreation.

An introductory web companion is a particularly good idea for Heroes Reborn, given the factors behind the original show’s decline. One of the main complaints about the show’s underwhelming second season (besides the incomplete plotlines caused by the 2007 writer’s strike

) was the slow pace with which new characters were introduced. By using a web series to get some of the exposition out of the way, the Heroes Reborn writers can theoretically pack more action into the actual TV show.

If that is Heroes Reborn‘s plan, the web companion needs to draw strong viewership, but that likely won’t be a problem. Despite being off the air for five years, Heroes still has plenty of fans, and those fans’ excitement for the show’s return will make them eager to snack on any auxiliary content. Here’s hoping that Heroes Reborn and its prequel web series resemble Heroes‘ magical first season rather than the four messy ones that followed.