NBC has slashed the Heroes budget by $300,000 an episode. But for a show that's been losing momentum and viewers, less may turn out to be more.
NBC has cut $300,000 from Heroes's $800,000 per episode budget, according to the New York Times. Sure, that's more than most American's make in a year. But for a show that depends on special effects and lots of on-location shooting, it's a pretty drastic cut -- one that may affect the plot of the show.
Will the writers have to kill off characters with cool powers because their scenes are expensive to film? Will they decide that the world's biggest threat isn't nuclear explosions (which aren't cheap to fake), but a less costly killer -- accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, anyone?
At first glance, cutting the budget (and inevitably the special effects) seems like the wrong thing to do; Heroes has been losing viewers for the last two seasons. But that's because fans complained the show was losing touch with its original characters and getting lost in overcomplicated plot lines. Simplification may be a good thing, even if it's triggered by concerns about cash flow. After all, who really needs to see Claire throw herself off bridge or get shot, yet again?
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