The following is taken from The Sioux City Journal, chronicling the mass appeal of Heroes...

One year ago, Masi Oka was just hoping a little thing called Heroes would last six weeks. Now, the NBC drama is a worldwide phenomenon and Oka is an Emmy nominee.

"It's a dream come true," Oka says as he leads a tour around the series' sets. "Every day, I noticed something changing. A little kid would come up to me and ask for an autograph. A father would stop and say, 'Thank you for uniting my family.' People would be so nice... and all because the series touched them."

Considered a key bridge between network television and on-line broadcasting, Heroes has managed to create buzz in countries where it hasn't even aired.

Sendhil Ramamurthy (pictured) was at the French Open this spring and couldn't move without a crowd gathering. Tennis officials had to assign him an escort just to keep fans at bay.

"That's the power of the Internet," he says. "France hasn't gotten the show yet but people there are fully aware of it."

Tabloid reporters are savvy, too. Hayden Panettiere can't leave her home without photographers chronicling every move.

"You're like shark bait," she says. "Being a young female in Hollywood is no easy task."

Still, Panettiere is grounded. She has a curfew, household chores and "great parents" to make sure success doesn't change her.

"In the first season, we had no idea it had become a phenomenon," Ramamurthy says. "We were locked away in L.A. It didn't hit until we actually finished and were able to travel."

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.