Heroes
Interviews

The rumors are true: Adrian Pasdar is leaving Heroes.

But the manner in which the actor learned of his character's fate is nothing but conjecture. Sources have claimed Pasdar was never told about Nathan's death; he reportedly read the storyline in a script.

Not true, says creator Tim Kring.

“We talked openly with Adrian about [his departure] several months ago and have kept him abreast of where his arc was headed - he always knew what was going on,” Kring told TV Guide Magazine. “This is a guy who is much loved by us all, and these disparaging reports about the way things were handled couldn’t be further from the truth. Adrian is a leader among the cast, a true friend and a real gentleman.”

Fans have been dismayed over the news of Nathan's death. After all, this is a character that's already dead! It feels like a rip-off.

However, Kring says the November 23 episode will focus around Angela actually admitting she was behind the season three-ending switch of Nathan and Sylar. Now, the cover-up must go on.

“There will need to be a staged death for the real Nathan,” said Kring. “He’ll be given a big funeral for the world to see.”

Still, this does feel like another example of Heroes building up a storyline with no real pay-off, doesn't it?

Prior to season four of Heroes, Masi Oka said his character of Hiro would never time travel again.

This statement has been met with derision by critics and forum posters, as time travel is the main focus of Hiro's storyline so far - but it sounds like that may pay off on tonight's episode.

Titled "Once Upon a Time in Texas," the hour focuses on Hiro's journey to the past, as he tries to save Charlie from being murdered by Sylar.

In an interview with TV Guide, Oka promised many surprises for long-time fans (look for Isaac Mendez!), as well as a showdown between major characters.

"This is a big homage to the episode where we see Charlie's head get cut off," Oka said. "This is kind of the side story of what could have happened behind the scenes. It's more than just saving her from Sylar because she was destined to die. Now he knows what the problem is, so maybe he can find someone to help out with that."

Without revealing too much about the episode, Oka confirmed that Samuel would play a key role.

"He definitely has a bigger scheme. We find out why he's there by the end of the episode, but Hiro is just dancing on the palm of his hand in some senses. Samuel also has a past that needs some fixing, and the only person who could probably help him is Hiro. So we'll see how everyone's destiny mixes around with the paths that have been taken."

As for the show's destiny, fans are still reacting to the news that this is likely Heroes' final season. Will you miss it?

As previously reported, Elisabeth Rohm is coming to Heroes.

The former Law & Order star will appear on the show as Lauren Gilmore, a CIA agent with a major connection to HRG. What sort of connection?

She speaks about it in detail in a new interview with TV Guide Magazine. A few excerpts:

On her character: Lauren, as we meet her in the beginning, is partners with [HRG]. They work in the same company, so she sort of does what he does. She’s just a bad-ass kind of guy like him, but a girl.

On her connection to Noah Bennet: [HRG] and I have a past, that I can’t say is exactly romantic, but there’s definitely love between us. There was a period in time when they were incredibly close – nothing happened but they were really close – and you could see that there was a real bond between them. [Something] was almost going to happen, but he was still married at the time. So she erases her memory of when it started to become a little hot and heavy between them.

On where the storyline is headed: What I love about the storyline, is that it’s the question of soul mates. If you know nothing about somebody, do you still sense them? Once her memory is erased it’s still undeniable. I think we are meant to be with certain people. Whether we remember all the details, it’s just a deeper connection.

Earlier this year, Rohm guest-starred on the season two premiere of 90210.

As viewers learned last week, Matt Parkman has a problem on his hands. Or in his head, really.

His name is Sylar and he's stalking Parkman's brain, due to the body switch with Nathan pulled off on the May finale of Heroes.

In a new interview with TV Guide Magazine, Greg Grunberg previews how Sylar's presence will affect Matt (in the bedroom, apparently). A few excerpts:

On how Sylar will alter Parkman: [For example] he would normally make love to his wife and instead he’s extremely rough. Let’s just put it that way. There’s a scene that we shot and I have no idea whether they’re going to air it or not especially at 8 o’clock. Matt and Janice are getting down and it’s not Matt so she’s like, “Wow, this is amazing! What are you doing?”

On Samuel and his carnival: [Their objective is] to rope all of the main characters into the carnival. It’s a creepy idea when you think about it that these people who are running the carnival are people with abilities who are hiding out right in the open. It makes you not want to go to a carnival anymore. The county fair doesn’t look so friendly anymore!

On criticism of Heroes: A show like this is hard to maintain. You can’t please everyone all the time. We’re just hitting a great stride this year and bringing the characters back to the root of where they started. Like my character Matt does not want to use his powers. He just wants to have his life back and he can’t because this evil guy is in his head.

So it’s going back to, “How do I deal with the powers that I’ve been given?” That’s what was so magical about the first. The characters were discovering their powers, so it’s a rediscovery this year.

As always, we encourage readers to discuss the show in our Heroes forum.

Following a couple disappointing seasons, Heroes tries to get back on track with its fourth season premiere tonight.

Helping the cause immensely will be Robert Knepper, who joins the show as a series regular.

The former Prison Break villian will play Samuel Sullivan, the ringmaster of an unusual, special group of carnival folks. The actor spoke to TV Guide this week about the role.

"People ask if he's a good guy or a bad guy, and it's more complicated than that," Knepper said. "You can't just put him in a little niche there. I love the mystery of it. I didn't even know when we started exactly why he was doing what he did. But he's definitely walking more in the shadowy side of life."

As for Samuel's mission, he'll set out to recruit our favorite Heroes to his "family" on the dark side.

"Samuel isn't quite sure why he needs all these special powers around him. He just knows he needs them," Knepper said. "It's the whole devil-and-angel sort of thing. We've all got powers; it's just how you use them."

Early in volume five, the show will delve deeply into this new character. Said the actor:

"There's a secret that comes up in those first episodes, where you find that he has his own inner path, something that has been done that he needs to correct for himself in order to keep on living with a good conscience."

Discuss the new season today, tonight and following the episode in our Heroes forum.