Tim Kring and Masi Oka Talk Heroes: Season 1 DVDs!

After recently conquering the San Diego Comic-Con it only seems fitting that the people behind the smash hit Heroes would now sit down and discuss the upcoming Heroes: Season 1 DVD/HD-DVD release. Recently, Heroes creator Tim Kring and star Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura) took time out of their busy schedules to discuss this and other topics.

Tim, can you talk about the Heroes road show junket?

Tim Kring: The idea was sort of hatched when we took the cast to the NAPTE convention in Las Vegas and met many of the overseas buyers. They all asked the same question, "Is there ever a chance you could come visit us?" We just sort of politely nodded our heads and made small talk for awhile. The truth was we started to hatch this idea of... since the show is rolling out all around the world and premiering everywhere, it would be terrific to take the cast to some of these countries. To play up the idea that the theme of the show has this big, universal, global quality to it. It's sort of an embodiment of the message of the show. It happens to coincide with the release of the DVD on August 28 and it's really to talk about that and to bring the show to these other countries. We are going to New York, London, Paris, Munich, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.

What's on the DVD that fans will really be looking forward to?

Tim Kring: A couple of the big items are the original, uncut version of the pilot. As many people know the pilot was originally designed to air as a two hour pilot. It was recut and taken down to an hour, a couple of storylines were taken out of it that were never seen by anybody other than the Comic-Con audience last year. I think it gives tremendous insight into what the impetus of the story was originally about. Obviously, the commentary is always a really fun and interesting way to watch the show. There's also the deleted and extended scenes which will give people a tremendous amount of new information.

Again, I can't stress how cool enough the HD-DVD is that allows viewers to, through a device called U Control, allows them to follow various threads in the show. As you know the show has a symbol that is found frequently in the scenes and it highlights that and shows it to you; even in the most kind of hidden places in the scenes. There's even an extension that allows you to look closer at the artwork that Tim Sale did for our show.

What is one bonus feature that you would recommend people start with the Heroes: Season 1 DVD set?

Tim Kring: Again, I think a very interesting place to start would be the original pilot. The original pilot version told a couple of storylines that were dropped for various reasons. I talk a little bit about it in the commentary. I think it's a fascinating place to start because you begin to gain some insight into how the series took shape in the way that it did. Some of the key elements of the storytelling were shifted and you get to experience what the original though process was and how they changed. I think I'd start there.

Masi Oka: For me... I was actually a big fan of the The Score documentary because they showed a lot of cool stuff that I never knew was going on. Wendy & Lisa's process and what they bring to show is really unsung. That, for me, was it.

Heroes Second Season begins September 24 at 9PM on NBC.

Heroes: Season 1 comes to DVD and HD-DVD on August 28 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.