May
14 "Heroes" spins off

Fans  of "Heroes" got good news this morning with the announcement of a spinoff six-seg series called "Heroes: Origins." "Heroes" creator Tim Kring will oversee a second crew on the new show, which will explore the origins of various characters, some of whom could be added to the main show's cast. The new series will air in the original's Monday timeslot, most likely after the current season ends or during another hiatus as part of NBC's efforts to reduce the number of repeats, for which viewership has steadily dropped off in recent years. "Heroes" itself was picked up for a full 24-episode second season.

A scan of the credits on the most recent episodes shows comicbook artist Alex Maleev, who most recently worked on "Daredevil" with Brian Michael Bendis, has been creating the prescient artwork for Peter Petrelli, played by Milo Ventimiglia.

On another "Heroes" note, I visited to the set a few weeks back during the filming of the season finale for an upcoming V Plus article. You'll have to wait till that story's published to read all about it, but fans should pay attention to the location of the final showdown between the heroes and Sylar, for which the crew redressed Arco Plaza in downtown L.A. as "Kirby Plaza." Also, signs were erected around the square referring to the Kirby Gallery. According to co-exec producer (and comicbook writer) Jeph Loeb, the tribute to the great Jack Kirby was suggested by co-producer Aron Eli Coleite.