NBC have decided to put Heroes out of its misery after four seasons. The superhero drama, having launched in 2006 to a peak of 16.03 million viewers, never managed to capitalize on its phenomenally successful debut year. The second season quickly attracted negative criticism for its meandering, fractured storytelling and was truncated to 11 episodes because of 2007's Writers' Guild Of America strike. Season 3 was generally considered a more successful year, but ratings fell to a low of 6.11 million at one point . The recent fourth season saw a reduction in budget and a creative decision to consequently focus more on character than special-effects, but the public interest had evaporated and ratings hit a series low of 3.93 million one week. There was speculation NBC might still renew Heroes for a 13-episode season, if only to complete its story, largely because it's still considered a strong performer overseas and sells well on DVD. However, NBC's confidence in their new drama pilots for 2010/11 (which now includes another superhero series, The Cape) is believed to have influenced the decision to cut their losses. The short version of all this is: Heroes, while cheaper to make than it used to be in its heyday, doesn't justify its existence by averaging 6.5 million viewers over a season. There are rumours NBC might commission a Television Movie to give the show a sense of closure, but nothing's been confirmed. But one thing's clear; time-travelling Hiro, invulnerable cheerleader Claire, and brain-slurping watchmaker Sylar won't be back for regular adventures next year. Will you miss them?