Picture: NBC
Save the cheerleader, save the world. Following a massive decade-long absence from the streaming service, the groundbreaking NBC sci-fi drama Heroes is officially making its way back to Netflix in the United States and several other major regions on July 1st.
While it was inconceivable that a high-profile show like this would return to Netflix during the height of the streaming wars in the late 2010s and early 2020s, we’ve seen in recent years that companies like NBCUniversal, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery have been opening up their vaults and licensing their classic titles back to Netflix with the caveat that licenses aren’t quite as long as they used to be. We’ve seen incredible resurgences for shows like Suits, The Office, and Superstore—and now, another massive network hit is about to get the “Netflix Bump.”
Created by Tim Kring, Heroes originally premiered on NBC in 2006 and quickly became a global pop-culture phenomenon. The ensemble cast featured breakout performances from Hayden Panettiere, Milo Ventimiglia, Zachary Quinto, Ali Larter, and Masi Oka. The series is a fascinating snapshot in time in many ways, but for many, including myself, who actually stayed up late to watch this on the BBC, it was our first real taste of what high-budget dramas on TV would become. That’s not to mention a case study in how strikes impact a show!
All four seasons (comprising 77 episodes) will be touching down on Netflix in full on July 1st.
A Long-Awaited Return to Netflix
According to our tracking data, Heroes was actually a staple of the early streaming catalog. However, as NBC began shifting its content strategy, the series was completely removed from Netflix USA on October 1st, 2016. For the past ten years, it has found a home on multiple streamers. As of right now, it’s just on Tubi after it was bizarrely removed from Peacock around this time last year.
It’s worth noting that alongside the US, multiple international regions are also expected to receive the show on the exact same day. (As always, keep an eye on our “What’s New on Netflix” sections for your respective region, as licensing deals can occasionally fluctuate at the eleventh hour.)
Whether you’re planning to relive the absolutely perfect first season or you’re a new viewer ready to see what all the mid-2000s hype was about, Heroes makes for an incredibly bingeable summer watch.
Will you be watching (or re-watching) Heroes when it returns to Netflix this July? Let us know in the comments down below!
