NBC has confirmed the first returning cast member for Heroes Reborn, its upcoming attempt to reboot the open contempt for the network that fed its self-destructive tendencies, according to its psychiatrist. Enabling friend Jack Coleman has signed on to the 13-episode miniseries scheduled for next year, reprising his role as Noah Bennet—better known to fans who tuned out after the first season as “HRG,” or “Horn-Rimmed Glasses,” or “Half-Riveting Guy,” for starring in “Company Man,” the episode of the series that fooled most into believing that they were in for more, equally interesting character studies.
Hayden Panettiere, who disproved that notion time and again as Coleman’s cheerleader daughter Claire, has already said she was never approached about returning, while also expressing “shock” that anyone would try rebooting Heroes, with or without her. Those sentiments were echoed by Milo Ventigmilia, who said, “It’s going to be hard to recapture” the original series’ magic without his Peter Petrelli around to make pissy faces and brood over Irish barmaids. But they apparently didn’t count on the return of Coleman, which fulfills Heroes’ need for characters who mostly talk about the burden of superpowers without actually using them.
