AJC: Heroes update

At the heart of 'HEROES' | ajc.com: "When TV critics here grilled the writers of ABC's dense drama 'Lost' a week ago, the questions centered around story pacing and the lack of payoff that has caused many frustrated viewers to leave the island, so to speak.

Four days later, 'Heroes' creator Tim Kring couldn't help but allude to 'Lost' and its problems as he touted his own sci-fi/fantasy show, which returns on NBC tonight after a seven-week hiatus and the resolution of the 'Save the cheerleader, save the world' plotline.

'We feel like we've made a pact with the audience that something is going to happen every week,' Kring said.

While some people wonder whether he might run out of story ideas too quickly, Kring said that isn't the case.

'Rather than it being like a tank of gas where you use up story, these twists and turns and reveals and cliffhangers actually generate more story,' Kring said. 'So it's an engine that feeds on itself.'"