Tim Goodman says, "Perhaps the biggest news from NBC was the announcement that it would, in effect, spin-off Heroes into a second series called Heroes: Origins, a limited run six-episode drama that will introduce a new character each week and incorporate an online element that will allow Heroes fans to vote on which of the six new characters on Origins will be added to the original series.

As a breakout freshman hit, Heroes has reshaped NBC's thinking in several ways. By increasing the number of episodes to 24 this season, and adding six episodes of Heroes: Origins to the schedule next year, NBC gets 30 total episodes and makes a significant attempt to keep viewers from scattering during the inevitable rerun period. (Origins will air on Monday nights when Heroes takes a break.) This notion of stemming the loss of viewers from broadcast television will likely be a trend seen all week as new schedules are announced. Already ABC has said Lost won't air until midseason (ala 24) to reduce reruns. More staggered premieres are likely to be announced as each network unveils its schedule." (here).