Heroes is an American psychological thriller science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25 , 2006 through February 8 , 2010 . The critically acclaimed first season had a run of 23 episodes and garnered an average of 14.3 million viewers in the United States , receiving the highest rating for an NBC drama premiere in five years . The second season of Heroes attracted an average of 13.1 million viewers in the U.S. , and marked NBC 's sole series among the top 20 ranked programs in total viewership for the 2007 -- 2008 season .
Heroes had a season with over 20 episodes.