The latest Heroes painting for the new season can already be seen here
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TV Wasteland: Do Bigger Booms Make Better Stories?

There’s no keeping this image under wraps as it takes up an entire wall of a building. This painting depicts the entire planet blowing up - quite a leap from the last mass destruction painting that just showed New York City blowing up. This is a very Hollywood blockbuster sort of evolution for this series. Rather than craft a new and innovative story, let’s just make the destruction bigger. Sure, there could be, and probably is, more to the story than can be discerned from the image but still you have to wonder if all that’s coming is season three are more villains and bigger booms. The image of this mural was taken during filming for the series in an alley in down town L.A.

This type of worry is valid due to the lackluster season three. It wasn’t a travesty but it was a step down from season one rather than a step up. So the image is bigger, and the destruction that it hints at is bigger. Does that make it better? The drama could be ramped way up with this even greater threat than before but even if that’s so will the action scenes live up to the promise. Even in season one the action scenes were much weaker than they should have been and the trend continued for season two.

Does this cynicism simply come from being unexcited about the return of the series? Is it fair to be hard on the show considering the fact that season two was so stymied by the writer’s strike? These questions could make for valid arguments in favor of the series. Let’s just say Heroes has a lot to prove when it returns in the fall. If Lost can make a comeback, so can this series.

The only things on this week worth a mention are Fear Itself and The Venture Brothers. That’s really about it. The first of the summer rip off of Japan game shows starts this week with I Survived a Japanese Game Show. Do you care?

In contests featuring two married couples, a wrestling coach tries to take down a financial adviser. In the ladies round, a sales rep battles a social worker.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON (DISC, 9PM EST)

This documentary chronicles the American space program of the late 60’s and early 70’s with interviews and rare archival footage.

I SURVIVED A JAPANESE GAME SHOW (ABC, 9PM EST)

An elimination contest follows 10 Americans as they compete in a zany Japanese game show. In the opener, contestants must eat food from a plate perched on the head of a teammate running in place on a treadmill, and "launch" themselves into a giant replica of an auto windshield while dressed in bug costumes. Tony Sano is the series host; Rome Kanda hosts the game show.

Two hours of one of the best animated series on television. This is definitely not a waste of your time.

MYTHBUSTERS (DSC, 9PM EST) CONCRETE GLIDER

The team attempts to make a concrete glider fly.

FEAR ITSELF (NBC, 10PM EST) IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH

A bride (Maggie Lawson) receives a mysterious note on her wedding day accusing her groom (James Roday) of being a serial killer. Directed by John Landis. Christie Laing, Sonja Bennett and Marshall Bell also star.

DOCTOR WHO (SCIFI, 9PM EST) SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY

Mysterious shadows menace an abandoned library, the latest destination for Donna and the Doctor.

A mass of copperhead snakes besiege a small western town. How many of these can be made?

ROBIN HOOD (BBCAM, 9PM EST) LARDNER’S RING

A mortally wounded messenger from King Richard arrives with news for Robin from the Holy Land.

THE VENTURE BROTHERS (TOON, 11;30PM EST) ENTER THE BAD SEED

As of the writing of this article, there was no description for the episode available. But we assume it should be good, right?

METALOCALYPSE (TOON, 12AM EST) KLOKBLOCKED

As of the writing of this article there was no description for the episode available.   Characters will be growling and screaming. They always do....