Heroes was a fantastic television series that lasted for four seasons, following the lives of various different characters who were all normal, everyday people who just so happened to have extraordinary abilities, making them superheroes/villains. Unlike the classic Marvel movies that people are now so used to seeing, this show didn't feature any capes or nicknames, but instead brought the powers into the real world, providing an idea that was arguably slightly ahead of its time.
Over the course of its run, Heroes had some tremendous episodes with its first season holding up well against any show's opening season. However, the show did suffer from a few poor episodes as well, and within this list, we will rank the 10 worst episodes of the series, according to IMDb.
Chapter 10 'Thanksgiving' (7.3)
We kickstart this list with the episode 'Thanksgiving,' which takes place in the fourth season of the show and scored a rating of 7.3 from IMDb. See, even Heroes can't escape a classic 'Thanksgiving' episode, with these being a staple of many television shows.
In this episode, H.R.G. hosts a Thanksgiving dinner, inviting Claire over as well as his former co-worker, Lauren, and his ex-wife Sandra and her partner then also turn up, creating an incredibly awkward situation. As well as that, Sylar ends up turning up at the Petrelli family dinner, and even though those ideas on paper sounded great, in reality, they didn't quite work out as well, which is why it wasn't one of the best episodes.
Chapter 3 'Acceptance' (7.2)
Next up is another episode from Heroes' final season, which is the weakest of the four, with the episode 'Acceptance,' which was rated at 7.2 by IMDb, with this episode focusing heavily on Hiro, whose life hangs in the balance here.
With Hiro focusing too much on saving the lives of others, rather than himself, meanwhile, Angela focuses on helping the 'new Nathan' remember his past while trying to not have him remember too much. The storyline involving Nathan was one that did end up complicating things far too much and didn't always make sense, which this episode certainly suffered from.
Chapter 3: Building 26 (7.2)
Unlike the previous example, the episode 'Building 26,' which was rated 7.2 by IMDb took place in season three of the show, which focused the episode on that super-secret building itself which is the base of Nathan's operations to try and terminate people with abilities.
Various different heroes are captured here and tested on, with Tracy struggling as she is put through heat experiments, while outside the building Hunter Davko tracks down more heroes to experiment on. Nathan's activities begin to be noticed by the President of the USA, and while this storyline of destroying people with abilities was a good one, the entire thing did end up being too complicated overall.
Chapter 5: Exposed (7.2)
The episode 'Exposed,' also took place on season three of Heroes, and it also gained a rating of 7.2 by IMDb, where Matt and Peter follow an anonymous source in an attempt to rescue Daphne from Building 26 as they look for evidence that will expose the government's plans for those with powers.
Sylar also continues his personal journey to find the truth about his mother as he experiences memories from the past, which he decides to follow up as he tries to learn more about his biological father in what is a slightly underwhelming episode of the show.
Chapter 10: 1961 (7.2)
Another episode from season three that was rated 7.2 by IMDb was '1961,' which saw a large focus take place with Angela as she has major nightmares about something that she believes will end up coming true.
Because of this, she makes the whole family go back to Coyote Sands to dig up graves as they look for her sister in order to confirm or deny what she has been thinking. While it isn't a terrible episode of television, it is nowhere near as exciting as the show was known to be.
Chapter 4: Cold Wars (7.1)
Later on in the third season saw the episode 'Cold Wars' take place, and this episode received a lower rate of 7.1 from IMDb which saw Peter, Matt, and Mohinder make the decision to drug and abduct H.R.G., holding him captive as Matt interrogates him. The group does this to gain more information on the people hunting them down, but it doesn't go to plan as H.R.G. once again showcases why he is one of the most powerful people in the series, despite the fact he doesn't have any actual powers.
H.R.G. smartly turns all the heroes against each other, and in this episode, his storyline is fully revealed as we see things from his backstory to give fans more of an idea about who he is.
Chapter 14: Close To You (7.1)
Unlike the previous four examples, the episode 'Close To You' is from season four, which saw Samuel and his carnival characters join the world of Heroes, with this particular episode being rated 7.1 by IMDb.
In this episode, original characters Matt and H.R.G. attempt to team up in order to take down Samuel, using his long-lost love, Vanessa in an attempt to lure him in, but it turns out that he has his own ideas for her. As well as that, Hiro and Ando continue their quest in order to save Dr. Suresh, while Peter's decision to introduce Emma to his mother brings some visions of a terrible future to light.
Chapter 12: Upon This Rock (7.0)
Another of Heroes' lowest-rated episodes takes place from season four with 'Upon This Rock,' which was rated 7.0 by IMDb, once again placing a major focus on many of the show's newer characters at the Sullivan Brothers Carnival. Samuel attempts to bring Emma into the group, manipulating her about how special he thinks her powers are, although she does become suspicious about what his actual intentions are for her, especially when she deals with the Puppet Master.
Hiro tries to convince Ando to help rescue Mohinder from a lunatic asylum, which is where he placed him to protect him from Samuel in the first place.
Chapter 13: Let It Bleed (6.9)
Next on the list, and once again from the final season of the show is the episode 'Let It Bleed' which was rated by 6.9 by IMDb and sees Nathan's funeral take place, with Claire attending while Peter Petrelli struggles to deal with his personal grief.
As well as that, Noah and Lauren capture Edgar and interrogate him for information as they try to locate Samuel's carnival. But while they try to find it, Sylar returns to the carnival and he and Lydia try to get inside his head to see what his problems are. While it isn't a terrible episode, it saw some of the weaker storylines of Heroes' history take place, which is why it ranked low by IMDb.
Chapter 15: Pass/Fail (6.8)
When it comes to the worst episode in the history of Heroes, according to IMDb that honor goes to season four's 'Pass/Fail' episode, which scored just 6.8 and focused even more on Hiro's life-draining as his brain tumor began to get worse. While people loved Hiro and this storyline had potential, it didn't end up being something that fans actually enjoyed, which is one of the reasons why this episode didn't quite click in the ways it could have done.
Away from Hiro's storyline, Sylar pays a visit to Claire to try and learn why he isn't feeling himself, thinking their past would help things click again, which was another storyline that didn't really work, with the show changing the deadly villain far too much.