There are some shows that always stick with fans, and “Heroes” was certainly one of them. Now almost 20-years-old, the series put a number of names on the map. One of them was the late Hayden Panettiere. In fact, her character became part of the tagline, “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”
The Nielsen viewership data for streamers is in, and since “Heroes” landed back on Netflix, millions have rediscovered it. It’s getting ready to take over some of the bigger shows on the streaming giants, including “Love Island USA,” which had recently broken its own records.
‘Heroes’ Performs Better Than Many Originals
Getty“Heroes” returned to Netflix on July 1, 2026, after leaving the streamer 10 years ago. Fans quickly proved it was one of the best things the streamer had done, and this was before the passing of Panettiere. People aren’t watching it to pay homage to a fallen child star, but they’re tuning into a comfort show. Millennials want nostalgia, and they’re voting with a click of a button, as the recent viewing figures are for July 13–19.
While Nielsen splits the data up by original and licensed content, a quick look at the figures that The Hollywood Reporter shared makes it clear that people want ’00s and ’10s TV over something new. “Heroes” pulled in a massive 593 million minutes watched, which is just behind Peacock’s “Love Island USA,” which had broken its own streaming records the week before. It’s way ahead of Apple TV’s “Silo” and Netflix’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
When it comes to licensed TV, it sits in eighth place, just behind “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Criminal Minds.” With all these licensed shows way ahead of most original content — “Little House on the Prairie” is an outlier at the moment — Netflix knows where the money is.
Hayden Panettiere Stuck Up for Background Actors on ‘Heroes’
GettyThere’s sure to be a bigger resurgence in viewership for the sci-fi series since Panettiere’s death. Many of her “Heroes” co-stars have shared their condolences and thoughts, and many have spoken about the kind heart she had on set. One of the beautiful tributes was from co-star Sendhil Ramamurthy, who talked about how much she stuck up for background actors.
She would often remind him to keep up with his fluid intake when he wasn’t well, and she would make sure that she remembered every crew member’s name.
When “Heroes” first premiered, there was a huge focus on Panettiere’s character, Claire, who had regenerative powers. She would die, but her body would heal itself and bring her back to life, and because of that, Zachary Quinto’s Sylar wanted her ability. If he got that, it would be the end of the world, and so, it became a mission to “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”
Over the course of four seasons, Claire learned a lot about herself and the secrets her family told. After initially finding out that she was adopted, she then learned more about her birth parents and what it meant to be part of that family. However, “Heroes” wouldn’t quite stick the landing. After starting out strong with an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score, it would drop to just 29% by the final season.
