NBC's "Heroes" (9 p.m. Monday, WPXI) will try to soar into a new season next week, and the network claims it wants to protect fans from spoilers by not sending out the first episode for review. Or maybe the premiere is a big letdown, like May's season finale.

Either way, I haven't seen the season premiere, so I can offer up a only few tidbits about what to expect as the superhero show enters its second season. Monday's episode, titled "Four Months Later," reveals the fates of Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and Nathan (Adrian Pasdar), last seen flying into the sky before Peter creates a nuclear explosion above New York City.

At the end of the last new episode in May, viewers already saw Hiro (Masi Oka) teleport to feudal Japan where he'll meet his hero, Takezo Kensei (David Anders).

"The location looks phenomenal. It looks like feudal Japan," Oka said in early August. "You wouldn't have guessed that it's Ventura County [in California]."

Tours through the show's soundstages on Hollywood's Sunset Gower lot in July revealed a few more plot twists for the new season. Horn Rimmed Glasses (Jack Coleman) and Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) are in hiding in a new home in Southern California. Built on Stage 4 and complete with "Brady Bunch"-like Astroturf grass in the back yard, this set didn't offer many clues, but viewers will see Claire gain a boyfriend this season.

"She's just trying to get in touch with her inner teen self once again," Panettiere said. "She's struggling to fit in but not stand out. Obviously, they're still hiding and running from these people."

One thing viewers won't see is H.R.G. becoming a stay-at-home dad.

"Becoming a house dad wouldn't be very exciting" for him, Panettiere said. "People like watching good bad people and you sometimes want to hate [H.R.G.] and you sometimes love him."

On Stage 12, "Heroes" creator Tim Kring explained that while season one comprised one chapter in the "Heroes" story, season two will be broken into at least two chapters, giving new viewers more entry points to the series. Then there's the spin-off series, "Heroes: Origins," expected to air next May.

"Each episode [of 'Heroes: Origins'] will be a standalone story concerning various characters that are not on 'Heroes' but who are out there in the world experiencing these transformations and discovery of power," Kring said. "Each one of these stories is intended to feel and look different from one another."

The original "Heroes" series will continue to use some sets from last season, even if their initial occupants are no longer among the living. The apartment set of deceased artist Isaac Mendez appeared to have a new occupant in July, and that person has set up a lab of some sort.

A visit to the apartment of genetics professor Dr. Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) revealed that he has a new roommate, and judging by all the dolls and the dollhouse in his apartment, it's a little girl. Molly Walker (Adair Tishler), perhaps?

In the season finale, Molly hinted at what will become a new villain this season.

"We gave a premonition of someone who was a very scary villain out there who had invaded her dreams and nightmares," Kring said. "The audience can expect to see him somewhere in the first run of episodes."

Panettiere said that while Sylar is "very physical," the new villains "are freakier in a different way. These characters are just creepier."

Sylar (Pittsburgh native Zachary Quinto) will return after slithering into a sewer at the end of last season, though that may not have been the initial plan for that character.

"With Zach, he was able to play these multiple layers of this character, which allowed us to do a whole storyline where he basically becomes other people," Kring said of Sylar's first-season arc.

This much we know for season two: Sylar will disappear for a while so Quinto can go make the new "Star Trek" movie (he's playing Spock), and the first scene of "Heroes" Quinto shot this season was with a redhead in a bikini.

New characters this year include a refugee from post-Katrina New Orleans whose grandmother is played by Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura on the original "Star Trek"). Her former castmate, George "Sulu" Takei, will return for Monday's episode as Hiro's father.

Viewers also will meet twins Maya (Dania Ramirez) and Alejandro Herrera (Shalim Ortiz), who attempt to enter the United States from Mexico to find help with their deadly abilities.

"She's on the run from the cops," Ramirez said in July. "Her ability is dealing more with the darker side, which has caused the cops to be after her."

Her dialogue will be in Spanish (subtitled in English) until she begins to integrate with other "Heroes" regulars deeper into the season.

Back on the Sunset Gower lot, an outdoor street set indicates some portion of the new season will be set in Ireland, and there's an interior set for an Irish pub.

"This is where Hiro goes back in time and saves 'The Black Donnellys,' " Oka quipped of the canceled NBC drama that briefly aired after "Heroes" earlier this year. Other settings will include Japan, Egypt, the Ukraine, Haiti and Central America.

Kring said success has brought its own pressures as "Heroes" embarks on its second season.

"It's not pressure to top it, it's pressure to keep it going," he said. "This particular show has been defined by its ability to defy your expectations. ... That's the difficult part, trying to stay one step ahead of everybody's expectations."

Viewers will find out Monday how well the "Heroes" team succeeds.

'Back to You' rates

The days of courting controversy and being able to use it to guarantee a winning premiere audience for reality shows appears to be over. CBS's "Kid Nation" came in second to Fox's "Back to You" Wednesday night, not only nationally but also locally.

The local win comes as somewhat of a surprise. Granted, with the Pittsburgh setting there was probably local interest in on "Back to You," and oftentimes Pittsburgh-set series out-perform their national ratings. But "Back to You" airs on Fox affiliate WPGH, which generally under-performs compared to the national Fox average. Not this time.

"Back to You" scored a 6.8 household rating (percentage of TV households) and 11 share (percentage of sets in use) nationally, but scored a better 8.8/15 locally. ("Kid Nation" had a second-place 6.4/11 for its premiere hour nationally, with a 8.3/13 on KDKA, which frequently performs better than CBS's national average.)

Of course, it's too soon to call "Back to You" a hit. It's a CBS-style show airing on Fox, which may not hold up over the long run. Last fall, NBC-style comedy "The Class" aired on CBS and only lasted one season.

WPXI celebrates

"Celebrate! Fifty Years of Channel 11!" (10 p.m. Saturday, bumping "Medium" to 2 a.m.) looks back on the history of the one-time WIIC (now WPXI) in a one-hour special hosted by news anchors David Johnson, Peggy Finnegan and Darieth Chisolm and sports anchor John Fedko.

Past programs will be remembered ("Luncheon at the Ones," "Jackpot Bingo," "Studio Wrestling" and "Chiller Theater") and past stars featured (Bill Cardille, Don Riggs and Bruno Sammartino).

The program, which was not made available for review, will repeat at 1 p.m. Sunday, and at noon on Oct. 7 on WPXI and on PCNC at 10 a.m. Sept. 28 and 3 p.m. Oct. 6.

WPCW HD update

Good news, WPCW has a new digital channel assignment!

Bad news, WPCW can't use it until February 2009!

After a low-power station objected to the original digital channel position for Pittsburgh's CW affiliate, the Federal Communications Commission assigned WPCW to Channel 11. But since WPXI will be using that spot until February 2009, WPCW is out of luck.

WPCW station manager Rich Davis said the station is exploring "different avenues" to provide CW programs in HD to some viewers in the meantime -- a HD WPCW on cable maybe? -- but no plans have been announced.

Channel surfing

"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" moves from NBC to USA Network this fall with its season premiere on USA at 10 p.m. Oct. 4. ... Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), who was left for dead in season five of Fox's "24," will turn up alive in season seven, premiering Jan. 13. ... Nielsen, the TV ratings company, announced yesterday that it will implement the use of more advanced viewing measurement devices in the Pittsburgh market in 2009. The new electronic devices will provide demographic data year-round rather than just during ratings "sweeps" periods when diaries are currently sent to a sample of viewers to record what they watch on TV. ... Preservation Pennsylvania, in partnerships with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, awarded WQED producer Rick Sebak its F. Otto Haas award yesterday for "promoting the appreciation of our recent past historic resources." ... The late environmentalist Rachel Carson will be profiled tonight on PBS's "Bill Moyers Journal" (9 p.m., WQED). ... "Good Morning America Weekend" anchors Bill Weir and Kate Snow were in town Tuesday to tape a segment at the Market Square Primanti Bros. for airing in the future as part of the show's "Best Bites of America" tour.

TV Q&A

This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about "Corner Gas," CBS's Sunday night and WBGN. Read it online at post-gazette.com/tv.