1. People with secret powers are cool, and they can do amazing things at any time that make you go wow. Lost always relied on its once-in-a-while ?wow? moments, but they?re both hard to predict, hard to understand, and increasingly few and far between. A flying politician is just inherently more interesting than a formerly wheelchair-bound man in a sweat lodge.

2. Lost: Too many plots. Maybe this?ll happen to Heroes someday, but right now the NBC hit show?s storyline is interlinked, exciting, and every episode carries us further into the mystery of why so many bizarre mutants are appearing. Lost already had a fractured plot?and now that folks are living with The Others, the show?s suffered an unfortunate split-brain between the Others? world and the old familiar Beach World. Leaping back and forth to check on people has only slowed down the story further, which is sad, because the show?s been slower than molasses since the end of last season anyway.

3. Heroes doesn?t load you down with incredibly annoying, highly predictable flashbacks every episode that inevitably end in heartbreak, disappointment, cuckoldry or death. We know these folks are a sad bunch, but you can?t repeat a frickin? formula for three seasons without more of a payoff than ?this island is magic!?

4. Heroes doesn?t have polar bears. By which we mean, there aren?t completely random story bits that make no sense that we have to wait for an answer to for years. Yes, Hiro has a sword?but we know that?s because he time-travels. At least he doesn?t have a foot with four toes.

5. Sexy lady factor. Kate loses out to a split-personality stripper and a regenerating cheerleader. They?re dirtier and cuter.

6. The Others are becoming too much like Alias? SD-6 organization. Are they good? Are they bad? What do they want? Too much backstabbing, too little substance, and the smoke and mirrors are starting to show.

7. Last year, Lost made us wait through repeats and multiple sets of bye weeks. This year, they?re going on hiatus through February after a ?pre season? that so far has blown. Heroes is going on hold through the holidays, too?but so far, the journey has been more than worth the wait.

8. Being stuck on an island is becoming mighty boring.

9. ?Save the cheerleader, save the world? is as stupid a catchphrase as they come, but at least it?s something to follow. What is Lost?s purpose, now, anyway? There isn?t one?everyone?s just waiting to get off the island, and that?s just not a good enough hook. The Others have been unmasked, and they?re thoroughly unsurprising.

10. And finally?Heroes has so far developed a way of introducing new characters naturally, not stupidly. The ?new island people? who have started to appear in Lost?s third season weren?t there before, and it?s unclear why they?re there now?other than to fill in newcomers with the storyline thus far. The blonde and the guy in the soccer jersey, you know who you are: you?re fake, you were inserted by suits who were concerned about people getting into the story, and from now on we?re calling you Mr. and Mrs. ABC.