"24" or "Heroes"?

[Emma]

Heroes" or "24"? That is this winter's dilemma.

Do you like your heroes super-powered or just incredibly lucky? Team players or solo acts?

Last week, in its first outing since early December, "Heroes" beat "24" in the ratings. The Monday-night showdown for the two suspense dramas is further proof that the DVR is the greatest invention since color TV.

NBC's "Heroes" makes great use of its sprawling cast and comic-book sensibility. The actors may not be uniformly terrific, and there may be too many of them -- but they're fun to watch.

Fox's "24" has perfected the real-time conceit, managed to reinvent itself in satisfying ways each season and continually upped the ante. This month's premiere was in the top 10, not bad for "Day 6." And while the cell phoning gets old ("Jack, it's Chloe"), it's fun to follow.

A heaping dose of that old standby, suspension of disbelief, is required for both serials, although only "Heroes" admits to being a stylized, graphic-novel adventure swathed in science fiction. "24" wants to be taken seriously.

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