The peacock network has announced that they are ordering nine more episodes of The Event. Loyal fans of the series may be overjoyed but, it’s important to look at the news in context with the ratings.
The Event follows Sean Walker (Jason Ritter)who’s investigating the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend. He slowly begins to uncover the biggest cover-up in the country’s history. Others in the cast include Sarah Roemer, Laura Innes, Ian Anthony Dale, Scott Patterson, Clifton Collins Jr., Taylor Cole, Lisa Vidal, Bill Smitrovich, Zeljko Ivanek, and Blair Underwood.
On September 20th, the freshman series had a positive debut with a 3.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 10.88 million viewers. Unfortunately, viewership didn’t stay at that level for subsequent episodes and the show’s numbers have been declining each week. Last week’s episode fell all the way to a 2.2 demo rating and 6.5 million viewers. That’s a loss of nearly 40% in the all-important demo rating — in just four weeks.
What’s more, The Event has been ranking in third place for the timeslot in the demo numbers. For the first two weeks, it was opposite FOX’s ratings disaster Lone Star but now, running against FOX’s Lie to Me, The Event could easily slip to fourth place.
The NBC press release about the renewal touts that The Event is outperforming last year’s timeslot holder (Trauma) by 30% in the demo. That’s not exactly very hard to do considering Trauma tanked in the ratings right from the start. It only lasted as long as it did because NBC ended up having lots of airtime to fill because of the Jay Leno Show debacle.
While the full season order for The Event is a positive thing for fans who want to see more of it, the series will have to turn their numbers around to survive to see a second season. That’s a really hard thing to do considering the fact that it’s an ongoing serial with lots of mysteries and a growing mythology. History has shown us that this kind of show’s audience typically shrinks over time, not grows.
If the show is cancelled after one season, hopefully the producers will give loyal fans some closure by the last episode — instead of what happened with FlashForward last season.
What do you think? Will The Event see a second season or be cancelled? Why do the ratings keep dropping? How would you attract new viewers — or at least keep those that the show already has?
Image courtesy NBC.
The Event is a great show with all of the ingredients that kept us glued to “Lost” for so many years. We were very disappointed when it left the air with no explanation. We were expecting it to return after the holidays. It has enough mystery to it that you have to leave it on for awhile in order to connect all of the dots. Don’t give up so easily on a great show with a great cast.
I have to agree with several of the earlier posters. NBC comes up with some very good shows like Flash Forward and The Event, but because the vast majority of viewers are not viewers who like shows with intelligence and thought behind them, and that require the viewer to think and use their brains, NBC cancels the shows. This tell me that the majority of the producers at NBC are also people who do not like viewers with a higher degree of intelligence. NBC would rather cater to the majority of viewers with a diminished capacity to watch anything that… Read more »
One of the only shows on TV that isn’t just about half naked people and sex based. You actually have to think, unfortunately most people just want to be entertained but I love the thought provoking shows.
Love the show
I love this series and the acting is good. Please keep it on.
Alyce no kidding im really getting sick of nbc cancelling shows on us im getting to a point of never watching another show on nbc ever again if they cancel this one thats it im throwing in the towl for nbc and that whole company can go under for all i care i will no longer be a loyal fan being that they have canceled all that shows i have ever watched on nbc i dont watch very many of them and i work a ton of hours so when they get their ratings im not on there i have… Read more »
This show needs to be left on and give this great show time to succeed. This network (NBC) has a habit of taking off good programs to soon. I will be very upset if they do this and will make me wonder if I should get interested in anything this network puts on.
I,ve enjoyed the show lets continue
Its very upsetting that the network will start a really good series like event..get the viewers interested..then drop it……..I have been very upset that “The Event” has disappeared.. If they cancel “Castle” or “V” or “Desperate Housewives” I”ll just block NBC and move to cable permanently. The powers that be all act like mexican jumpng beans…..if you look at the lineups for the 3 big networks, its like they just have no idea what to do, or what they are doing…maybe too many martini lunches…and “paid infommercials”
I love the event-where is it I can’t find it…Did the time slot change?
@Bridget: It’s on hiatus and will return end of February.
I really wa nt The Event to continue, I never missed an show, Blair Underwood is doing a great job and so is Jason Ritter. Please bring it back
I would likt to see The Event continue, Jason Ritter is so likeable! I find the show very interesting, great cast and I like some mystery. I watch Smallville and Love it, although I am not in their demographic! We like to see Good charachters, fighting evil and doing the right thing against all odds. Blair Underwood is great too!
Wow! I agree with the above. It really does seem that really good shows — and I mean shows with intelligence and thought behind them — get canceled. There are so many formula shows on now, like police dramas and detective dramas, weird-family sitcoms. When something well acted and different and thought provoking comes on, it gets canceled. For some reason, I’m always surprised! This was such a great show — and actually only one of about three that I ever watch because of what’s stated above. Please, don’t cancel it. At least let it run to a resolution so… Read more »
I agree with Alyce. NBC has a way off cancelling shows that I become very interested in. They seem to keep ones that I find monotonous, aleady know what their are going to say or do. How come people I know, and myself have never been surveyed about any of these show? It’s that you cancell or put other shows in for 2 or 3 weeks then bring it back, for 2 weeks and do all over again. Are you trying to get us to lose interest? It keeped happening to the series Lost.
Please leave this show on NBC has a way of cancelling shows after a viewer is really interested in it. Great show, please let it come back.