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.
hello me and my girlfriend and all of her co workers love this show,i cant get enough i look forward to coming home from work on tuesday morning at 830am,so i can watched the recording of last night show the event,i love it i hope they change there minds and dont cancelle,its a really good show,dont leave us hanging,i watch alot of tv shows,24,lost,life,the gates,v,persons unknown,nikita,chase,the waking dead,please dont cancelle.
TO NBC EXCS. PLEASE DONOT CANCEL THE EVENT IT IS ONE OF BEST SHOWS IT GIVES PEOPLE , A FEELING THAT THIS COULD REALLY HAPPEN NOW!!! OR IN THE FUTURE!!!
I do not understand why anyone would want to cancel The Event. Please do not cancel it. It is a great show. Blair Underwood is protraying a positive image and it also has good black-latino representation. It contains the right amount of science fiction and suspense after a hard day of work.
Shame on NBC for trying to discontinue this show.
Please NBC give me something that I enjoy! The Event is a great show.
the event is AMAZING! pls give us a series 2!
Hello Jim I don’t think there have been random changes in the The Event. This is only an opinion but in answer to your first paragraph it is tradional that most aliens have a hidden agenda usually bad. Sophia change of personality I believe was prompted by the death of her son Thomas. I don’ t think the virus is deadly only to humans, remember there are problems in Sophia planet , could it be that the virus affects the aliens too? This is what makes the show so interesting, it makes you think. I much prefer shows like The… Read more »
I can appreciate a high quality series going away, short of a season. Also some are a bit quirky and get a devoted following, which is better than a splash. The big question I have is the changes where suddenly the aliens go from kind to killing everyone. Where they have all kinds of powers, but suddenly don’t have the same. Sophia is kind and suddenly a ruthless killer? No middle? Why did the aliens have a deadly human virus, if they were here as friends? Or was it by accident that they were stuck, or ??? The Event is… Read more »
This series is really good, i really don’t know what they can do better. The cast is good, the development is good, the filming and producers, and when the episode finishes i want to see more…so besides the break it had, nothing more can me done…
Someone Dress up “Wrestlers” and call it “Reality Show” It is killing my TV Friends. ANYONE out there Want To THROW Our TV FRIENDS a Life Preserver? YouTube would be a great place to start. I have seen “You Tube” Reach Today Show. Maybe some of us should race with some Clever Way to get HITS. Let see if one of us can reaches Today Show. We should use FaceBook, MySpace, and Twitter as much as we can as well. OKAY GUYS GET READY GET SET, LETS GO GUYS! Charlie Sheen Is Boo In One Places and A Hit another… Read more »
we love the show!!!!!!
Could you please tell me if The Event is still going to play? Today is Sunday, 17 April 2011 and I sure hope it still will play. I’ve invested lots of time watching the show which is interesting and different. It seems people are more interested in “reality shows” and bland shows rather than in something creative these days. If the show has ended, at least show an ending as the last one I saw still had some alive and a dire situation on their home planet which will add 2 billion to our population… DON’T LEAVE US HANGING!
Eileen » Yes. Six episodes left.
Thank you. I watched last night and it was terrific! Sorry about the few episodes [5 now] left.
So true Eileen! Mindless reality shows have the creativity of dish soap. The Event isn’t perfect, but your right, you want to see where they take it. Its like our society is heading for making the lowest intelligence the greatest thing. Hope you enjoyed Monday’s episode.
You are right. The great dumbing down of Americans is getting closer and closer to zero! Why watch someone else live a fantasy life which gets hyped for ratings [The housewives of…, Jersey Shore…, etc.] when you can watch a truly different venue through wonderful scripts which are original and unique. Who wants to constantly watch the same thing over and over again and half the show being bleeped because the people lack verbal skills?
I look forward to the next 5 weeks. It is a shame it has to end.
I’m scared for the show. I’ve noticed the Networks r giving us 10-20 episode of series show now, then its “CANCEL” shortly after…The new sneaky way of the networks, the series just be gone, without “SERIES FINALE”. Perhaps by throwing on so many more new shows, its just a diversion, to keep us, the viewers confused. Hoping it want be notice. Perhaps “ NETWORKS” “MAKE” more MONEY off the “SPONSORS” by throwing on “SOOO MANY new SERIES SHOWS”. The new season that they up with every four months theres a new season and new shows.The New Series shows, be lucky,… Read more »
Thevent is like a good book series at the vrry end of each part there is a clifhanger and I love it. It’s fun to guess what happens next. The Event is the 1st scripted show I’ve ever watched and it is AMAZING. NBC Don’t Cancel it !
do ratings include shows “dvr’d” – or “on demand” watched at a later date, because that is how everyone i know watches these series now – nobody dedicates themselfs to the new airing time?
If not we will loose another really good show – but as always – way too many comercials – not to be able to fast forward through.
if they would have shows regularly instead of airing a few, and rerun them, or not air it at all,. one of my faves it desperate housewives, they air a few then rerun them, or its cancelled.then a few weeks later its back for a few weeks. people become frustrated not knowing if their show is going to air or not, so they just say forget that —- and watch something more dependable. or nothing at all. remember Dallas? Knotts landing? they were as regular as clock work. they had great ratings for years.the people airing these shows just don’t… Read more »
The Event is STUPID. There are aliens among us, but we DUMB Americans can’t find them. Maybe the fact that they DON’T AGE is a real give away. Seems to me that the blond Hybrid-girl would have noticed that in her life time, her father, the alien, did not age, but her mother did. Also, the witeres have no Black aliens in any princple role, and they killed off the Black people in non-lead roles. Just what this country needs BIGOTS FROM OUTER SPACE. There’s a good name for the show BIGOTS FROM OUTER SPACE. Has anyone notice how the… Read more »
Hello I am from England and a fan of the tv show The Event. It is a great show and I believe the ratings are affected by the late time slots the show is given. It should be put back to 9.00pm. I like the show because it keeps me guessing and in suspence the concept is a really good idea. Please produce a second season. Keep up the good work.
LOL from Penny.