NBC’s struggling serial drama, The Event, returns tonight after 13 weeks away. The network has been giving the series some nice promotion and is bringing it back with a two back-to-back episodes. Will that be enough?
The Event had a solid debut back in September with a 3.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 10.88 million viewers. Unfortunately, it fell nearly 20% in week two and another 17% in week three. The ratings kept falling until they seemed to even off at a 1.7 rating and about 5.5 million viewers. That’s a far cry from the promise that the series once held.
NBC put the ailing series on hiatus at the end of November, promising a big relaunch in late February. That return was later bumped to tonight to make room for The Cape, another casualty of the timeslot.
Networks have tried putting serial dramas on long hiatuses in the past and they just don’t work out. Many viewers assume that a series like The Event has already been cancelled, that they won’t remember what was going on, or have gotten into the habit of watching other shows. Whatever the reason, a show like The Event has to fight to get the viewers who were watching pre-hiatus to return, never mind attracting new ones.
Sadly, it seems that it will take a ratings miracle to save The Event at this point and NBC certainly hasn’t shown a lot of confidence in getting new people to give the show a try. More than half of the audience who were interested enough to watch the premiere, left over the course of the first 10 episodes. Of those who did stick around, it’s reasonable to expect that a sizable percentage have moved on after 13 weeks.
If you check our season rankings to date, you’ll see that The Event is currently in the middle of the pack with a 2.2 rating and 6.86 million. If the new episodes can attract the same number of pre-hiatus viewers, it will slowly sink lower down the list. If The Event starts doing Cape-like numbers (a 1.2 in the demo), it’ll fall much quicker.
Either way, unless the ratings turnaround or NBC has no faith in its new pilots, it’s very doubtful that The Event will be coming back for season two.
What do you think? Will you be watching The Event? What could NBC do to save this series or is it too late already? Is it worth saving?
Image courtesy NBC.
I absolutely love The Event. I couldn’t wait week to week for the next episode!! I think it is a great show and will be very disappointed if it’s canceled. Just like a network to get rid of a show I love. That’s why I hate trying to get into new shows. Won’t be an NBC fan if it doesn’t include The Event!!
I think that the show is worth saving. The first half of the season was extremely slow but these last two episodes showed up that maybe it will speed it up a bit. In the area of being a good show it is worth saving for a second season. I’m just worried about viewership. I think it would get a lot in the second season if it kept up the pace.
I love these types of shows. I loved Flash Forward too, and I enjoy watching V. The problem with these types of shows is that they can only be taken so far before the story stagnates. It’s really difficult to keep shows like this going without drawing the story to an end. I do hope that before The Event and V are cancelled, that they at least finish the story rather than leave us hanging like they did with Flash Forward.
I saw the return last night. I think NBC should give it a chance. Ilook forward to see how the story unfolds.
My wife and I both love this show and couldn’t wait for it to start again. Everything doesn’t have to be reality, and everything doesn’t have to be wrapped up and answered in60 minutes. Then again, I also loved Flashforward, The Good Guys, Terriers,…..
Cancel this show and bring back The Cape.
It’s over. Put The Event out of it’s misery. You’d think Hollywood is intellectually bankrupt… wait.. it is.
I is worth the return andI will watch it as long as it air’s. I like the type of
show that has a si fi era to it. It should be a little more moving.
IT ISN’T WORTH IT NBC USUALLY CANCELS GOOD SHOWS AFTER 4 OR 5 EPISODES
THE EVENT IS A BOMB……I WOULDN’T WATCH IT IF MY BROTHER WAS IN IT….TIME FOR NBC TO FIRE THE PROGRAM DEPARTMENT THAT PUTS THIS CRAP ON TO BEGIN WITH
I don’t know what the official formula for good television is, but I think most Americans have just gotten ingrained with the idea that everything NBC touches turns to s@#&. I got into “The Event,” and “Kings” before it, because of their blend of fantasy and political drama. But, apparently, whatever the heck it is the critics are looking for is never there, and the bosses don’t get the ratings numbers they’re looking for. If “Event” doesn’t make it, I’ll be waiting with great hope for this whole network to go belly up.
Amen to that Scott! No point in bothering to wirte any new shows imo because no matter what it is it WILL get cancelled! Get rid of this ****** reality TV nonsense i say!
I was a big fan before the break, so I did tune in for the latest episode. The break was just too long for me.
Hopefully the networks take note and quit with the long breaks!
Personally, I loved the first half of Season One, flashbacks and all. It’s definitely worth saving, and I plan to watch it as long as it’s on the air. Heck, I’ll probably even buy it on DVD.
I never bothered watching because nbc is known to cancel a show without giving it a chance. I watch absolutely nothing on nbc primetime. And I suspect many others feel exactly the same.
It’s over. I’ll still check out the final episodes, but it didn’t build up any momentum before the way-too-long break. Serial dramas like this need continual payoffs, week after week. The Event just didn’t have enough revelations early on. Too many questions that could easily have been answered in a traditional narrative. These sorts of dramas tease viewers way too much.
It’s too late. I decided to stop watching after the fall finale. They built the show as if it was something new and full of mystery, but NBC just wrote a check the event just wouldn’t cash. Simple as that. I say just 86 it now. Don’t bother, it is evitible, it will be axed. But it’s NBCs call.