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.
Why is that shows like this get cancelled but the crud that is touted as “popular” is the mindless drivel that makes big ratings? Intelligent people must be the minority.
Please keep the show going.
Great show, my favorite. Let the networks know if they keep cancelling shows (flashforward) after big buildup that those of us who like serialized dramas will just avoid these from the beginning. What good is it to get into a show if it’s cancelled without giving it a chance (even worse if the plot lines are not wrapped up?)
The Event is the best of the recent shows and should be given at least another season.
I had not paid any attention to “The Event” prior to it going on hiatus. During that period I was surfing HULU and figured I watch the first episode. Very slow pacing, but there was a hint of promise. I watched more. Slowly the show was becoming a bit more engaging, a bit more interesting, and by the time I got to the last episode before the show was put on hiatus I was anxious to see where it would go once it came back. Since the show has returned, it has started to really hit its stride. Threads hinted… Read more »
I really enjoy “The Event”. I was a skeptical viewer at first, as the story took a while to get off the ground and the characters needed time to grow on me. But I’ve been hooked for many weeks now and will be sourly disappointed if NBC cancels. I hate the way network television execs run things these days — they are such slaves to ratings that they do not have the b*lls to take a chance on good shows to let them build an audience. Shame on them.
Please bring this show back. I like different. I’m tired of doctors and cops and lawyers. Enough! This show has a lot of promise. Keep it.
This is a really wonderful, intelligent ,well thought out, well written and well executed series, a rarity in network television!This show must be saved , if not then it will become another nail in the coffin for network television. why do so many people opt to watch other than network television? Because everyone but network television knows what the viewing public wants to watch, we want quality intelligent programing , something that network television has proven time and again that they are incapable of providing and it looks like they are going to prove once again how incompetent they are… Read more »
Kill this show with an axe. Terribly written and acted, badly planned and forgettable actors. Like “V” this show offers long drawn out episodes with boring convoluted story lines and no “wow” moments during any episode. Adios!
I love this show and everybody I know that watches it feel the same. The Event has an interesting storyline spellbinding weekly episodes. This series should be able to hold its own against anything in its timeslot. Maybe just maybe this series went on hiatus because NBC’s promotional team never got theirs.
I have watched EVERY show. At times it is slow, but this program is not the same thing as “24” which is my all-time favorite show. I was shocked Monday night when it wasn’t on and now I’m reading, if I read it clearly, that it won’t be back until November!! I could be dead in November. I want to know if the aliens bring there people here or, do they all die of a disease on earth if they stay here too long, or do they go back to Area 51. I can’t believe the network would cancel a… Read more »
Love the show, now. Watched all the first episodes, but liked the last few a little more. Like that they explained what happened and why, but hope it doesn’t mean the end of the series. You gotta give these shows more time, execs. 6+ million viewers is nothing to sneeze at, I DVR everything, count me too!
Love this series. Please keep it on.
I absolutely love this program and was so disappointed to see that it is struggling! Please keep it on!!!!
I hope its saved! Love the episode but LOVED flash forward and it got cancelled
The Event started out really slow. Alot of my sci-fi buds and I were all about watching it when it was being hyped… then the first few episodes happened, and we realized it would never truely be an “event” the way they were playing it out… a sort of x-files seeking out the truth and finding that hard evidence moment that, even after years upon years of running, never pans out. I was turned off and did consider dropping watching it simply because it would be endless frustration with no “epic” moment …the reveal, the public reaction first off about… Read more »
Great writting, original story and a SMOKING HOT hit woman who keeps me tuned in. Keep this show on please!