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 just started watching the show and love it! Reminds me a lot like 24. Please keep this show on TV!
I love the show, please keep it!
If they cancel this show I will be very hesitant to watch any new shows on NBC from now on, thinking that once I begin to give the show a chance, they will pull the carpet from under me. Great show, amazing plot…I have no idea what else you could want.
This show is getting better wach episode, I LOVE this show!!! Millions watch it on Hulu, I hope that counts for something. It is worth keeping and making a season 2. I hope they kill all of the humans. I am def watching this every week, one of my favs to watch and look forward to weekly.
I LOVE this show. Well worth watching and I cannot believe that it hasn’t found more of an audience. One of the best on TV. Far superior to all the other garbage out there. This show ROCKS!!! Awesome!!!!!!! Give it more time.
I love this show it and is one of the few I watch.
I read somewhere that the show’s initial timeline was too confusing. Really? I guess that means whoever finds this show too complex should never read Alice In Wonderland. Yet another clue that network TV caters to the lowest denominator?
My only gripe with the first few episodes had to do with some over the top editing (the “omg a plane is about to crash into us” sequence was frightful, in a bad way.) But that seems to have abated.
This is such a great show! Please don’t cancel it!
I love this show! Please don’t cancel it. I do wish it were at a different time but I love it~!
I think the Event is really getting better as it goes. Tonights episode had me on the edge of my seat. They could take this show a long way, if they don’t throw the towel in yet. The characters are interesting, the VP is devious, Ritter is a cutie pie and good actor, the head alien, Sophia is evil yet she only wants to save her people. Don’t take this show off NBC.
Please don’t caancel this show. This is the only show I make sure I watch every week.
I really enjoy THE EVENT and hope that nbc doesn’t cancel it.
This show is one of the best this season. It would be nice of NBC in the event it is cancelled to come up with a closure episode and not leave us hanging.
NBC really needs to give new shows more time for viewers to latch onto. This is a very good show with an excellent plot and I get so fed up with the networks cancelling shows that I get hooked on and then they are gone!!!
PLEASE don’t cancel this show. I Love it!!!
i love it! the only show besides v i watch.I guess i’m spacey