Network: NBC
Episodes: 22 (hour)
Seasons: One
TV show dates: September 20, 2010 — May 23, 2011
Series status: Cancelled
Performers include: Jason Ritter, Blair Underwood, Ian Anthony Dale, Laura Innes, Sarah Roemer, Scott Patterson, Taylor Cole, and Zeljko Ivanek.
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TV show description:
This conspiracy thriller series follows a man who discovers the biggest cover-up in US history while investigating the strange disappearance of his girlfriend. The cover-up has implications that are life-changing and could shape the very core of mankind.
Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) is the typical boy next-door as well as a somewhat geeky Computer Science graduate of MIT. A reformed hacker, he now freelances as a video game programmer. Sean grew up in a poorer suburb of Chicago. With a realized gift for computer programming, he spent his time in the school’s computer lab because his family couldn’t afford a computer of their own. He only got through college because of three jobs and financial aid. He’s now in a relationship with Lelia Buchanan and is confident she’s the woman for him. He was ready to propose when she disappeared.
Leila (Sarah Roemer) studied Biochemistry after growing up a science geek and bookworm. She and Sean met in the swimming pool at MIT in their senior year. She fell for his nerdy ways and was impressed when he hacked her name into getting good tickets for a concert. A nature lover, she and Sean like to go rock climbing and hiking. Leila is very close with her family after her mother, Val, put her own modeling career aside to raise Leila and her adopted sister, Samantha.
Michael Buchanan (Scott Patterson), Leila’s father, is a ruggedly handsome man who prefers the peace and quiet rather than hustle and bustle of the city. All his vacations have been spent in national parks, jungles, and rain forests, having taken multiple survival classes. He enjoys taking photos of the beauty that surrounds him. He was initially protective of Leila when she started dating Sean, but eventually, Michael welcomed him into the family.
The President of the United States, Elias Martinez (Blake Underwood), is idealistic and hugely popular with the American people and the rest of the world. He is very proud of his heritage, being born in Miami to Cuban refugees. He met his wife, Christina (Lisa Vidal), while both were attending Yale, and were set up by her mother. They support a charity program for education reform for refugee children, and she has now put her own law career on hold. They have a 7-year-old son named David.
President Martinez is in charge of the first completely bipartisan administration in recent years and recently was handed a top secret file that will change the entire course of his presidency.
President Martinez’s Vice President, Raymond “Ray” Jarvis (Bill Smitrovich), learned to argue effectively as the youngest of four sons, and later as a member of the Debate team in high school. He used all that to guide him through politics, eventually getting elected to the Louisiana State House of Representatives, then later as a senator, and later yet as the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. He and Blake Sterling are working together on a classified project.
Blake Sterling (Zeljko Ivanek), the Director of National Intelligence, is often at odds with President Martinez. Sterling is astute and very well-connected within the intelligence community after spending most of his career rising through the ranks of the CIA. President Martinez nominated him for the new position of Director of National Intelligence because of his immense experience. Sterling’s not above political manipulation or covert force when needed and has been criticized for supporting the CIA’s detention program. To deal with all this stress, he jogs around the CIA headquarters at 4:30am every morning.
Simon Lee (Ian Anthony Dale) is a CIA operative who is working with a division handling the security issues related to the detainees at Mount Inostranka in Alaska. He’s another one to rise through the ranks to where he now has access to the President and reports to Sterling. He originally hails from Fort Yates, North Dakota, and it’s because of that upbringing that he can handle the weather there in Alaska. Like Sterling, he’s another runner, having completed several marathons.
Sophia Maguire (Laura Innes) is the leader/spokesperson of the Mount Inostranka facility for detainees. They have endured the very interrogation and torture that Sterling has been so supportive of. Sophia is still hoping that if she continues to work with them calmly, she’ll be rewarded. With the sympathetic President Martinez, it seems like it may be about to pay off after his press conference announcing the closing of Inostranka.
Vicky Roberts (Taylor Cole) is a single socialite from Manhattan who enjoys her partying lifestyle. The niece of the late Ralph Clement Quinn, she was only 10 when he died in a car crash and inherited half of the Quinn fortune when she turned 18. Vicky was initially accepted into the Joffrey Ballet School, but had to turn them down because of a foot injury from eight-inch stilettos during Fashion Week. Fashion is a passion of hers, and she’d like to craft her own clothing called Sassy.
Episode 22 — The Arrival
Sean tells a weakened Leila that Sterling has called someone at the CDC who will be able to help her. Leila has given up hope, but Sean begs her to fight the virus with all her might. Meanwhile, Sterling finds a damaging report on Dr. Lu’s computer that shows the rapid spread of the deadly pathogen. After careful research, Sterling learns that the Sleepers are depositing pressurized aerosol containers carrying the virus at three distinct locations (a food processing plant, the Bureau of Engraving, and Dulles Airport).
Carlos and Sophia feel tremors as a city road shakes and street lamps topple over. Sophia tells Carlos that the portal has affected the Earth’s precession; their people will arrive soon. News of the strange earthquake reaches the White House. Before Martinez can act, Sterling calls to urge Martinez to send counterterrorist agents to the three locations the Sleepers are targeting. Martinez says any action will be delayed because he still hasn’t been able to wrest power away from Jarvis. Peel can deploy agents at the food processing plant and at the Bureau of Engraving, but shutting down the airport is beyond Martinez’s reach. Sterling, Simon, Vicky and Sean decide to go to Dulles Airport to do what they can.
Martinez begs Jarvis to step down so he can stop Sophia’s plot. When Jarvis resists, Martinez begs Jarvis to send a biocontainment team to Dulles in order to stop the spread of Sophia’s deadly virus. Jarvis refuses to believe Sophia would kill humans in order to take over the planet. Desperate, Martinez tells Jarvis he’ll let him complete his presidential term as long as he shuts down Dulles. Jarvis won’t budge. He trusts Sophia and doesn’t need Martinez’s cooperation in order to remain President. Jarvis is confident that no matter what Martinez says, the Cabinet will not reinstate him.
Secretly shaken by Martinez’s words, Jarvis calls Sophia to ask if she’s planning to unleash a virus on American soil. Sophia says it’s a total fabrication and reminds Jarvis that she wanted to join forces with him because of his unflagging strength. Concerned, Sophia decides that they should move up the virus’ release time. Meanwhile a reporter at Mt. Shasta says that lava flows from a dormant volcano are puzzling scientists. Locals are concerned that a full-blown eruption will occur any moment.
Federal agents contain the threats at the food processing plant and the Bureau of Engraving. Meanwhile, Sean, Vicky, Sterling and Simon arrive at Dulles looking for Sophia. A Sleeper disguised as a TSA employee sneaks a canister past security and into a secured area of the airport. Devon calls Sophia and tells her that the contamination attempts at the food processing plant and the Bureau of Engraving have been foiled. Infecting people at Dulles Airport becomes Sophia’s only hope. Back at the White House, Martinez’s Cabinet gives him a standing ovation. Suddenly, without warning, Martinez becomes light-headed and collapses to the floor!
Sterling and Simon try to warn an airport employee about Sophia’s plot but he disregards them when they are unable to prove that they’re federal agents. Meanwhile, Sophia bumps into a child who looks exactly like the young victim in her nightmare. For a moment, the gravity of Sophia’s terrible actions seems to sink in. Inside the secured area of the airport, Simon and Sterling shoot at the Sleeper before he gets away with the infected canister. The Sleeper manages to shoot Simon before escaping. Thankfully Simon’s wearing a bulletproof vest. Moments later, Sean and Vicky find the Sleeper handing the canister to Sophia and Carlos. Sean and Vicky shoot and kill the Sleeper, but Sophia escapes. Carlos puts up a fight but Sterling manages to ambush him and shoot him dead.
Due to Martinez’s absence, the Cabinet has no choice but to reject his plea for reinstatement. Just then, Martinez enters with Christina! Jarvis tells the Cabinet that Bethesda Hospital did not discharge Martinez; he left early against their recommendation. When it’s Martinez’s turn to defend himself, he warns the Cabinet about an imminent threat against national security. He claims that Jarvis is working with Sophia to unleash a deadly virus that will decimate mankind. The Cabinet thinks Martinez has clearly lost his mind – that is, until Martinez plays a recording of Jarvis admitting that he poisoned Martinez!
Having swayed the Cabinet, Martinez tells Peel to shut down Dulles Airport. Meanwhile, Sophia locks herself in an airport lounge and takes the infected container out of her bag. Sean begs Sophia to reconsider; after all, the planes have been grounded and all of her other contamination attempts have been foiled. If she releases the virus, it will only kill the people in the airport. It will just be senseless murder and will not benefit her people in any way. Sean is able to get through to Sophia. She puts down the container and allows federal agents to arrest her.
At the White House, Simon, Sterling, Martinez and Peel look for the location of the portal array. They discover that Jarvis had recently moved a satellite from an area near Tibet. Martinez correctly guesses that this means that the portal array must have been nearby. Moments later, Martinez looks at satellite footage of the portal array. Simon points out that since it’s emitting radiation, it’s already been activated. More of them are coming to Earth!
At the White House, Martinez watches news footage of strange earthquakes occurring around the globe. Meanwhile, at a hospital Sean parts ways with Vicky. She thanks him for including her on this transformative journey and bids him farewell. A doctor gives Sean clearance to visit Leila’s hospital room. Leila tells Sean some incredible news: she’s pregnant!
Martinez summons Sophia to his office and demands that she tell him where her people plan on landing. Sophia says she won’t reveal anything. Spreading the virus was an act of mercy. Now that her people are coming, their course of action will be “far from humane.” Then she adds cryptically, “It’s too late.” Suddenly, the ground shakes and in the sky, a strange light can be seen. Then the great mass coalesces into a great planet! A new planet and moon appear on the horizon! “What is it?” Christina’s son asks. “Home,” she replies.
First aired: May 23, 2011.
How can we get another channel to pick this show up? The finale was awesome. I never thought that their whole planet would show up in our skies! And Simon saying “We were here first” is crazy and I thought them coming here was the event but I guess not. Now we will never know what The Event is. To answer Lynn – the reason good shows get canceled is because there are way too many people (morons) watching jersey shore and real world and jerseylicious and the kardashians. Stupid “real” shows that you don’t have to have a brain… Read more »
NBC cannot leave us with a major cliffhanger like the least episode of The Event! Martinez’s wife is an alien after all!?!? This show filled the void left when 24 went off of the air. Why do all of the intellegent shows like 24, ROME, Tudors, and now The Event get cancelled?
How can we get a campaign started to get this show back on TV.
What a stupid move to cancel such a fine show. NBC has lost my viewership. 22 hours wasted for nothing. Thanks NBC. Instead of trying a new time slot or new night you just cancel. What is next, some stupid reality TV show…..yawn!
We are asked to invest our time in a show and just when you get really involved in the plot, they pull it. It gets really tiresome and discourages you from trying a new show at all. The network has a responsibility, in my opinion, to at least give us closure and could have added an extra hour to accomplish that.
I am pissed that they cancelled “The Event”. Everyone should petition for it to get renewed. If the ignorant people at NBC don’t renew it, then I agree with those people who says SyFy should pick it up. They can’t just end it like they did, as the series went on it got better and better.
[…] you missed it, you can catch up with what happened on the series finale. If you saw it, we’d like to know what you […]
The Event was and is a good show with a good story, it had kept my interest all the weeks it was on, I like some of the others on here do NOT care for reality junk and most of the so called “shows” of today, we rent movies and watch a lot of TCM, I remember when TV was worth watching. Such is today oh well……….
I just cannot believe that NBC have cancelled the best show on TV right now, have you lost your minds.
I am so very upset to see The Event go. I feel like I’m again hanging on that cliff with another intelligent show. I beleive NBC is most guilty of ridding themselves of quality shows, which they advertise heavily in the beginning, then abondon for some reason. I agree with Steven that if NBC doesn’t have the foresight to continue it, SyFy should pick it up. It would nenhance their programming.
NBC/Universal should think twice about canceling this show. Exec’s should be cancelled for their poor judgement and scheduling. That is if they decide to cancel this show when it is just getting started with main plot. This last ep or 22 Arrival was by far the best. they can’t leave us hanging after “The Event” A second Planet near our orbit or outside orbit of the Moon. NBC”s Exec’s as don’t butcher another show.
I am so disappointed to hear the event is cancelled. It’s so good. What can we do to get this show renewed for the second season.
The Event aired its last show tonight. How sad! This was the best show ever on NBC. How are we to know what happens next? The show was getting better and better each week. Everyone please email NBC or call them everyday to tell them how you feel. If enough people want it back maybe they will. We need the Event back in the fall to answer all the unanswered questions left from the final show. Please email, email, write letters and call NBC everyday.
Ritters performance was very good and the actress who played Sophia was excellent unfortunately Scifi shows will never last on the networks. The average person don’t want to think they want to be entertained with comedy or reality shows no thinking necessary just gossip trashy shows. My only hope is that the Event can find a home on cable but even that is dumbing down. The Event has sum very actors and its unfortunate that people can no longer willing suspend disbelief. We’re no longer dreamers we’re more like fast food – takes too much time to prepare, cook and… Read more »
I am a major syfy fan. “The Event” is one of the few shows on any network that I have watched. There was another series that was called the “Lost Room”, that was cancelled after one season and I thought it was a very good syfy, suspense thiller. I am paying too much for dish tv to be watching reruns of the 3 stoogies and “Star Trek” from 45 years ago. Although ST was good in its time, I want something new and fresh, with a touch of this and a dash of that, and leave me wanting more. “True… Read more »
this is sad!! just when you find a show that keeps u on the edge of you seat looking forwrd to next week they pull the show and flood the time slots with ignorant people on these reality shows and t&a. we have to return to regular t.v. instead of this reproduced, microwaved, overprocessed junk when been getting.