The show pulled in great ratings figures in a tough time slot, but how can it be saved from a FlashForward -style collapse?
The question now, as The Hollywood Reporter ponders, is how to make the show an event every Monday night? After all, sci-fi shows have had a recent history of premiering to big numbers, then taking a ratings nosedive (yes, V and FlashForward , we’re talking about you). In its favour, The Event has had some generally good reviews, which will hopefully translate to good word of mouth, though that doesn’t necessarily follow. The critics also loved another of this year’s TV drama debutantes, Lone Star, and that absolutely tanked (with rumours it’ll be axed after one episode – see, it’s not just our shows that fall foul of the network system).
So NBC is taking no chances, and, buoyed up by those initial figures, is going to push The Event hard, with strategically-placed repeats and a marketing and publicity push. “We’re still in launch mode,” said one NBC big brass.
But an unnamed source from a rival network tells The Hollywood Reporter that the real litmus test of the show’s success will be episode three: “It was a solid opening for them, but several similar shows shows have opened well and faded quickly. It’s ultimately not how many you get, it's how many you can keep.”
