NBC’s “The Event” Hopes For Winter Resurgence, But True Comeback Unlikely

As the best reviewed of the post-“Lost” serialized efforts, NBC’s “The Event” represented an opportunity to end the ratings curse that resulted in short lives for series like “FlashForward” and “Vanished.” Thus far, it has provided no evidence or ratings justification for a life past season one.

While “The Event” has received a full season order from NBC, its ratings continue to drop, and given the serialized, “commitment” nature of the show, it is not the clearest candidate for a significant ratings upswing. That is not to say “The Event” is a lock for cancellation. Given NBC’s universal ratings woes and willingness to give a number of other series chances to grow, the network certainly could deem sticking with “The Event” preferable to launching a new, unproven replacement series.

At a press event Saturday, the cast of NBC’s heavily-hyped series expressed optimism that the show can make a comeback and solidify a spot on the network’s forward schedule. Following its upcoming fall finale, it returns to the air in February.

“We will finish up with our first 13 and then there be a break, and then we’ll come back with a one-hour compilation clip show of the first 13 so everybody can catch up with story,” explained Bill Smitrovich. “I hope that will spark another increase in the audience.”

Many were quick to point out that post-hiatus relaunches for serialized dramas, a la “FlashForward,” have generally not worked out too well. The feeling is that few viewers who are presently not watching have any interest, and while a hiatus might give some casually-interested fans the chance to get back into the series, it also could result in a loss of some committed viewers who find something else to watch on Mondays.

Holes also existed in the argument of Blair Underwood, who plays President Martinez on the series. Underwood pointed to the heavy competition, including “Monday Night Football,” “Two and a Half Men” and “Dancing with the Stars”; while there is no denying the difficulty of finding an audience up against such juggernauts, it is worth noting that the show still managed a strong premiere number in that timeslot. So while it might have been better served receiving positioning on another night, the fact that its ratings have halved while its competition has not really gotten any stronger has little to do with the timeslot.

Hope that the show would pickup for its second season after viewers get the chance to catch up on the DVD is also questionable. Underwood might have been correct in making the claim that “Lost” and “24” grew from after-the-fact buzz, but both shows were true pop culture phenomena that had already developed strong, loyal audiences. Though “The Event” does have its hardcore fans, it has neither the passionate critical support nor fan devotion of its serialized predecessors to suggest any massive movement for non-viewers to get caught up on the show in its off-season.

Of course, all the criticism about the show’s future hinges on the idea that NBC is unhappy with the show’s current performance. Star Jason Ritter defends the show’s performance on the basis of its DVR numbers, and he adds that the producers have not yet implemented any of the storyline “shortcuts” that would hint at a hasty conclusion.

He contends, “We probably would have seen them start to come to a close. They would need the time to start doing those short cuts. But so far, so good.”