NBC’s “The Event” joins the ranks of shows like “FlashForward” in again showing that lengthy midseason hiatuses are rarely capable of recharging struggling freshmen dramas.
Having rapidly dipped into “bubble” territory after its strong premiere, “The Event” returned with a whimper Monday night. Fast national ratings for the adults 18-49 demographic are not yet available, but based on the overnight metered markets, NBC should not be expecting much.
With CBS in repeats for three-out-of-four half hours and ABC’s “The Bachelor” not delivering ratings on par with the fall edition of “Dancing with the Stars,” “The Event” had an opportunity to gain some ratings ground for its two hour return episode. The fact that the two episodes were stripped of many complexities, effectively reducing the show to a popcorn action series, technically made the show accessible to those who did not see the first ten episodes.
Unfortunately, none of those factors contributed to a good rating. From 8-10PM, the show averaged a 3.9 overnight rating (household), according to a report on Mediaweek. Worse, the show steadily lost viewers from start-to-finish, opening to a 4.4 for the first half hour and landing at a 3.5.
The average was actually below that of the last original “Event” telecast in November. And while the demographic average could exceed what “Chuck” and “The Cape” were delivering from 8-10PM, it will most likely not reach a point that would justify a second season renewal for any reason other than NBC’s across-the-board weakeness.
