Late blog post is late.

I totally skipped a blog. I hope I'm not too late... Maybe I'll get some points for this...

The Event has been steadily low in ratings, dropping week to week. I haven't even watched the show since the pilot. This site gives four reasons the show is a boring one. It seems as though the producers didn't think the show through enough. Or maybe they thought too much about it. Either way, the formula they used to create the next new serial drama/sci-fi didn't work out as well as they'd hoped. The hype for the show was way bigger than the show turned out to be, which is disappointing for viewers and NBC. 

The Walking Dead received record ratings for its fifth episode. Many sources are calling it the best new show of the season, and for good reason. It has strong writing, quality acting, and zombies. What could be better?

The Walking Dead- Days Gone Bye

I finally watched the pilot of AMC's The Walking Dead this morning. And I am incredibly impressed. It felt like I was watching way more than just television. The show has a very cinematic quality, probably due to the directing of Frank Darabont (director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile). It also comes off as more than just a show about zombies; adding in all of the emotional story lines about people surviving in a post-apocalyptic world will help garner more of an audience than just zombie fans. 

I've seen a considerable amount of discussion comparing this series to LOST, in the appeal of the story structure and writing. I think this is justified comparison; I can see this show gaining a LOST-type loyal audience. 

The pilot fared really well in ratings, especially since it was competing with the World Series, and the fact that it premiered on Halloween (which also probably helped it...). It premiered at number 3 for cable viewing for the week. It scored a 3.7 HH rating, with 5.3 million viewers, making it AMC's highest original series premiere, and the highest premiere for any cable show this year. The series has been highly critically acclaimed, and will hopefully continue to do well. TV By the Numbers says "it could go down nearly two full ratings points with adults 18-49 and still be AMC’s best-rated show." 

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead Trailer Looks Awesome.

Happy Halloween!

NBC's The Event, Blog 3.

The Event has been declining in ratings since its premiere 4 weeks ago. It's still performing better than NBC's Chase, which is TV By The Numbers' choice for next show to be canceled. I honestly haven't watched the show since the pilot, so I don't know if the plot has improved. It's competing with Monday Night Football and Dancing with the Stars. 

What I'm really excited for is the premiere of The Walking Dead AMC on Halloween. According to Variety, the network is "throwing all of its weight behind the global launch" of The Walking Dead. The show will be distributed to channels in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. There doesn't seem to be much other news, but the buzz around this show has been mostly positive. 

The Walking Dead comes from the director of the Shawshank Redemption and the producer of Terminator. Though the content of the show may seem like a contrast to the rest of the original programming on AMC (Mad Men, Breaking Bad), the quality of the content of The Walking Dead will fit right in. 

Series Premiere of "The Event"

The series premiere of NBC's The Event this past Monday has left me on the fence about the show. Yes, it was quick-paced and cinematic, but really, what happened? I am left vaguely disinterested in the characters (who weren't exactly dynamic), and not really caring about what the event is, even. It just didn't have an explosive, pilot episode feel. Especially since it's being marketed as essentially the next LOST, which had a fantastic pilot episode. Also, so much for the producers answering questions. Or even really bringing up any questions we didn't already have. Why should I care what the event is?

The Event premiered to a 3.7, which is probably lower than the network expected, but still not entirely disappointing. It was up in ratings from the season premiere of Chuck at 8, and rose still after the first half-hour. NBC was left in third place (among adults 18-49) for the night.

I think the producers will have to have some pretty awesome tricks up their sleeves to keep this show entertaining. I hope they have some multi-season plan, and aren't just going by the edge of their seats (or whatever phrase should go here... I have a feeling that's not it). Maybe part of the "greatness" of the show is that we can't see where it's going. But I would like to know that it is indeed going somewhere.

this is not blobber.com

I found this interesting article about The Event being licensed in 200 countries. 


I'm also incredibly sad because no one commented on my other blog post. :( 

(But I'm not actually sad. JSYK)

Could NBC's The Event be "the event" of the new fall lineup?

I have always felt that NBC's programming was of higher quality than that of the other major networks. This was a main part of the reason why I chose NBC's new conspiracy thriller series The Event as the main topic of this blog. 

The Event will be taking Heroes' Monday night time slot beginning September 20. It may also be trying to fill a void left by series like ABC's LOST and Fox's 24, and even Heroes. The Event "follows Sean Walker, an everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his would-be fiancée Leila, and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history." The trailers for the show leave viewers in the dark on what "the event" is, but reveal that it will bring together a group of strangers and unveil a "conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind." Produced by Evan Katz (24) and Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights), and starring Jason Ritter and Blair Underwood, the show is also backed by successful producers/directors and a few fairly well-known actors. 

It seems to me that The Event fits fairly well with the rest of the programming on NBC. Following Chuck on Monday nights is potentially a great fit for The Event. Chuck is a show about an everyday guy who ends up with the world's greatest spy secrets embedded in his mind. If The Event ends up being the high-energy show it's being set up as, Chuck's target demo would probably be interested in it as well. The Event could also end up with LOST's audience, seeking another mystery-based show. Viewers of The Event may also be interested in its follow-up show, Bruckheimer's Chase, about US Marshals hunting America's most wanted fugitives.

Another reason Monday night is a good fit is because of lack of competition. The Event's target audience most likely isn't ABC's Dancing with the Stars crowd nor CBS's comedy night audience. It could see potential trouble with Fox's House and new show Lonestar, but I think the programming on both networks is different enough to avoid competition. It may not garner the largest audience or highest ratings, but it could gain a cult-like following, like LOST.

It seems the producers of The Event are trying to tie in social commentary on how suspicious and paranoid many Americans are becoming towards our government. It seems they want to set up not only discussion and theorizing about the show and its mysteries, but also about how potentially true-to-life "the event" could possibly be. That's why I'm going to say that the audience for The Event is most likely the 18-49 age range. It's going after LOST's demo, and was even described in one article as "part LOST and part 24", mixing elements of thriller/conspiracy shows with some supernatural/sci-fi elements. 

Having received decent reviews at Comic Con earlier this year, I have high hopes for The Event. I'll try not to raise my hopes too high, though. It does seem that shows on NBC tend to start out really strong and take a turn for not-so-good (I'm looking at you, Heroes). Let's just hope that the producers know where the show is going, so it doesn't feel like they're making it up as they go along (they tell us they aren't, but Cuse and Lindelof said the same of LOST, which I don't think I believe). We'll see how it goes on September 20th. It could be LOST or it could end up like ABC's attempt to replace LOST, FlashForward; canceled after one season.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/07/25/nbcs-the-event-gets-huge-buzz-at-comic-con/

http://io9.com/5560377/could-nbcs-the-event-actually-be-a-decent-tv-show

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b193013_newsflash_nbcs_event_not_lost_heroes.html

http://cliqueclack.com/tv/2010/05/18/nbcs-the-event-starts-out-eventful-but-can-it-sustain-interest/

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Comic-Con-NBC-s-The-Event-Looks-Like-A-Keeper-25972.html

http://www.ugo.com/tv/the-event-preview