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The Event

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This article is about the television series. For the film, see The Event (film).
The Event
Genre
Created byNick Wauters
Starring
ComposerScott Starrett
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 20, 2010 (2010-09-20) –
present

The Event (typographically stylized THE EVƎNT) is an American television series containing elements of science fiction, action/adventure and political allegory. The show was created by Nick Wauters, and premiered on NBC on September 20, 2010. The plot centers on a group of extraterrestrials, some of whom have been detained by the United States Government for sixty-six years since their ship crashed in Alaska, while others have secretly assimilated among the general populace. The series was picked up for a full season of 22 episodes on October 18, 2010.[1]

Synopsis

Overview

Main article: List of The Event episodes

Near the end of World War II, a craft of undetermined origin crashed in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska. It carried passengers who appeared outwardly human, but were eventually determined to be of extra-terrestrial origin. Their DNA is slightly less than one percent different from humans, and they age at a much slower rate. Ninety-seven of the survivors were captured by the U.S. government and held in a secret facility nearby, Mount Inostranka, run by intelligence agencies, since they have refused to disclose much about their origin. The remaining survivors, also known as the Sleepers, who only sustained minor injuries, were able to escape the crash scene and currently live among the population.

President Elias Martinez learns of the facility's existence shortly after his inauguration and decides, after meeting the leader of the detainees, to release them and disclose their existence to the world over the objections of the intelligence agencies. His plans are put on hold when an assassination attempt on him is foiled by means beyond human technology. The CIA realizes there are other aliens and secretly plans to find and kill them. Unknown to the agency, the agent chosen to head the effort is himself an alien. The aliens are divided internally on how to respond to this.

Caught in the middle of these events is Sean Walker, whose plans to propose to his girlfriend Leila on a Caribbean cruise are cut short when she mysteriously disappears from the ship. His investigation eventually leads him to uncover the assassination plot.

Narrative technique

The show's pilot episode is told almost entirely in retroversions to three different time frames. According to Nick Wauters, the show's creator, later episodes will use flashbacks more to develop the characters. "There will be big reveals and big clues in each episode," he said, promising that viewers will not have to wait too long for answers to questions raised.[2] After the pilot aired, he and executive producer Steve Stark answered some viewer questions on their Twitter feeds, for example explaining that the fate of the plane will be disclosed early in the next episode.[3] The characters also have Twitter feeds, and one has a blog, truthseeker5314.com, which may reveal additional information.[2] The last two episodes before[4] and all episodes following its hiatus no longer feature flashbacks. Cast member Blair Underwood said regarding the removal of the flashbacks, "We had been jumping around a lot and doing flashbacks and that was confusing to people," and "So when we come back, that device is done with! We are now telling the story straight through so people can track it and follow it easier."[5]

Cast

Main cast

  • Jason Ritter as Sean Walker – a software engineer who becomes involved in a government conspiracy when his girlfriend and would-be fiancée mysteriously disappears during their Caribbean cruise.[6] Sean later finds Leila and the two begin to uncover the conspiracy.
  • Sarah Roemer as Leila Buchanan – Sean's girlfriend, who is kidnapped. After being rescued, she tries to find her younger sister who has also been kidnapped. [7] It is revealed that her and her little sister are half non-terrestrial with their father, Michael Buchanan being one of the survivors of 1944 crash.
  • Laura Innes as Sophia Maguire – the leader of a mysterious alien group of detainees being held at a top-secret facility. She becomes a critical liaison to the President of the United States amidst the cover-up.[8]
  • Ian Anthony Dale as Simon Lee – a CIA operative and an alien who was stationed at Mount Inostranka.[9]
  • Scott Patterson as Michael Buchanan – Leila's father, who is thrown into the conspiracy and must go through great lengths to protect his family. Later revealed to be non-terrestrial that survived the 1944 crash. He is shot and killed by a number of Sophia's people while trying to help Leila and Simon escape. [10]
  • Taylor Cole as Vicky Roberts – a woman who Sean and Leila meet while on a cruise.[11] She is later revealed to be an assassin, formerly for the CIA. Vicky kidnaps Leila in an attempt to draw Sean out. She has a son who she adopted after a mission.
  • Lisa Vidal as Christina Martinez – the First Lady of the United States.[12]
  • Bill Smitrovich as Raymond Jarvis – the opposition party Vice President of the United States who is revealed to be involved in the conspiracy. He was later named acting president while Martinez is in the hospital. [13]
  • Clifton Collins, Jr. as Thomas – a member of the non-terrestrials who escaped capture, but now is in contact with the other "sleepers" who are not imprisoned. [14] He is Sophia's son, and is much more militant than she. He is killed by an Apache helicopter order by the President. [15]
  • Željko Ivanek as Blake Sterling – the Director of National Intelligence, who has long kept secrets from the President. He was fired by Jarvis when he questioned Jarvis' involvment with posioning Martinez. [16]
  • Blair Underwood as Elias Martinez – the recently elected President of the United States, who is stunned to learn that his own government is keeping secrets from him. As he tries to do right by the public, he soon finds himself in the midst of the cover-up, and the target of a spectacular assassination attempt.[17]

Recurring cast

  • Heather McComb as Agent Angela Collier – an FBI agent that was involved in the arrest of Sean Walker. Initially, Walker's claims of the series of events that lead to Leila's disappearance seem delusional to Collier, but after witnessing her coworkers and friends get killed by the same people after Sean, she becomes entangled with Walker as the truth unravels.
  • D. B. Sweeney as Carter – a man who worked alongside Vicky to hold Leila.
  • Hal Holbrook as James Dempsey – a mysterious man who gives orders to Vicky and Carter and is at the top of the conspiracy. Revealed to have the ability to shift to a younger version of himself. He is a part of an ancient race that has been fighting the aliens for three millenia. He kills himself to motivate Sean to take on Sophia.
  • Scott Michael Campbell as Justin Murphy – an agent working for the Office of Director of National Intelligence who is set up by undercover agents to appear as the traitor in the government who helped Sophia escape.
  • Necar Zadegan as Isabel – an alien who is in a relationship with Thomas and supports his own agenda against Sophia. She is killed along with Thomas when Martinez fires a missile on the bus she and Thomas were on.
  • Clea DuVall as Maya – an alien who was told to kill her boy friend William for telling Sterling secrets about the detainees. She was later shot and killed by Thomas when she protected Sterling.

Development and production

Producer Steve Stark brought the original script to NBC in 2009, after hearing that the network was looking for "event-type" series to add to its television lineup.[18] The script was written by Nick Wauters in 2006.[18] The show appeared on NBC's development slate in early January 2010, when the network announced at the Television Critics Association presentation that it had green-lit production of a pilot episode.[19][20]

Casting announcements began in early February, with Jason Ritter landing the lead role of Sean Walker.[21] In late February, Željko Ivanek was cast as Blake Sterling, a director at the CIA, and Ian Anthony Dale signed on as Simon Lee, a government operative.[22] This was followed a few days later by the addition of Scott Patterson and Sarah Roemer to the cast.[23] Roemer was cast as Sean's girlfriend, Leila Buchanan, with Patterson portraying her father, Michael. In late February, Laura Innes was cast as Sophia Maguire, the inmate leader at a mysterious prison facility, a role which was originally envisioned as male.[24][25] Blair Underwood came on board in early March in the role of President Eli Martinez, a role which was originally planned for a Hispanic actor.[26][27] Finally, the addition of Taylor Cole completed the main cast.[28]

Jeffrey Reiner signed on to direct, after having agreed to a deal with Universal Media Studios to work on new projects.[29] He will also serve as an executive producer. After having read the pilot script, he called it a "page turner."[29] Lisa Zwerling, who also signed a deal with UMS, will serve as a consulting producer.[30]

On May 7, 2010, NBC announced that it had given a series order for The Event,[31] followed by the announcement that Evan Katz was signed as showrunner and executive producer.[32][33] A week later the network announced that the series would appear on the Fall 2010 television schedule, airing on Mondays at 9 pm.[34] On October 18, 2010, NBC announced it ordered nine more episodes, adding to the original thirteen.[1]

In mid-July 2010 Clifton Collins, Jr. was cast as Thomas, a character described as "a key player in the show's secret conspiracy".[35][36]

The series is a thriller, love story, and mystery with an element of science fiction.[37] Unlike other well known series of the same genre, producers have promised timely answers to mysteries, with some answers provided as early as the upcoming episode.[37][38] Executive producer Evan Katz stated that "everything is designed to answer questions so you're not frustrated or feeling like we're making it up as we go along" and the writers intend to keep the viewers guessing in a "fair way."[38]

Reception

Reviews

The Event was one of four new series screened at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010, with The Hollywood Reporter saying the crowd response suggested "NBC's fall drama The Event came up a big winner."[39][40]

Reviews of the pilot episode were generally favorable, scoring 67 out of 100 on Metacritic[41] many invoking comparisons to Lost and 24, each of which had ended its run the preceding spring. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times called it "as big, brash and promising as Heroes was a few years back".[42] Variety's Brian Lowry called it "an enticing start".[43] Linda Stasi of the New York Post stated that "if 24, Lost, and The 4400 had a baby, it would be The Event".[44]

Ratings trend

More cautious commentators said the show had promise but could not go on tantalizing the audience with a proliferation of mysteries. "The effort required to follow the story" said Barry Garron of The Hollywood Reporter, "goes well beyond what most viewers might be willing to give."[45] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly called the pilot "an irritating tease" and hoped the second episode would answer some of the questions the pilot asked.[46]

Ratings

The pilot episode received 10.88 million viewers and a 3.6/9 adults 18-49 rating/share, placing third in its timeslot at 9:00 pm ET.[47] After averaging 9.1 million viewers for the first four episodes, NBC picked up the series for a full season.[1]

However, by the final episode of 2010 on November 29, the series had cut its audience by 46% and its demo rating by 48%, to 5.83 million and a 1.9/5 respectively,[48] although both of these were up noticeably from the previous week.[49] On November 15, NBC announced that The Event would be going into hiatus after the November 29 episode, and would return on February 28, 2011[50] (later pushed back to March 7).[51] Upon its return, the series received 5.23 million viewers and a then-series-low 1.4/4 18–49 rating/share;[52] the latter of these figures represented a 26% plunge from the fall finale.[53] The series has since gone as low as 3.85 million viewers and a 1.1/3 rating/share in 18–49, both on the April 18 airing.[54]

International broadcasts

In early June, Canadian broadcaster Rogers Media purchased broadcast rights to the series for its Citytv station group, and The Event aired simultaneously in the U.S. and Canada.[55] The Seven Network secured the rights to air it in Australia and the first episode premiered September 27, 2010 with a second encore airing on September 30, 2010. On July 29, 2010, Channel 4 secured the rights to air The Event in the United Kingdom and screened the first two episodes on October 22, 2010.[56] SVT have secured the rights to air it in Sweden and the series started September 26, 2010.[57] In South Africa, M-Net has secured the rights to the show and will premiere each episode a week after the U.S premiere. TV3 have secured the rights to air it in Russia and the series premiered on October 8, 2010 with two-hour premiere.[58] It will also be available in n VOD service in Poland three days after American premiere. Joi, an Italian entertainment TV channel owned by Mediaset, started running English language broadcasts of The Event on September 21, 2010. The same episode, dubbed in Italian, re-aired the following week, immediately before the next episode in English.[59] In the Philippines, the series premiered on October 7, 2010 on Jack TV. The first episode was broadcast on TV3 in Norway October 11, 2010, but from December 5, the series was moved to Viasat 4, due to low ratings on TV3. In Spain, it is shown on TNT in the Digital Plus satellite TV stations. In Latin America, it premiered on Universal Channel on October 18, 2010. In Ireland, the series premiered on RTÉ Two on October 22, 2010.[60] In New Zealand, the series premiered on November 16, 2010 on TV3.[61] In Israel, the series premiered on January 15, 2011 on Yes SCI FI. In Denmark, the series premiered in January 2011 on TV3. In Finland the show premiered on March 22, 2011 on MTV3.[62]

References

  1. ^ a b c "NBC Orders Full Seasons of 'The Event,' 'Outsourced' and 'Law & Order: Los Angeles'" (Press release). NBC. October 18, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Ryan, Maureen (September 20, 2010). "10 Things to Know About 'The Event': A Review and Intel from the Show's Creator". TVsquad.com. Weblogs Inc. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  3. ^ Wauters, Nick (September 20, 2010). "Twitter / Nick Wauters: @briankornell, you will fi …". Twitter. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  4. ^ Collura, Scott (November 30, 2010). "How to Fix The Event - TV Feature at IGN". Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  5. ^ Rice, Lynette (January 18, 2011). "'The Event' scoop: Blair Underwood talks about new characters, end to those 'confusing' flashbacks". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  6. ^ "Sean Walker". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  7. ^ "Leila Buchanan". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  8. ^ "Sophia Maguire". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  9. ^ "Simon Lee". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  10. ^ "Michael Buchanan". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  11. ^ "Vicky Roberts". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  12. ^ "Christina Martinez". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  13. ^ "Raymond Jarvis". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  14. ^ "Thomas". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  15. ^ "Face Off". NBC.com. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  16. ^ "Blake Sterling". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  17. ^ "President Martinez". NBC.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  18. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (December 16, 2009). "TV producer Steve Stark has full plate". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  19. ^ "NBC Announces Some of its Early Development Slate for 2010–11". The Futon Critic. January 10, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  20. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 10, 2010). "NBC greenlights six drama pilots". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  21. ^ "Development Update: Monday, February 8". The Futon Critic. February 8, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  22. ^ "Development Update: Tuesday, February 23". The Futon Critic. February 23, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  23. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 24, 2010). "Megan Boone to star in CW drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  24. ^ "Development Update: Friday, February 26". The Futon Critic. February 26, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  25. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (February 25, 2010). "Pilot casting: Laura Innes goes to "The Event"". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  26. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 3, 2010). "Blair Underwood joins NBC pilot 'The Event'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  27. ^ "Development Update: Thursday, March 4". The Futon Critic. March 4, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  28. ^ "Development Update: Friday, March 5 (Part 2)". The Futon Critic. March 5, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  29. ^ a b Schneider, Michael (March 3, 2010). "Jeffrey Reiner signs Universal deal". Variety. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  30. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 2, 2010). "Drama Writer Lisa Zwerling In UMS Deal". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  31. ^ "NBC Picks Up Three New Series for 2010–11 Season with "The Event", "Outsourced" and "Love Bites"". The Futon Critic. May 7, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  32. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 7, 2010). "'24' Veteran Evan Katz To Run New NBC Drama Series 'The Event' Under Overall Deal". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  33. ^ Schneider, Michael (May 10, 2010). "Manic TV time as upfronts loom". Variety. Archived from the original on June 14, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  34. ^ Rice, Lynette (May 16, 2010). "NBC fall schedule: Possible farewell movies for "Law & Order" and "Heroes"". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  35. ^ Abrams, Natalie (July 16, 2010). "Clifton Collins Jr. Joins 'The Event'". TVGuide.com. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  36. ^ Hibberd, James (July 16, 2010). "Clifton Collins joins NBC's 'The Event'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  37. ^ a b Keveney, Bill (July 24, 2010). "The main 'Event'". USA Today. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  38. ^ a b Gelman, Vlada (July 24, 2010). "Comic-Con: The Event Won't Leave Viewers Completely Lost". New York Magazine. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  39. ^ Kit, Borys and James Hibberd (July 26, 2010). "Comic-Con matchups: Who won?". Reuters. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  40. ^ Maloney, Michael (July 25, 2010). "NBC's 'The Event' Gets Huge Buzz at Comic Con". TV Squad. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  41. ^ "The Event: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  42. ^ McNamara, Mary (September 20, 2010). "Television review: 'The Event'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  43. ^ Lowry, Brian (September 16, 2010). "The Event". Variety. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  44. ^ Stasi, Linda (September 13, 2010). "6 Shows not to miss: Linda makes the new TV season easy for you ..." New York Post. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  45. ^ Garron, Barry (September 20, 2010). "New TV Thriller "Event" a Test of Viewer Patience". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  46. ^ Tucker, Ken (September 20, 2010). "'The Event' premiere review: Not eventful enough?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  47. ^ Seidman, Robert (September 21, 2010). "Monday Finals: Hawaii Five-0, Two and a Half Men, DWTS, House Gain; Chuck, The Event, Chase, Castle Drop". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  48. ^ Gorman, Bill (December 1, 2010). "Monday Finals: No Adjustments For 'Chuck' Or Any Other Original Episode". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  49. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 23, 2011). "Monday Finals: 'Lie to Me' Adjusted Down; 'Hawaii Five-0' Up; No Change For 'Chuck'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  50. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 15, 2010). "NBC Renews '30 Rock', Announces Parks & Rec Return & Major Midseason Schedule Changes". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  51. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 3, 2011). "'The Event's Return Pushed Back One Week". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  52. ^ Seidman, Robert (March 8, 2011). "Monday Final Ratings: "The Chicago Code" Adjusted Down; "Two and a Half Men" Repeat Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for 'The Event'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  53. ^ Seidman, Robert (March 8, 2011). "Updated: TV Ratings Monday: Non-'Event', 'The Event' Slides 26%; 'The Chicago Code' Steady; 'Harry's Law' Flat". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  54. ^ Siedman, Robert (April 19, 2011). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Chicago Code,' 'Cougar Town,' 'Gossip Girl' Adjusted Down; 'Mike & Molly,' 'Mad Love,' 'Hawaii Five-0,' 'DWTS' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  55. ^ Vlessing, Etan (June 2, 2010). "Rogers Media sets fall primetime schedule". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  56. ^ "Channel 4 'The Event' premiere". Channel 4. October 13, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  57. ^ "SVT visar tv-världens stora snackis". Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  58. ^ "Мировая премьера на ТВ3!". September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  59. ^ "Italian broadcast of 'The Event' on Joi". TheEventLog.net. Retrieved September 10, 2010. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
  60. ^ "The Event". RTÉ Publishing. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  61. ^ "The Event". TV3. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  62. ^ "Event". MTV3. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
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