The Event

Seems like since the success (and fall) of "Lost," the various television networks have been searching for the next quirky overly hyped blockbuster. There have been a lot of attempts. "Fringe" has been, at times, interesting. "Flash Forward," also on the ABC network came the closest in my opinion, but unfortunately it was canceled before it could really start rolling.

The newest contender, and the one that wins hands down in the overly hyped category at least is "The Event." A lot of folks tuned in for that first episode just because they had been hammered for months with constant advertising by NBC of "What is The Event?" with the weird stylized backwards 'E.' When the pilot aired, it was bad, except for the last two minutes.

As a matter of fact, I thought it was so bad that it was almost unintentionally funny. The flips back and forth between scenes and time frames got to be monotonous after a short while. It became a joke. If the producers were planning to do an outright parody of shows like "24" or other such one hour drama thrillers, they succeeded too well.

The hook, that last two minutes of the pilot, that dramatic special effect that comprised the cliffhanger rocked the house. It was reminiscent of the final moment of the first episode of "Heroes," shock and awe. Two problems with that - following episodes got weaker and weaker with their cliffhangers, and much like "Heroes," it could not top that moment. That NBC used that moment to hype the next episodes didn't help either, especially in a world of Tivo and DVR, where that commercial spoiled it for most of the nation.

"The Event" in the weeks that followed lost much of its audience. It might be an interesting concept, but unless they keep our attention on a regular basis, I see it as the next "Heroes," and not in a good way.