The Event

I thought there was a thread for this, but I can't find it. Maybe I'm remembering wrong. Anyway, if there is one then feel free to merge them or delete this one or whatever.

Anyone watch the premiere?


I thought it was intriguing. It could definitely turn out to be great. There are a lot of actors in this that I like.

I just hope that if I end up loving it that it lasts. I got sucked into FlashForward last year and when it was canceled I was pissed.

The premier got good ratings but mainly unfavorable reviews. Honestly looks to be another Flash Forward which is to say another Lost impersonator that falls really short of that title. Have not checked it out but looks to be following Flash Forwards failed formula of being mysterious for the sake of being mysterious.

I watched the premiere and that was enough.

It was awful...just awful.

It's gotten some really bad reviews, so I'm curious to see next week's ratings. I'm guessing most people are done with this show. I'll give it 6 to 10 episodes max before it's canceled.

Off_White_Lantern wrote:The premier got good ratings but mainly unfavorable reviews. Honestly looks to be another Flash Forward which is to say another Lost impersonator that falls really short of that title. Have not checked it out but looks to be following Flash Forwards failed formula of being mysterious for the sake of being mysterious.

My thoughts exactly.

I actually really liked Flash Forward. I think if it had lasted longer I'd have liked it more than Lost. I mean, I liked Lost, but I didn't put it up on the same pedestal as a lot of people did. It was entertaining enough, but it wasn't fantastic, IMO.

I'm looking forward to checking this out. I missed the first episode but I think it's on NBC.com so I'll watch it when I get a chance.

First episode is on here tonight so I'll check it out.

Batman25JM wrote:I actually really liked Flash Forward. I think if it had lasted longer I'd have liked it more than Lost. I mean, I liked Lost, but I didn't put it up on the same pedestal as a lot of people did. It was entertaining enough, but it wasn't fantastic, IMO.

Lost was as fantastic as anything thats ever been on television. No other show comes close to the level of thought and imagination that went into that show. The only problem people have with Lost is that its impossible to catch an episode and know what the hecks going on if u didnt watch every episode that came before it.

I actually watched a few Flash Forward episodes and thought it was way too slow moving to hold any audience. The mystery and intrigue came across as cheesy knowing that it was Losts replacement (or hoped to be) and that they were making a lame attempt at copying that show.

I didnt hate Flash Forward but u cant just artificially manufacture a show to be like Lost.

I liked the way the first episode was formatted, with the back and forth between time, but it did not grab me the way Lost first did. I thought the actual "event" was predicatable. It did grab me enough for me to want to watch more, but not sure on it's staying power.

Off_White_Lantern wrote:

Batman25JM wrote:I actually really liked Flash Forward. I think if it had lasted longer I'd have liked it more than Lost. I mean, I liked Lost, but I didn't put it up on the same pedestal as a lot of people did. It was entertaining enough, but it wasn't fantastic, IMO.

Lost was as fantastic as anything thats ever been on television. No other show comes close to the level of thought and imagination that went into that show. The only problem people have with Lost is that its impossible to catch an episode and know what the hecks going on if u didnt watch every episode that came before it.

I actually watched a few Flash Forward episodes and thought it was way too slow moving to hold any audience. The mystery and intrigue came across as cheesy knowing that it was Losts replacement (or hoped to be) and that they were making a lame attempt at copying that show.

I didnt hate Flash Forward but u cant just artificially manufacture a show to be like Lost.

Well, I don't think Lost has a monopoly on mystery. Just because a show it about a central mystery doesn't mean that it's just trying to rip off Lost.

I thought Lost was good, but it wasn't nearly my favorite show. I probably wouldn't even put it in my top 50 favorite shows. But that's just me.

Off_White_Lantern wrote:
Lost was as fantastic as anything thats ever been on television. No other show comes close to the level of thought and imagination that went into that show.

Ahem.....The X-Files, The Fugitive, The Prisoner, just to name a few.

Not comparing it to Lost but thought it was interesting in it's own right. Definitely looking forward on how they're going to explain the airplane.

Watched the first episode last night and I didn't mind it. It immediately seemed better written to me than Flashforward, which was one of my main issues with that show.

I don't think Jason Ritter is much of an actor though and most certainly not a leading man. I think they've made a mistake with that bit of casting.

At the end of the day it's going to come down to the characters. If you end up not being interested in the characters then it's not going to matter how many clever plot points they come up with the show won't be engaging. That will take a few episodes to tell.

Anyway, I didn't think it was a bad start and certainly not as awful as some are saying.

I tend to think "Vicky" (it was killing me where I'd seen her before until I realised I'd seen her just recently in Season 1 of Supernatural) is obviously some sort of plant to get close to Sean so they can kidnap his girlfriend. If that is the case it's interesting that she allowed herself to end up in a photo with him.

Denim wrote:I liked the way the first episode was formatted, with the back and forth between time, but it did not grab me the way Lost first did. I thought the actual "event" was predicatable.

Yeah, but was that the "event"? I don't think it was - I'm pretty sure they were referring to some incident in the past as the "event" earlier in the episode.

Aussiemandias wrote:

Denim wrote:I liked the way the first episode was formatted, with the back and forth between time, but it did not grab me the way Lost first did. I thought the actual "event" was predicatable.

Yeah, but was that the "event"? I don't think it was - I'm pretty sure they were referring to some incident in the past as the "event" earlier in the episode.

Yeah, that is why I put event in qoutes, until they reveal something in the past that happend (maybe first contact) I am considering that the actual event.

Well the commercials said before the show aired that the assination attempt was not the "event". I am not even sure that any of the revelations revealed tonight are the "event".

Nothing else is good on Mondays so I will keep watching. My only problem with the show is that the characters are smarter then the audience. Which is not a bad thing per say but stifles the writing. To many people; Sofia, President, his advisors, conspiriacy people know about the event. Even the character that tried to save the plane knows more then us. There is no Hurley (not comparing, just using a example) that acts as us. That says what the heck is going on.

I will have to say, I do love that there is alot going on and that there are quick answers for questions that add more questions. I will have to say, I will be watching it next week, I am impressed with the pacing.

Denim wrote:

Off_White_Lantern wrote:
Lost was as fantastic as anything thats ever been on television. No other show comes close to the level of thought and imagination that went into that show.

Ahem.....The X-Files, The Fugitive, The Prisoner, just to name a few.

Lost is in a seperate category when it comes to serialized shows. Nothing even comes close to the amount of preperation and thought that went into making that many seasons of a show fit together. Things that happened in season 1 were understood several seasons later. The entire series fits together like a giant movie and has a level of dedicated writing and continuity that hasnt been closely matched by any other show.

X-Files is a great show but was individual episodes on their own Lost wasnt that kind of show. One reason they dont try this is because people will miss an episode and not understand whats going on and tune out. That the story and characters kept people coming back that long is amazing.

I guess Alias was the most like Lost with several seasons all fitting together and mysteries being revealed or understood several seasons later.

Not saying its the best show ever its just unlike anything else in many ways.

Batman25JM wrote:

Off_White_Lantern wrote:

Batman25JM wrote:I actually really liked Flash Forward. I think if it had lasted longer I'd have liked it more than Lost. I mean, I liked Lost, but I didn't put it up on the same pedestal as a lot of people did. It was entertaining enough, but it wasn't fantastic, IMO.

Lost was as fantastic as anything thats ever been on television. No other show comes close to the level of thought and imagination that went into that show. The only problem people have with Lost is that its impossible to catch an episode and know what the hecks going on if u didnt watch every episode that came before it.

I actually watched a few Flash Forward episodes and thought it was way too slow moving to hold any audience. The mystery and intrigue came across as cheesy knowing that it was Losts replacement (or hoped to be) and that they were making a lame attempt at copying that show.

I didnt hate Flash Forward but u cant just artificially manufacture a show to be like Lost.

Well, I don't think Lost has a monopoly on mystery. Just because a show it about a central mystery doesn't mean that it's just trying to rip off Lost.

I thought Lost was good, but it wasn't nearly my favorite show. I probably wouldn't even put it in my top 50 favorite shows. But that's just me.

Im sorry but Flash Forward was an obvious attempt at making a Lost like show and getting their viewers once Lost went off the air. The people making FF mentioned Lost a million times before the series came out. The mystery and intrigue were forced and the show didnt work.

JonSpangler wrote:
Nothing else is good on Mondays so I will keep watching. My only problem with the show is that the characters are smarter then the audience. Which is not a bad thing per say but stifles the writing. To many people; Sofia, President, his advisors, conspiriacy people know about the event. Even the character that tried to save the plane knows more then us. There is no Hurley (not comparing, just using a example) that acts as us. That says what the heck is going on.

I think that kind of ties into my concern also (and there's only one episode I've seen so far so I'm not prepared to judge too early) that they might make the mistake of being so focussed on the story and mystery and forgetting about the characters which is critical to being a successful show.

You also make a great point - there are a large amount of characters already after 1 episode who know more than us. It's not that it's a mystery but it's that the creators are deliberately keeping the information from us which is a bit of a different approach and could very well alienate people from the show. You need that 1 character (or more) that you can connect with who also doesn't know what the hell is going on.

I have to say also that I try to be fair to other people's opinions but I struggle to see how anyone could say after that 1 episode that the show is terrible and they're not watching any more episodes. I just can't see how you could make that call at this stage (unless you're basing it on Ritter's acting which I do think was pretty ordinary) or that it was that bad.

To Keep Us Safe


I'm liking this show. Is it super-mega-ultra fantastic? No. But, it's fun, and that's all that matters to me.

I was thinking aliens after the first episode, and it appears I was right. Though, now I'm wondering if they may be genetically altered humans from the future. I guess we'll see.

While I do agree that Jason Ritter isn't the strongest actor, I find myself most interested in Sean's story.

After a moderately successful premiere, “The Event” suffered a 20% weekly viewership decline to a 2.9 rating and 8.9 million viewers. A show clearly modeled after “Lost,” this is not a good sign. The show’s already dropping into low-rated territory, and serialized shows that require weekly viewing generally fall faster than most. “The Event” is beginning to seem like the latest in a long-line of “Lost” knockoffs cancelled in its first season.

Source: http://blastmagazine.com/2010/09/28/tv-ratings-the-event-falls-few-watch-lone-star-two-and-half-men-on-top/

Ouch.

I think I originally said 6-8 episodes before it was canceled...I'm now predicting 5.

^What's the long line of Lost knockoffs? There was FlashForward and now The Event. What other shows were there? I can't think of any.

If it's canceled I won't be heartbroken, but I do hope it lasts. I won't count on it though.

^
Invasion
Kidnapped
The Nine
Vanished
Day One

They were all canceled so fast that you probably don't remember them.

^

I do remember The Nine, and I think I remember Invasion, but I don't remember the others at all.

Batman25JM wrote:To Keep Us Safe


I'm liking this show. Is it super-mega-ultra fantastic? No. But, it's fun, and that's all that matters to me.

I was thinking aliens after the first episode, and it appears I was right. Though, now I'm wondering if they may be genetically altered humans from the future. I guess we'll see.

While I do agree that Jason Ritter isn't the strongest actor, I find myself most interested in Sean's story.

I like the call on these people maybe being from the future. I didn't think of that but it could be you're on the money there and that's a bit more interesting scenario than a well worn aliens path.

I have to say though, after seeing the second episode, that Ritter is an absolutely terrible choice as a leading man. He's just not right - he's more like someone who should be in a small back-up role. And, man, the scene after the plane crash where he's telling the passengers how he wants them to evacuate the plane was pathetic. It really seemed like an attempt to set this guy up as a take charge Jack Shepherd type character and he just doesn't come across with the type of charisma to be that.

I think what a lot of creators have never got about Lost is that one of the main strengths of that show was in the characters. You only have to think about the characters in that show people have loved over the years (or as other examples look at 24 or The Shield). Have Flashforward or this show given us any characters that we really want to follow on a long term basis?