"The Event" Gets Big Push from NBC
NEW YORK (CBS) NBC is hoping to turn Monday night TV into a regular "Event."
The network's new thriller, "The Event," started strong on Monday night, pulling in nearly 11 million viewers. And it's hoping to keep that momentum going.
To help solidify the show's launch, The Hollywood Reporter says, NBC is planning to re-air the show's pilot on Saturday night. The network is also going to announce a special West Coast viewing of the pilot after the big ratings-getter "Sunday Night Football" (which is available to 11 percent of the country).
NBC's entertainment president Angela Bromstad told THR that the marketing frenzy will continue, in the forms of advertisements, booking the show's talent on morning and late-night shows and sending additional episodes to critics.
"We're still in launch mode," she said.
But while "The Event" has the benefit of being the only serialized genre show on TV this season, it should be wary: other serials like "FlashForward" and "V" showed that early ratings spikes can quickly drop if the show does not continue to meet viewers' expectations.
Producers have pledged that the show will try to maintain the drama while refraining from frustrating viewers with too many mysteries.
"We want to have the show to be a thriller where you're getting answers that resolve mysteries in each episode, that keep up a level of tension rather without being frustrating," Bromstad told THR.
A rival network executive told the website that while NBC deserves props for the show's initial ratings, "The Event" "is all about Week 3."
"It was a solid opening for them, but several similar shows have opened well and faded quickly," the exec said. "It's ultimately not how many you get, it's how many you can keep."
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