NBC has canceled "The Event" after just one season on the network. The decision to cancel one of its most-hyped shows in years had to be a tough one for the executives at the network, but the writing seemed to be on the wall for quite a while.
Entertainment Weekly reported on the announcement from NBC, and it is certainly one that is going to frustrate the fans who stuck with the show. It seemed like this was a show that just didn't return from hiatus quickly enough this spring, and that many viewers had simply moved on after what seemed like several months between new episodes.
Through the most recent episode of "The Event," the average number of viewers every week was pegged at 7.4 million. It was also pulling in a mark of 2.5 million in the key demographic viewers of 18-49, which might have been good enough on its own to bring back most shows. For the raw number of viewers though, this is one of those shows that probably needed to be hitting double-digits in order to ensure it would be coming back for a second season.
Unlike many of the shows that have had a lot of success for the four big networks right now, "The Event" was trying to build up its story lines through a serialized format. Each week built upon the previous week, and that meant if a viewer ended up missing an episode, they could be completely lost by the time the next episode rolled around. When NBC decided to have an extended hiatus during the winter months, it only served to further separate viewers from what had been going on in the show. That could be one of the key mistakes that led to the downfall of "The Event" in the end.
This wasn't the only news that came out from NBC on Friday night though, as it also announced that "Law & Order: L.A." would be canceled. The newest spawn of the "Law & Order" series never seemed to get off the ground, and even a casting shake-up couldn't save it. The half-hour comedy "Outsourced" also fell victim to low ratings, and that brought on its own cancellation as well. Now NBC has a few gaps in the schedule for fall 2011 that they will have to fill.
For some NBC viewers, there was a bit of great news as "Chuck" was brought back for a fifth season. That announcement was a bit of a surprise because the show hasn't been strong in the ratings, but dedicated fans seem to keep helping this show come back year after year.




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