The Event: TV Review

When NBC's big fall series The Event premiered, it came out to what were characterized as "generally favorable" reviews. In a post-Lost world, it was pretty clear some show had to fill the void of serialized paranormal behavior, and Event was touted as the next contender (succeeding ABC's FlashForward, which fizzled last season). Not unlike the "I Want to Believe" poster in Fox Mulder's office on The X-Files, viewers and even critics really do want to believe in something bigger -- a story full of mystery, suspense and thrills that is another world removed from, say, Law & Order. For a certain kind of viewer, there is a thirst for a serialized drama that slowly puts together a complicated puzzle. What few networks and cable channels seem to get is how important it is to schedule such a show properly.