OPINION: KILLING "THE EVENT"!

The opening promotions for THE EVENT were deliberately vague, but Channel Four's lack of faith in the series may soon see it completely disappear from UK TV screens! Image: NBC.

I'm sorry, Channel Four, but what was the point of spending presumably a vast amount of money buying an exclusive, and expensive, first run premiere sci-fi/thriller series like THE EVENT, keeping it away from competitors like SKY, and then effectively burying it, not once but twice, in several graveyard time slots within a mere matter of weeks. If there was any sign ever needed that a major terrestrial network had given up on a series, and presumably its relatively loyal audience watching the show (at a crucial time when the series has improved a great deal and could actually do with more of a booster from its screeners), then you've certainly provided a fine example of such poor lack of judgement...

I used to moan that it was wrong for SKY to buy up all the great new and exclusive stuff for themselves and veritably stopping the terrestrial channels from getting them, but when you see what a horrendous job Four have done with a show that could have been marketed better beyond just the pilot episode and posted in a more satisfying time slot from the start (Monday at 9pm would have been the best, I feel), I soon began to realise that at least SKY have consistency in those all-important factors-they keep the shows in their slots and don't muck about with them or their audiences.

To the management of Channel Four, don't bother hurting us with programmes you have no real interest in-just keep churning out those same old gardening/lifestyle/cookery programmes for the mindless masses, and those tacky sex education programmes keeping so-called journalist/presenter/Arnold Schwarzenegger suer Anna Richardson in work, as well as your own UK produced films and drama (sorry, the ones that go into Cinemas first then come on television later, after you've milked as much money as you can out of them/us). Anything else, y'know, like enjoyable hokum that's actually well-made and enjoyable and requires the viewers to think about things...

Nah, don't bother!

UPDATE: 13/5/2011. THE EVENT was sadly axed by NBC today due to low ratings. A shame. Like FLASH FORWARD, just when it was picking up the pace and getting exciting, its sent into extinction!