On My Radar: Am I the Only One Already Tired of "The Event"?

If you've been watching NBC at all this summer--maybe, like me, you watched "Last Comic Standing"--then you've been seeing a ton of vignettes and promos for a new show called "The Event." It's a mysterious speculative fiction type of show by the looks of things, with multiple characters each playing some part in the so-called "event" that irrevocably impacts everyone's lives. By the looks of it, NBC is really banking on this show to corral all those orphaned "Lost" fans from ABC. How effective they will be at creating an addictive show remains to be seen, however.

Personally, I'm already sick of the show. I don't care. I might check out the premiere, just to see if it'll win me over, but I am sick to death with those hokey and contrived ads.

And this is why I have lost interest in a show that hasn't even debuted yet. It feels so blatant with its appeal to viewers who want multiple story arcs and multiple hanging questions. Just. Like. "Lost." Here's the thing about "The Event" though: It's not "Lost," and the commercials lead me to believe that the mystery behind the event has an expiry date. Interest and intrigue will wain quickly once the storyline is set in motion.

Look at "Defying Gravity" and "Flash Forward." Those two shows both had good casting choices--although there were a couple of choices I questioned--and intriguing premises to hook viewers. But both of those shows fizzled within weeks. Why? The mystery and suspense of each main storyline diminished over time, and the storylines on the periphery were not sufficient to hold viewers. The great thing about "Lost" that has yet to be copied was how the supporting characters had their own storylines that entertained viewers as much or more than the "Big Question" hanging over the series.

When I see ads for "The Event" with members of the cast speaking to the camera in character, I'm not intrigued. And that guy who played the government agent on "Heroes" is playing a government agent in "The Event." I have one of those weird feelings telling me that history may repeat itself. "Heroes" started strong and then fell apart after a single season. I suspect the same will happen to "The Event"--and I don't think it'll take a whole season to derail.

Maybe I'm being too much of a curmudgeon. It wouldn't be the first time. And I do enjoy being proven wrong. I just don't think I will be this fall.