The science fiction and fantasy genres are among the most popular in entertainment but this enthusiasm is typically not shared by the executives in charge of network television programming. Over the years many examples of these series have been introduced, some quite imaginative in nature, but in most cases they meet the cruel fate of cancelation before their time. In 2010 season was particularly bad for the devotees of Sci-fi and fantasy. Several series were premiered but almost every one of them joined the lamentable ‘cancelled before its time’ list. One of the most promising of this group was an offering from ‘NBC’, ‘The Event’. This series was a fresh take on a well explored theme and definitely warranted better treatment than it received. The foundation of the show was a perennial favorite, invasion by extraterrestrials. This theme is ripe with potential for social commentary with allegorical ties to such cultural issues as the rise of fascism to the covert infiltration of ‘the communist’ menace. In the case of ‘The Event’ the goal was less geared towards exploration of historical sociopolitical take-over and more targeted to psychotically gripping entertainment.

So instead of a re-imagining of ‘V’ or ‘Invasion of the Body Snatcher’ it felt like a smartly done, more mature take on ‘Invaders from Mars’. Not so much in the details; there is no subterranean nest of alien Mutants, but in its tendency to forgo a lesion in historical sociology in favor of a purer form of entertainment. ‘The Event’ was a potentially masterful blend of mature themes running the gamut from a taught political thriller to and engaging conspiracy mystery. In short it was written on a level more involved than the typical television series. There is a factor at work here that contributed to the rapid decline in ratings that lead to the cancellation of the show. After ‘Heroes’ and ‘Lost’ audiences began to demand immediate gratification. Both those series were expertly crafted to dole out the mysteries and clues at a slow pace; perhaps too slowly for a generation hooked on rapid fire entrainment. Series like this, including ‘The Event’ are less like a graphic novel TV audiences demand as a format and more like a thick, meaty novel were great care was taken to pace the exposition and character development in a gradual fashion. At least there is a DVD set to capture all 22 episodes affording you the optimal way to watch this series; one episode after another. This way eliminates the three month mid season hiatus imposed by network that entirely disrupted the flow required to fully appreciate and understand the story.

Shortly after taking office President Elias Martinez (Blair Underwood) is read into an issue the government has been keeping a closely guarded secret for over sixty years. During this time a sizable number of people have been detained in a secure facility located in Mount Inostranka, Alaska. Although six decades have pasted the detainees have barely aged a day; they are of extraterrestrial origins. Under the nominal guidance of their leader, Sophia (Sophia (Laura Innes), most have peacefully accepted their incarceration although as we soon discover some have escaped and live undetected among us. The President feels that this unlawful detainment is a travesty and plans to publically announce the dismantling of the facility despite the adamant objections of Director of National Intelligence Blake Sterling (Željko Ivanek). The situation becomes alarmingly public when a plane appears to be aiming for the President’s press conference but before it crashes it disappears into a shimmering vortex. The story broadens out nicely with the inclusion of a second tier of character unrelated (at first) to the already established political machinations. Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) is on vacation with his girlfriend Leila (Sarah Roemer). He’s about to pop the question when she is kidnapped. Frantically Sean goes all out to track her down and get her back. He confronts Leila's father Michael (Scott Patterson), the pilot of the plane that almost killed the President pleading with him to turn around. Moments later they crash into a desert in Arizona. Soon the chase is on with F.B.I. Agent Collier (Heather McComb) engaged in a cat and mouse game with Sean. A radical splinter group of aliens lead by Sophia’s son Thomas (Clifton Collins Jr.) set on the survival of his kind even at the expense of humanity. No one is who they seem as even Simon Lee (Ian Anthony Dale), CIA operative, assigned by Sterling to track down Thomas and his faction turns out to be an alien in deep cover. The political intrigue heightens when the Vice President, Raymond Jarvis (Bill Smitrovich) who makes a Faustian deal with the extraterrestrials

The series had enough diversity that it should have generated a broader appeal. There was a love story where Sean is the ultimate tragic romantic hero willing to risk everything to save the woman he loves. Political backroom deals are well represented and mirrored with both humans and extraterrestrials. The Vice President is willing to assassinate the President for his own political gain while alien mother and son are engaging in a deadly struggle for power with the fate of humanity hanging on the balance. There is more misdirection that seen in anything recently with the possible exception of ‘Lost’. The upside here is unlike the high jinks on that island the time between the introduction of a mystery and the big reveal was trimmed down to only a couple of episodes. The characters were well drawn affording the talented cast a basis to build complex yet realistic interpersonal relationships. There was plenty of action to keep the pace moving but alas the ratings plummeted and after the untimely mid season break the series could not recover