99 Words About … The return of event television
Dean Norris, rear right, heads the cast of "Under the Dome," which premieres Monday on CBS.
A cataclysmic event. A disparate band of survivors. Plenty of actors of the oh-there’s-that-guy/girl-again variety.
“Under the Dome” (10 p.m. Monday, KLAS-TV, Channel 8) has all the trappings of a Stephen King miniseries.
Back when there were miniseries.
Now, they’re “event series.”
Since “Hatfields & McCoys” and “The Bible” scored monster ratings, Hollywood’s been scooping up event series such as FX’s “Fargo” and Fox’s “24: Live Another Day.”
They sound more must-see than a miniseries. Who wants to miss an event?
They also come with a definitive end, something that’s hampered many recent serialized dramas.
Including one called “The Event.”
— CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE
