Stephen King Praised This 'Clever' And 'Suspenseful' Sci-Fi…

Summary

King's iconic stories are coming to screens, including 'The Long Walk' in 2025.
The author praised 'The Event' TV show for its suspenseful, lost-like storyline.
'The Event' was canceled after a season due to poor ratings but is available on streaming platforms.

Stephen King' s stories have made a huge impact on the entertainment world, from the memorable dog in Cujo to the haunted hotel in The Shining. While much of his work has been turned into haunting TV shows and unforgettable movies, several of his books, novellas, and short stories still haven't been adapted yet. Thankfully, more and more of his work is being translated to the small and big screen, including the upcoming The Long Walk, which will be released in theaters in September 2025.

King has an amazing ability to make readers feel big emotions while terrifying them with tales of horrifying clowns like Pennywise and powerful teenagers like Carrie White. The author enjoys keeping up with the latest pop culture releases and he has spent years letting his fanbase know what movies and TV shows are particularly good. In his column for Entertainment Weekly, King shared his favorite 2010 TV shows, and he mentioned a sci-fi series that needs more attention.

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By Rachael Fiddis

Stephen King Loved The Underrated Sci-Fi TV Show The Event

In December 2010, Stephen King shared the TV shows that he loved from the past year, and King praised The Event, a sci-fi show that only aired for one season. He wrote:

"In this clever, suspenseful drama, the U.S. Is holding political prisoners in the Arctic: not terrorists, but aliens who might be terrorists. The Event is 24 crossbred with Lost, and that's a helluva gene pool. Kudos to Jason Ritter in the lead role and Laura Innes as Sophia, the leader of the marooned aliens."

While many still debate the ending of Lost and not everyone thinks every plotline was properly explained, the series is still the gold standard when it comes to mystery shows. The Event drew comparisons to Lost when it first aired in September 2010, and as King explained, the show also features the fast-paced tone of 24. The Event is about Sean Walker (Jason Ritter), who is looking for his girlfriend Leila Buchanan (Sarah Roemer). As he finds out what happened to her, the government discovers the existence of aliens, and the characters work together to solve these dark and fascinating mysteries. The tension between the humans and aliens is a lot of fun to watch, and it's hard not to feel frustrated that the series didn't get at least one more season to flesh out the mystery.

The Event has a great cast that includes Scott Patterson, who plays Leila's dad Michael Buchanan and who is known for his role as diner owner Luke Danes on the quirky comedy Gilmore Girls. Like Lost, every episode of The Event teases a huge payoff, and while some might say that didn't happen since it was canceled after just one season, these 22 episodes are still entertaining. Sean is a great main character who cares about Leila and wants to find out everything he can about her past, and he goes on a gripping journey.

Although The Event only has a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 60% on the Popcornmeter, King is right to call it "clever" and "suspenseful." From the beginning, it's unclear if the aliens are going to be depicted as friendly monsters or terrifying villains, and that question keeps viewers engaged. Fans of political stories and sci-fi tales will like the fast-paced and moving tone. The season 1 finale, which ended up being the series finale, is also a perfect ending. Although it would have been compelling to see what happened to Sean and the aliens next, at least the show ended on an interesting note.

Why The Event Was Canceled After One Season (And Where To Stream It)

Jason Ritter and Sarah Roemer in The Event

Unfortunately, The Event only had one season, and Deadline reported in May 2011 that NBC decided to cancel the series because of poor ratings.

Although Deadline reported that the show might find another home, that didn't end up happening. Nick Wauters, the creator of The Event, said:

“We have a dedicated fan base, and we promised them we will deliver one way or another and will continue to tell our stories.”

While it's a shame that fans didn't get to see more seasons of this gripping sci-fi series, viewers can find The Event season 1 on The Roku Channel and Fandago At Home. Both services are free. Although the show might not have found a wide audience, and it might not be considered one of the most memorable sci-fi shows, King was a huge fan, and it's worth checking out.