The Event

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Transmitted:	September 2010 -May 2011
Country of origin:	USA
Genre:	Alien invasion, paranoia, conspiracy
Starring:	Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer, Ian Anthony Dale, Zeljko Ivanek, Blair Underwood, Laura Innes
Rating:	5/5
No. of seasons:	1

Complex, action packed, politically charged series that, criminally, has been cancelled after just one season.

The premise:
In the 1940's, an alien craft crashed in Alaska. Imprisoned, the aliens look identical to human beings, the key difference seeming to be their long lives, possibly their immortality.
Not all of the aliens are caught, though and, secretly, those that evaded capture have been working to push forward mankind's technological achievement in the hope that, one day, they may return home.
Skip to present day, and a new President survives an assassination attempt when a passenger jet is diverted from crashing into his location via some kind of portal. Alien technology, of course.
The President, now aware of the aliens, and of the prison facility still operating in Alaska, frees them. But not all are prepared to work for the good of co-existence and, when news comes that their world is in jeopardy, suddenly the aliens' motives become very different indeed.

And it's gripping stuff.
Taut as a chastity belt beneath a nunly cassock, this blends high drama with fast-paced action.
Lots of gunplay, lots of people shouting, lots of histrionics, all well handled.
Added to this, the political machinations, both of the aliens and the humans; power struggles, deceit, betrayal, all present and correct.
With cliff-hangers that leave you breathless, gagging for more, how on Earth this was not picked up for a second season is a genuine mystery, and perhaps yet further evidence of the dumbing down of TV audiences.
Complex, multi-layered and intriguing?
No thanks.
Give us Desperate Scousewives and Britain's Got Talent, instead.
Fucking idiots.
Quality science-fiction, then, with a contemporary setting, this is sci-fi 'normals' can enjoy, too, I suspect.
Excellent TV.

Find an episode guide here