In a move that some commentators have interpreted as a cost-cutting exercise, NBC have dramatically slashed the number of episodes for upcoming alien invasion drama Day One from 13 episodes to 4, which will air as a miniseries.
It’s expected that NBC will take note of the ratings and any critical acclaim that the Day One miniseries picks up before deciding whether to extend the story to a full series, similar to the way in which Battlestar Galactica moved from a miniseries to a 4 season show.
NBC are apparently still deciding how to air the miniseries but it will likely be broken into two 2-hour episodes airing in the aftermath of the Winter Olympics coverage. NBC insist that they’d always seen Day One as “event television”, hence the initial order for just 13 episodes, but this decision still must sting for the cast and crew.
Creator Jesse Alexander is putting on a brave face, however, saying “I’ve been in discussions with the network for some time about the best way to launch what I truly feel is an awesome television programme,” adding that the post-Olympic slot would give Day One “all the promotional power it needs for great success.”
Whilst I wasn’t blow away by the trailer for Day One I’d been hoping it would be a strong new sci-fi show; it still could be, of course, but this move could be a sign of NBC lacking confidence in Day One.
Two episodes of the series have already been filmed, with writers now reportedly tweaking the remaining two hours in order to resolve some storylines whilst leaving other threads open for a potential series.
It’s an “alien invasion drama”? Oooh. Where did you glean that nugget of information from?
Whilst I don’t think Day One has been explicitly described by the makers as an alien invasion drama that seems to be the general assumption based mainly on the trailer (which features things shooting down from the sky and growing into massive structures) as well as the interpretation of some of the dialogue.