Five Fall Shows You Must See: We Know What The Event Is...It's Our No. 2!

NBC

Time jumping. Mystery. Conspiracy. Supernatural phenomena. Gorgeous stars. Blockbuster pilot. What's not to love about The Event, NBC's intriguing new conspiracy thriller?

Ah, but that's what we said just last year about ABC's FlashForward...before the show runners jumped ship and the show descended into suck.

So is The Event really worth your investment? We say, hell yes, and here's why...

The Event (NBC)

Premieres: Monday, Sept. 20, 9 p.m.
Time-Slot Competition: Gossip Girl (CW), Lone Star (Fox), Two and a Half Men (CBS), Mike & Molly (CBS)
Cast: Blair Underwood, Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer, Patterson, Zeljko Ivanek, Taylor Cole, Laura Innes
Status: We've seen the pilot episode.

We know, we know. You don't want to get burned again. And we get it.

Sci-fi fans are understandably wary about the networks cheating on their investment in a series' mythology, whether it's a disappointing downturn (the aforementioned FlashForward) premature cancellation (Firefly), losing focus (Heroes) or not explaining all of its mysteries (Lost).

But because The Event pilot is so riveting, we're going to trust executive producer Evan Katz (24) when he says, "We're keeping mysteries open, but we're solving them. In the second episode, we're very clearly answering the two largest open questions in the pilot."

We're not going to name those questions and spoil the pilot for you, but we highly recommend you tune in Sept. 20 before making any decrees.

The Event is packed with enough high-octane action and edge-of-seat suspense in its first hour that we can't help but want to go along for the ride. Plus, we're pretty sure America is gonna fall in love with the series' surprisingly convincing everyman hero: Jason Ritter.

Verdict: Watch—if the series can maintain the momentum of its nail-biting thriller of a pilot, this series could satisfy our Lost cravings. Keep an open mind. Give it a shot.

What's your take on The Event? Share your thoughts in the comments!

OUR TOP FIVE SO FAR:

5. Running Wilde (Fox)
4. Nikita (CW)
3. No Ordinary Family (ABC)
2. The Event (NBC)

_______

Click through E! Online's Fall TV Preview photo gallery, check out all our reviews for this season's new shows, and be sure to bookmark our calendar of premiere dates!