A New 'Revolution'

"We lived in an electric world. We relied on it for everything. And then the power went out. Everything stopped working. We weren't prepared. Fear and confusion lead to panic. The lucky ones made it out of the cities. The government collapsed. Militias took over, controlling the food supply and stockpiling weapons. We still don't know why the power went out, but we're hopeful that someone will come and light the way." — Miles Matheson, "Revolution"

"Revolution," otherwise known as the only show on NBC not named "The Voice" that draws a decent ratings share, returned on Monday. The show debuted in the fall, ran 10 new episodes, and took a break in November. It finally returned on March 25.

There are a few schools of thought on this. First, these kind of serialized shows benefit from no reruns. That's understandable. It is a problem many shows like this have dealt with in the past. Second, "Revolution" benefits from following "The Voice," otherwise known as the only successful show on NBC. "The Voice" ran in the fall, took a break, and has now returned for another run. I can understand wanting to keep this pairing and fearing what might happen to "Revolution" on its own.

That being said, breaking up a show like this — especially in its first year — is not a good idea. It killed  "FlashFoward" on ABC and similarly doomed "The Event" on NBC. You could argue those weren't excellent shows to begin with, but still we live in an out of sight, out of mind world. So taking a three month break isn't advisable.

Of course, absent that you only have a few options. You can delay the start — ala "LOST" — and run a sequential block later in the year. Or you can chose the break up option — which NBC did with "Grimm," a second-year show, also this fall.

In the first episode back, "Revolution" posted decent numbers, enough to suggest NBC's ploy may have worked. Only time will tell. Of course, they need the show to work because nothing else has so far this season.

That means generating some story movement. That is another way in which Monday's return was a success. It looks as if the pace — and action — are about to pick up. The show also looks to be making use of its best resources — Billy Burke, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Giancarlo Esposito.

Again, only time will tell. "Revolution" was the biggest new show of the fall, now it's time to see if it can flourish in the spring.