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Day One reduced to miniseries - SciFiNow

Day One reduced to miniseries

NBC cuts order for debut show, in surprising vote of no confidence.

DayOne_cast-thumb-550x341-18220NBC has reduced its episode order for Day One, a new post-apocalyptic series focusing on an invasion of the Earth by unknown creatures, from thirteen to just four in a shock move that has left many wondering whether the network has any confidence in the show.

The four-hour order includes the pilot produced as a test for the green light earlier in the year, and now changes the definition of the show to a miniseries. Television pundits, however, have likened this change to that of Battlestar Galactica, which was initially produced as a miniseries proof before NBC Universal gave it the green light to go ahead to a full series, with backing from Sky One.

Indeed, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that is exactly how the network will be looking at the show, with the miniseries serving as a backdoor pilot. It’s also entirely possible that NBC feels the market is overcrowded with disaster programming at the moment – ABC’s FlashForward presents a quasi-apocalyptic event where everyone on the planet sees their future, causing global catastrophe, the Syfy channel has Caprica in the midseason, which serves as a prelude to the post-apocalyptic Battlestar Galactica, The CW is depicting the apocalypse in Supernatural while recent series such as Jericho have explored the topic in depth.

Whatever the reason, the Day One miniseries will air following the Winter Olympics, in March 2010.