Comparative Analysis:

Last Resort - Revolution - The Strain

A comparison of three post-apocalyptic themed television series


Last Resort ABC



Season 1: Premiered September 27, 2012, concluded January 24, 2013
13 episodes - Thursdays @ 8pm

No longer lives on the ABC website

Last Resort Campaign Summary:
Marketed to the core male dominated fan base that enjoys epic adventures.

Season 1 Campaign Tactics & Timeline:

May 15 Trailer is released TV.com reveals ABCs new series trailers and
pitches

May 31 Critics review the series with positive recommendations
TIME Test Pilot: Last Resort

Summer 2012 - Trailers and promotional clips were shown in movie
theaters with high-profile films like The Bourne Legacy and The Dark
Knight.

July-September - There were several exclusive interviews, GetGlue
announcements, and cast photos posted on the shows social platforms
before the premiere. The FB page also featured positive press reviews.

July 26 ABC announces premiere date
Digital Spy ABC unveils fall premiere dates: Modern Family, Last Resort,
Revenge

July 27 - Marketing poster revealed
Entertainment Weekly ABC's 'Last Resort' marketing poster unveiled --
PHOTO

September - ABC created a choose your own adventure style YouTube
video, placing the viewer in the character situational roles. Playing the
game unlocked exclusive video content.

September 9 Yahoo streams of the full pilot episode before it airs.
Yahoo Watch ABCs new fall drama Last Resort in full before it airs
Thursday, September 27
Huffington Post Watch ABC's 'Last Resort' Pilot Online (VIDEO)

September 9 - Alexandra Cheneyon of the Wall Street Journal writes on
controversial themes in the series.
WSJ - ABC Walks a 'Sensitive' Line With Military Drama 'Last Resort'

July - September - Talent interviews (before premiere) with the shows two
stars and producer Shawn Ryan.

Andre Braugher Aug. 8
o Huffington Post 'Last Resort': Andre Braugher Talks New ABC
Show In Sneak Peek (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

Scott Speedman Sept. 7
o E! Online Watch Now: Meet Scott Speedman's Last Resort Wife
Jessy Schram

Shawn Ryan July 28
o Collider Shawn Ryan Talks LAST RESORT, the New ABC Drama
Series Centering on a Rogue U.S. Submarine Crew


September 27 Series premiere - 2.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic
with 9.31 million total viewers

September 27 Reviews of the premiere are published
Entertainment Weekly 'Last Resort' premiere review: Did it sink or swim
for you?

November 13 Zap2it predicts the series will be cancelled
TV by the Numbers ABC: 'Last Resort' & '666 Park Avenue' Are Certain
To Be Canceled, Why Are They Still On The Air?

November 16 ABC announces the series is cancelled after 13 episodes
Entertainment Weekly ABC cancels '666,' 'Last Resort'
Deadline Freshman ABC Dramas Last Resort And 666 Park Avenue
Cancelled

January 24, 2013 Series finale - 1.2 in the 18-49 demo with 5.48 million
total viewers

July 2, 2013 DVD release of TV series and special soundtrack for the
series is released on YouTube. The track featured authentic submarine
recordings.
Marv Dumon The Examiner Last Resort composer Robert Duncan to
release soundtrack on July 2



Season 1 OBSERVATIONS:

Last Resort Metascore: 74 & Userscore 7.9 (of 131 reviews)
The show launched with decent numbers but couldnt compete with other
popular shows like The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men.
ABC premiered this show with 666 Park Avenue, which was cancelled
along with Last Resort.


Season 1 PR:
There was not much PR as the season was so short. Most PR covered the
cancellation.
The series was mentioned in Military Times (along with Last Ship)
Navy Times Reports: Fox passes on carrier-based Wild Blue drama


Last Resort Social:
Facebook had approximately 240K likes.
Twitter account 10.5K followers, not much activity by account operators.
Instagram account little activity with 17 followers

Episode 01-01: Thursday, 09/27/12 (series premiere)
2.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 9.31 million total viewers.
Season averages: 2.20 in the demo with 9.31 million.

Episode 01-13: Thursday, 01/24/13 (series finale)
1.2 in the demo (+20% change) with 5.48 million (+8% change).
Season averages: 1.38 in the demo with 6.26 million.

Episode Timeline With 18-49 Demo Ratings





Revolution NBC



Season 1: Premiered September 17, 2012, concluded June 3, 2013
20 episodes
Mondays @ 10pm

Show Website: NBC Revolution
NBCs show page features episode guides, photos, social, games, exclusives
with cast, and a web store.

Season 1 Campaign Tactics & Timeline:

July 12 The cast makes an appearance at the 2012 Comic-Con
Entertainment Weekly NBC's giant 'Revolution' Comic-Con power switch --
PHOTO

July 24 NBC announces that the new series Revolution will be preview during
the Olympics
Deadline NBC To Preview Revolution During The Olympics, Sample New
Series Online And On Demand

August- NBC hosted a voting campaign on the Facebook page that allowed fans
to vote where the advanced screening would take place. The voting platforms
featured a blacked out map that illuminated the states according to votes. The
ads were run during the most- watched Olympic events.
Vote to Watch a Revolution Screening in Your City

August 20 NBC reveals the Revolution screening locations
TV Guide NBC Reveals The 10 Cities to Land a Revolution Screening

September 4 - New York held the first premiere screening (see events)

September 6 - Screenings in other contest winning cities: Atlanta, Boston,
Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, and
Seattle

September 6 - Brian Stelter of the NY Times writes a review of the series before
the upcoming premiere
New York Times Navigating Darkness, or Enlightenment

September 17 Premiere Episode 11.7M viewers and 5.9 in 18-49 demo
New York Daily News TV Review: NBC's 'Revolution'

October 30 NBC announces mid-season return date
Access Hollywood NBC Announces Premiere Dates For Season 4 Of The Voice,
Midseason Revolution Return

November 20 - Fall Finale 1.4 in the 18-40 demo and 5.2M total viewers

November 21 Recaps of the fall finale are published
Huffington Post 'Revolution' Mid-Season Finale: Aaron Finally Learns Where His
Powers Come From (VIDEO)

Entertainment Weekly 'Revolution' post-mortem: Boss on [spoiler]'s surprise
appearance, what comes next

January 6, 2013 LA Times reveals more of the upcoming return of the series
Los Angeles Times Winter TCA: NBC's 'Revolution' will be 'more shocking, more
often'

January 7 NBC releases new trailer for series return in March
ComingSoon Trailer for the Return of Revolution on NBC

February 3 Successful social marketing move in tweet form during the Super
Bowl blackout.
Hollywood Reporter NBC's 'Revolution' Takes Advantage of Super Bowl Blackout

March 6 NBC releases the first minute trailer of the upcoming mid-season
premiere
Hollywood Reporter 'Revolution': First Minute of Midseason Premiere Released
(Video)

March 13 Producer Eric Kripke and cast member, Elizabeth Mitchell give
exclusive interview of upcoming season
Zap2it 'Revolution' midseason premiere spoilers: Eric Kripke and Elizabeth
Mitchell talk Season 1 return

March 25 Series returns after 4month hiatus, airing after The Voice with 7.2M
viewers. The return was the #1 drama of the night.

April 16 NBC announces the season finale will be delayed
Huffington Post 'Revolution' Season Finale Pushed To June 3

April 24 The network announces its order for a second season
Huffington Post 'Revolution' Renewed: NBC Orders Season 2

June 3 season 1 finale
Deadline RATINGS RAT RACE: Revolution Rises In Finale, Mistresses Debuts
Soft, The Voice Even, Bachelorette Hits Low

June 4 Recaps of the season finale are published
Yahoo TV 'Revolution' Finale Recap: Season 1 Ends With a Bang and a Big
Death

Popwatch Entertainment Weekly 'Revolution' finale react: Let there be light

June 18 Cast members give interview from the Monte Carlo Television Festival
discussing a characters exit from the show
Access Hollywood Revolution Stars Talk Noras Season 1 Finale Exit


Season 1 OBSERVATIONS:

Metacritic Score: 64 & User Reviews 5.7 (of 315 reviews)
The Voice was a huge lead-in for Revolution, leading to big ratings
numbers.
There is a highly noted drop off in the second half of the show, which is
said to be common in the 10pm time slot.

Awards: Nominated For Peoples Choice (Favorite New TV Drama), Satellite
Awards (Best Television Series, Genre) Saturn Awards (Best Actor, Actress,
Supporting Actor),
Awards: Won Saturn Award (Best Network Television Series)

Season 1 PR:
Los Angeles Times NBC's 'Revolution' is top network drama premiere in three
years
Network Press Releases NBC Revolution Press Releases
The Examiner NBC's 'Revolution' has fewer episodes, so why the long break?


Season 1 EVENTS:
Cycle Screening -The screening for premiere episode on September 6: New York
hosted the first screening event for Revolutions series launch. 80 guests sat
upon stationary bikes to generate electricity for lighting. Members of the cast
were there riding bikes as well.
BikeNYC.org

Advanced Screenings - The rest of the cities hosted advanced screenings a
couple days later. Fans voted these cities on during the Revolution Facebook
contest.

Comic Con -The cast and producers make a Comic Con panel appearance in
July 2012


















Season 2
Premiered September 25, 2013, season 2 is currently airing
22 episodes
Wednesdays @ 8pm

Season 2 Campaign Timeline & Tactics:

May 12 The network announces that the show is moving to Wednesday
night
Deadline NBCs 2013-14 Schedule: Revolution Moves To Wednesday,
Parenthood To Thursday, Blacklist Gets Post Voice Slot

July 20 NBC releases the trailer for season 2
Entertainment Weekly 'Revolution' season 2 trailer drops nuclear spoilers

July 2013 Teaming up with Warner Bros Worldwide TV Marketing and
DC Entertainment, Revolution debuts digital character cards at Comic
Con. Cards could be unlocked after fans tweeted the #RevolutionCon

July Revolution cast makes an appearance at the Comic Con as a panel
to promote the new series
NBC San Diego NBC's 'Revolution' Talks Shop at Comic-Con

September 14 Season 2 promotional poster revealed

September The premiere episode is reviewed early
The Examiner Fall 2013 TV Preview: NBC's' 'Revolution' season 2
premiere

The Wrap 5 Things to Expect on Revolution Season 2
Sept 25 Season 2 premiere episode 11.7M viewers and 2.9 ratings in
18-49 demo
This was one of NBCs biggest premieres in recent time. Nielson claimed
it as NBCs strongest series launch in 5 years.

Sept 26 Critics review the Season 2 premiere
Entertainment Weekly 'Revolution' disarmed in season 2 premiere ratings

Huffington Post 'Revolution' Season 2 Premiere: 7 Reasons To Give
NBC's Drama A Second Chance

October Revolution cast makes an appearance during the San Antonio
Fall Fest for the United Service Organizations
USO PHOTOS: Cast of NBC's 'Revolution' Brings Smiles to San Antonio

November 20 mid-season finale (ratings tied series low 5.2M viewers,
1.4 in 18-49 demo)

December 2013 Forbes discusses NBCs slight struggle with ratings
Forbes Why is NBC Afraid of Original Material?

January 7 E! Online offers sneak peak
E! News Revolution Sneak Peek: Three's a Crowd When Miles, Monroe
and Rachel Team up to Find a Long-Lost SonWatch

January 8, 2014 Season 2 midseason premiere (6.1M viewers, 1.5 in
18-49 demo)

January 9 Revolutions return rises in ratings
TV Line Ratings: Chicago P.D. Cops Good Numbers as Revolution and
SVU Rise; People's Choice Drops



Season 2 OBSERVATIONS:

Metacritic: Not yet rated & User Score: 8.3 (of only 29 reviews)
NBC s president uses Sunday and Monday nights for the best shows
believing that strong ratings early in the week will lead to strong ratings
Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The ratings were steady, though not as good as season 1. This is most
likely due to the show losing its lead-in The Voice as it switched days.
Remained NBCs #1 scripted television series
There were more events and promotion tactics used for second season as
the series was a huge success


Season 2 PR:
Bret Michael makes special appearance in the second season
Rolling Stone Bret Michaels Sings a Poison Classic on NBC's 'Revolution'

Revolution wins at the Creative Emmy Awards
Star News Online Locally filmed 'Revolution' takes home an Emmy



Season 2 EVENTS:

Comic Con - The cast and producers appear for a panel at 2013 Comic-Con.

San Antonio Fall Festival - Several members of the cast make an appearance at
the San Antonio Fall Festival to meet and greet with fans as well as those in
United Service Organizations.


Revolution SOCIAL: Present on many platforms Instagram 658 followers,
regularly posting teaser episode photos as well as personal cast photos.
Google + has approximately 173K followers
Facebook ~ 905K likes, features episode photos and a lot of fan interaction
Twitter ~ 78K followers

Awards Nominated For: Emmys (Outstanding Visual Effects in Supporting
Role), TV Guide Awards (Favorite New Series)

Awards Won: Emmys (Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a drama series,
miniseries or movie) BMI TV Music Awards (Composer)











The Strain FX Networks






Season 1: Debuts in July 2014 on the FX Network
13 episodes based on vampire trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro
Night and Timeslot TBA

Network Website: THE STRAIN
Features exclusive sneak peaks and press releases


Season 1: Campaign Tactics & Timeline:

Summer 2013 Cast members are announced for pilot

July 12 Cast member Sean Astin gives interviews about the upcoming
series at Comic Con

October 28 Guillermo Del Toro is interviewed by the WSJ about the
upcoming pilot
Wall Street Journal Guillermo del Toro on Halloween, His Love of Books
and The Strain

November 19 FX announces the 13 episodes pick up of The Strain
USA Today FX takes on vampires with 'The Strain'

November The series announcement is picked up by several outlets
Collider Guillermo del Toro Talks FX Series THE STRAIN; Says Casting
Has Begun for the Pilot, Which Theyll Shoot Next Year

Yahoo Vampire Apocalypse Series 'The Strain' to Air on FX

November 20 The network announces cast member
Hollywood Reporter FX's 'The Strain' Casts 'Harry Potter's' David Bradley
to Replace John Hurt

December 2 The Strain trailer premieres during The Walking Dead
midseason finale
Zap2it TCA: FXs Vampire Series The Strain A Statement About
Empiricism And Religion Without Sex
Hollywood Reporter FX's 'The Strain' Gets Cryptic First Promo (Video)
December 5 Regina King is announced as new cast member
Deadline Regina King Joins FX Series The Strain

January 8 2014 First images of the show are revealed
Yahoo TV 'The Strain' on FX: First Look at Guillermo del Toro's New
Vampire Drama Series

January 14 The showrunner makes an appearance at the Television
Critics Associations winter press tour to screen a first look of new series
Hollywood Reporter The Strain's' Carlton Cuse Previews FX's New Look
at Vampires

January 19 A new teaser trailer called, He is Here is aired during the
NFC Championship game


Pre-premiere PR:

Deadline TCA: FXs Vampire Series The Strain A Statement About
Empiricism And Religion Without Sex
Hollywood Reporter FX's 'The Strain': No sex please, we're vampires

The Strain SOCIAL:
Facebook: 1,049 likes little activity, a few photos posted
The Strain has a bigger social presence for the trilogy books


TREND PIECES:
Apocalyptic Viruses and Civilization Endings on TV

New York Times A Future With Swords, Not iPhones

Multichannel Cables Viral Apocalypse Now
Live Science Why We're Obsessed with the Zombie Apocalypse
The Guardian Hollywood searches for escapism after the apocalypse

CNN Entertainment Post-apocalyptic TV is everywhere


Analysis:

There are countless apocalyptical themed television series and movies. The
world of zombies and the undead are very popular among the 18-49 demo,
bringing in high ratings for series like The Walking Dead, and even Revolution.

Revolution is the stand out series. It has been a huge success for NBC as it was
the strongest premiere for the network in five years. The cast is able to connect
with fans with digital/techy promotions as the concept of the series is centered on
the idea of a global loss of power. The series is struggling more in the second
season, and has a hard time keeping viewers around for the second half of the
hour.

The Strain is a highly anticipated series. The director is also the author of the
vampire trilogy and the producers have cast a group of well-known actors. The
books are beloved by many and the series as an FX original, will be an edgy,
darker show like the networks other popular hits such as American Horror Story
and The Americans.

The Last Ship can be compared to the military themed Last Resort. The Last
Ship carries a similar plot line to the Last Resort with the plot altered to center
around global contamination.