The cast of 'Day One'

Last month NBC execs put a dampener on Jess Alexander’s new sci-fi series Day One by suggesting that the series may not go beyond one season.

If you missed the announcement, this is what was said by Angela Bromstad, NBC’s prime time president:

“We’ve always looked at Day One as a big event for us and not necessarily a show that would be an ongoing, returning show for a second season. It would depend on its success. Just by nature of the genre, they always then get a little narrow, and whether or not we can sustain it on the air.”

Day One takes place in the aftermath of a global event that devastates the world’s infrastructures and leads to an alien invasion. The series will be told from the perspective of a small band of survivors who, together with extraterrestrial assistance, strive to rebuild society, unravel the mystery of why the event took place, and ultimately try to save the Earth.

The pilot has been directed by Alex Graves. Graves is a top notch director with some notable pilots on his resume, including the exceptional pilot to Fringe.

The series also boasts some top notch acting talent including Adam Campbell (Date Movie), Catherine Dent (The Shield), Julie Gonzalo (Eli Stone), David Lyons (ER), Derek Mio (Greek), Carly Pope (24), Thekla Reuten (Sleeper Cell) and Addison Timlin (Cashmere Mafia).

Bromstad’s announcement was seized upon by many news sites and blogger’s who began claiming the series was “canceled” and that NBC had “no plans to continue it” and so on and so on.  It was also speculated that the series was “narrow” on narrative.  At the time I chose not to write about it as I felt it was too early to write the series off.  My initial reaction was that the call by NBC to say what they did really meant nothing: all series have to do well to get a second season.

Now, however, a spark of positivity has emerged that adds a little more weight to the idea that Day One won’t be a short lived experience at all.  In fact, the latest news confirms that Day One just got bigger.

David Lyons as Sam in 'Day One'

Day One creator Jesse Alexander refers to the story and mythology of the Day One universe as “massive” and says to do it justice requires a transmedia approach to the narrative.  Transmedia is a fancy word to describe the process of extending the fiction of an idea across multiple different platforms at the same time.

Simply put, “transmedia” refers to a whole whose parts unfold in various formats.  The Matrix comes to mind as a very good example. Rather than a narrative that takes place across three films, The Matrix is actually a complex, detailed mythology that unfolds across video-games, comics, animated shorts, and so on and so on.  In fact, The Matrix is a perfect example as all its mediums can be viewed happily in isolation and yet each one contributes more detail to the whole.

For example, you can understand the beginning of Matrix Revolutions just fine by watching the film, but it makes even more sense if you watch the animated short Final Flight of the Osiris (from The Animatrix) first.  You can understand the motivations of certain ‘background’ characters on a superficial level in the films, or you can play the Enter the Matrix video game and learn more about their individual motivations and experiences leading up to their fleeting on-screen moments, and so on.

It seems Jesse Alexander is on a mission to deliver exactly the same kind of broad experience with Day One.  On his blog her refers to the series as “The Mothership” and confirms the first transmedia collaboration for Day One has been set up.  The announcement verifies the story will unfold in a medium other than and in addition to the NBC TV series.  Whilst we don’t yet know what that medium will be (web, comic, etc), any such collaboration can only help to preserve the longevity of the story whilst, at the same time, contribute to the success of the series.

If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, watch it below.  Bear in mind that an official trailer has not been released.  The only trailer that exists is a version that was leaked and so it is not fully reflective of the finished product.  With that in mind, Day One is looking fantastic even in its preliminary stages.

A fantastic looking trailer, a brilliant viral marketing campaign (Sargasso Planet), and an expanding transmedia net all combine to give me enough confidence to say it will be worth investing time into the Day One ride.  Despite the recent negative buzz, my money is on this series being a huge hit.

Day One will air on NBC (after Chuck) on Mondays at 9-10 p.m. ET early in 2010.

Related posts:

• ‘Day One’ Series Canceled, Now a Mini-Series Instead
• ‘Sargasso Planet’ Offers Insight Into ‘Day One’
• First Amazing Trailer For NBC’s New Sci-Fi Series ‘Day One’
• Julie Gonzalo Talks ‘Day One’
• NBC Gives ‘Day One’ Series The Green Light
• Julie Gonzalo Scores the Lead Role in ‘Day One’
• Alex Graves to Direct Day One Pilot
• Sci Fi News Summary (for the last few days)