99 Words About … The return of event television

Dean Norris, rear right, heads the cast of "Under the Dome," which premieres Monday on CBS.

A cataclysmic event. A disparate band of survivors. Plenty of actors of the oh-there’s-that-guy/girl-again variety.

“Under the Dome” (10 p.m. Monday, KLAS-TV, Channel 8) has all the trappings of a Stephen King miniseries.

Back when there were miniseries.

Now, they’re “event series.”

Since “Hatfields & McCoys” and “The Bible” scored monster ratings, Hollywood’s been scooping up event series such as FX’s “Fargo” and Fox’s “24: Live Another Day.”

They sound more must-see than a miniseries. Who wants to miss an event?

They also come with a definitive end, something that’s hampered many recent serialized dramas.

Including one called “The Event.”

— CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE