It couldn’t have been a better promotion for the NBC freshman series ‘Revolution.’ During the 34 minute power outage during the Super Bowl, many people headed to Twitter to voice their annoyance regarding the disruption of the game. While some jokingly tweeted about conspiracy theories, the people behind ‘Revolution’ jumped on the blackout theme to promote their show.
‘Revolution’ is set 15 years in the future after the sudden disappearance of electricity in the world causing a global blackout. After the lights went out in the Mercedes Benz Super Dome, Twitter was alive with references to the show.
@NBCRevolution tweeted this appropriate message:
Just a taste of what’s to come on March 25. #LightsOut #Revolution
— Revolution (@NBCRevolution) February 4, 2013
Afterwards, they tweeted this photo:
If only the stadium had one of these… #RevolutionMarch25 ow.ly/i/1sWdP
— Revolution (@NBCRevolution) February 4, 2013
Greg Grunberg (‘Heroes’) blamed the blackout on J.J. Abrams while Tina Charles of TVGuide.com pointed to Eric Kripke:
#StarTrek Into Darkness sends #SuperBowlXLVII Into Darkness.Mybuddy #JJAbrams has got the #Revolution power!! — Greg Grunberg (@greggrunberg) February 4, 2013
Kripke’s shows are all over this #SuperBowl. Brother vs brother? #spn. Power outage? #revolution. — Tina Charles (@TinaCharlesTV) February 4, 2013
Other tweets also alluded to the series:
NBC and JJ Abrams just ‘Revolution’ photobombed the Superbowl.#blackout — julieplec (@julieplec) February 4, 2013
Is this the beginning of the apocalypse? Or a lame stunt promoting Revolution? — Glen Mazzara (@glenmazzara) February 4, 2013
Someone find Elizabeth Mitchell. Girlfriend knows how to turn those lights back on. Doesn’t the NFL have a magical pen drive? #Revolution — Jo Garfein (@jopinionated) February 4, 2013
Eric Kripke, tell them how to turn on the power!!!! #Revolution #SuperBowl
— Maggie Truitt (@msmaggietruitt) February 4, 2013
While the blackout was an embarrassment to CBS and the Super Bowl, it provided a great way for NBC to promote their show without having to pay $3.8million for a 30 sec spot.
Considering the series is currently on a 4 month hiatus, this inadvertent tie-in to the show can only benefit NBC. How much? Only time will tell when the series returns on March 25th.