David Greenwalt

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) "Surface," the E.T.-meets-Jaws drama that’s part of the aliens-among-us trend on TV this fall, has earned a full-season order from NBC.

The series, about mysterious undersea creatures and their impact on a disparate group of people — and, probably before it’s all said and done, the world — earned its pickup on the back of decent (though not spectacular ratings) that are inching up week by week. The show draws about 10 million viewers per episode.

"[Creators Josh and Jonas Pate] are pulling off a mini-movie each week with a big concept and big production values," NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly says. "We’re excited to see the audience continue to build."

In announcing the pickup, NBC says only that it’s ordered "additional episodes" of the series. Just how many the network plans to air hasn’t been determined yet, owing in part to pre-emptions that will take place early next year for the Winter Olympics.

"Surface," which stars Lake Bell ("Boston Legal") and Jay R. Ferguson ("Judging Amy"), has drawn a 3.3 rating among the adults 18-49 demographic NBC uses to measure success. That’s been good for second in its Monday timeslot (excluding sports), slightly behind CBS comedies "The King of Queens" and "How I Met Your Mother." Its ratings, both overall and among adults 18-49, have improved in each of the past two weeks after dipping in the first episode after the series premiere.

"Surface" is the second new show, after "My Name Is Earl," that NBC has picked up for a full season. It’s also the first of the season’s three alien shows (ABC’s "Invasion" and CBS’ "Threshold" are the others) to earn a pickup.