New Shows Blaze Away
By R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 7/8/2007 8:00:00 PM
Cable's early-summer original-series blitz has thus far produced more ratings hits than misses.
USA Network officially launched the summer cable-originals season May 31 with the miniseries The Starter Wife. The show finished its run impressively on June 28, averaging a 3.0 household rating and 3.7 million viewers over its six-episode run, according to Nielsen Media Research figures. USA Network officials would not say whether the series, starring Debra Messing as a wife coming to grips with her place in Tinseltown society after being dumped by her studio-executive husband — would return in series form.
But the biggest surprise thus far this summer has been Lifetime's military drama Army Wives. Through five episodes, the series is the network's most-successful ever, averaging a 3.0 rating and 3.7 million viewers since its debut June 3. In fact, the series was the first major network-cable drama in five years to increase its audience in week four (3.1 rating) compared with week one (2.9 rating).
“It's unusual in that it's been growing episode from episode, instead of taking that dip from the first episode that most series do,” said Lifetime executive vice president of research Tim Brooks.
TBS comedy series House of Payne also jumped out of the blocks quickly, but has cooled off. Its June 6 debut set a record for an ad-supported cable situation comedy, with 5.9 million total viewers. But the Tyler Perry-produced dramedy series has averaged 2.9 million viewers over three subsequent weeks.
The History Channel's surprise reality-series hit Ice Road Truckers picked up steam in its third week after falling slightly off from its record-setting debut. The July 1 episode of Truckers — which follows the journey of long-haul truckers who drive their rigs over hundreds of miles over ice roads — pulled 2.9 million viewers, up from the 2.6 million in its June 25 episode but short of the record 3.4 million viewers the network drew in its June 17 debut.
TNT's The Closer has continued its dominance from last season, beating its own basic-cable original-series rating record in its June 18 debut with a 6.8 rating and 8.8 million viewers.
But TNT's new medical series Heartland has thus far failed to capitalize on The Closer's popularity in its lead-in slot. After two episodes the show is averaging a 2.9 rating and 3.5 million viewers, well below The Closer's average of a 5.8 rating and 7.6 million viewers.
The network will move its new Holly Hunter show Saving Grace into the 10 p.m. slot after The Closer beginning July 23 and shift Heartland to 8 p.m.
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