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Subject:  Surprising pull of Fox's 'War at Home' Critics trashed it but earthy sitcom may return |
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Author: David Harrison Levi | [ Next Thread |
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] Date Posted: 22:06:57 05/03/06 Wed Author Host/IP: cache-ntc-ad04.proxy.aol.com/207.200.116.198 Surprising pull of Fox's 'War at Home' Critics trashed it but earthy sitcom may return By Abigail Azote May 3, 2006 The critics were brutal, but then what do critics know? They widely panned Fox's "War at Home" when it debuted last September as a cheesy ripoff of Fox's 80s hit "Married with Children." And that it was. So of course no one expected "War" to hang around. But it did, and then some. Rather than sinking into a quick cancellation, "War" held onto its viewers, and now it even stands a chance to be picked up for next season, as unlikely as that might have seemed back in September. "War's" finale, airing on Sunday night, posted a 3.6 rating among 18-49s. While that was down 14 percent from the 4.2 it averaged in its premiere, it’s even with the show’s 3.6 season average in the demo. More important, though, "War" bettered the numbers for its timeslot. "War" aired in the plush 8:30 period, leading out of "The Simpsons" and into "Family Guy" at 9 p.m. Even so, it boosted the period's season average by 20 percent over the year-earlier period, according to Fox. The trend also held among total viewers, with the show’s 7.3 million viewers bettering the 6.5 million averaged during the same period last season by 12 percent. That makes a pretty good argument for a second season. "Three-point-six is pretty good for a first-year comedy," says Brad Adgate, research director at Horizon Media. "My gut reaction is it probably will return." Whether it actually does will depend on what new comedies Fox is working on for next season, but with two established sitcoms, "That '70s Show" and "Malcolm in the Middle," ending and a third, "Bernie Mac," on the bubble, "War's" chances of renewal grow stronger. Fox will want to balance its new shows with established shows as insurance against a nightmare scenario in which all if its new offerings bomb. "A lot of these issues are going to be decided on how good Fox’s development is," Adgate says. Already, the network has picked up 13 episodes of the new Brad Garrett comedy "‘Til Death." Adgate thinks that if "War" does return, it could end up on a different night, perhaps Monday. While the berth between The Simpsons" and "Family Guy" gave "War" as good launch pad, as a live action show it would likely be a better fit among similar comedies, he says. In other broadcast ratings for the week ended April 30: Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 4.3 rating and 12 share, followed by CBS with a 3.7/10. ABC and NBC tied at third with a 3.1/9. Univision was fifth with a 1.5/4, UPN was sixth with a 1.3/4 and WB seventh with a 1.2/3. Among adults 18-34, Fox finished first with a 4.2 rating and 13 share, followed by ABC at 2.6/8, NBC at 2.5/8, CBS at 2.3/7, Univision at 1.6/5, and the WB and UPN tied for sixth at 1.4/4. Among adults 25-54, CBS was first at 4.8/12, followed by Fox at 4.5/11, ABC and NBC tied for third at 3.6/9, Univision fifth at 1.4/4, the WB sixth at 1.2/3 and UPN seventh at 1.1/3. Top five (18-49s): 1. Fox’s “American Idol-Wednesday” 11.6; 2. Fox’s “American Idol-Tuesday” 11.5; 3. Fox’s “House” 9.9; 4. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 9.7; 5. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 8.9 Top five (total viewers): 1. Fox’s “American Idol-Tuesday” 28.7 million; 2. Fox’s “American Idol-Wednesday” 28.3 million; 3. CBS’s “CSI” 27.4 million; 4. Fox’s “House” 24.5 million; 5. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 21.3 million Bottom five (18-49s): All from WB: T110. “Pepper Dennis” and “Bedford Diaries” 0.8; T115. “Modern Men” and “Reba” 0.7; 117. “Survival of the Richest” 0.6 Bottom five (total viewers): T112. UPN’s “Cuts” and “Eve” 1.8 million; 115. UPN’s “America’s Next Top Model” 1.7 million; 116. WB’s “Bedford Diaries” 1.6 million; 117. WB’s “Survival of the Richest” 1.3 million Show on the rise: “American Idol,” Fox, Tuesday 8 p.m., Wednesday 9 p.m. “Idol” continues to perform better than last year, with both the Tuesday and Wednesday editions outpacing the same week last year by at least 6 percent. Show on the decline: “Desperate Housewives,” ABC, Sunday 9 p.m. Sure, “Housewives” is still hot, but it’s nowhere near as hot as it was this time last year. Sunday’s episode averaged an 8.9 18-49 rating, off 23 percent from the 11.5 the show averaged the same week last year. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |