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Super welcome
back for 'Family Guy'
Returning adult cartoon pulls a 5.7 in 18-49s
Fox has struggled to program any new hit comedies over the
past few years. When the network said last year that it was bringing
back a long-dead show from several seasons back that had similarly
failed to entice viewers, there was a feeling that Fox had gotten
desperate.
Turns out it got smart. In its Sunday return,
“Family Guy,” which left Fox in 2002 but became a cult hit on
Cartoon Network and DVD, posted a 5.7 rating among viewers 18-49,
according to Nielsen overnights. It placed No. 2 in its timeslot
behind ABC’s formidable “Desperate Housewives.”
“Family Guy” reruns have been a cable hit on Adult Swim
among teens and 18-34s. And the show generated huge sales on DVD. But a
hit in the cable universe, where it only takes a few million to make
a show a success, is much different than a hit on broadcast.
It was unclear whether “Family Guy” would draw any
viewers who weren’t already watching on cable.
Fox will therefore be thrilled with “Family Guy’s”
5.7, especially in a season in which the first-place network is
struggling to hold onto its narrow 0.1 season-to-date lead in
18-49s, where it has averaged a 4.1.
“Guy” is the first new Fox comedy in years to perform
well without an “American Idol” lead-in. “Wanda at Large,”
“Life on a Stick,” “Method and Red” and countless other
sitcoms have all cycled off the air after limited runs.
“Family Guy” also served two other purposes for Fox on
Sunday night. It boosted the official series premiere of “American
Dad” to a 4.6 among 18-49s, and helped Fox finish No. 2 for the
night behind ABC.
Perhaps most impressive of all, it built on its
“Simpsons” lead-in. It’s been a long time since a Fox comedy
has done that.
ABC led the night with a 7.4 average rating and a 19 share.
Fox finished second at 4.5/12, CBS third at 3.0/8, NBC fourth at
2.8/7 and the WB fifth at 1.2/3.
ABC led at 7 p.m. with a 3.3 average for the first hour of
an extended “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Fox was second
that hour with a 3.0 average for “King of the Hill” (2.7) and
“Malcolm in the Middle” (3.3) and NBC third with a 2.0 for
“Dateline.”
ABC led again at 8 p.m. with “Home Edition” jumping to
a 6.3 average during its second hour. Fox was second with a 5.4
average for an hour of “The Simpsons” and CBS third with a 3.0
average for “Cold Case.”
ABC led once again at 9 p.m., this time with an 11.4
average for “Desperate Housewives.” Fox was second with its 5.2
average for “Family Guy” (5.7) and “American Dad” (4.6) and
NBC third with a 3.4 average for “Law & Order: Criminal
Intent.”
ABC completed the sweep at 10 p.m. with an 8.5 average for
“Grey’s Anatomy.” CBS was second with a 3.9 average for the
second hour of its movie “Riding the Bus with My Sister” and NBC
third with a 3.4 for “Crossing Jordan.”
ABC
also led the night among households, averaging a 10.7 rating and a
17 share. CBS was second at 9.5/15, NBC third at 6.0/10, Fox fourth
at 5.3/9 and the WB fifth at 1.7/3.
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May 2, 2005
©
2005
Media Life
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