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strike has been a boon Late-night TBS shows pulls nearly 3 million viewers Nov 28, 2007
But “Frank” probably owes its big debut more to the TV writers’ strike that has sent late-night talks shows into reruns for three weeks and counting. Viewers sick of watching repeats have embraced the new show, giving TBS its third big premiere of the year. “Frank” averaged nearly 2.9 million total viewers last Tuesday at 11 p.m., including 1.86 million adults 18-49, according to Nielsen. By comparison, the week before the strike began, the Tuesday episodes of Comedy Central late-night talkers “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” averaged 1.84 million and 1.24 million total viewers at 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., respectively. “Frank’s” debut also drew 1.08 million viewers 18-34, outdrawing the season-to-date average for new episodes of NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” according to TBS. “Frank” joins “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “The Bill Engvall Show” as TBS’s third consecutive strong launch of a new program. That comes after several years of turkeys, including “Outback Jack” and “The Real Gilligan’s Island,” comic reality shows that TBS aired during the early days of its rebranding as a comedy network. But its recent successes have one very important element in common. They all feature an already-established comedian who simply continues his earlier shtick on his new show. Caliendo has been doing the celebrity impressions featured on “Frank” for years, including his John Madden imitation, which he has even performed on Fox’s NFL pregame show. But of course, the most important element of “Frank’s” strong launch is the lack of competition. With other topical late-night shows off the air, programs like ABC’s “Nightline” have seen a boost, but there’s still a strong appetite for late-night comedy, even if it’s a weekly show instead of a daily. That’s why “Frank” could see strong ratings for weeks to come if viewers enjoyed the first outing, at least until the strike ends or until one of the late-night hosts decides to break the picket line.
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