Tabloid turnoff:
'J&K' takes a tumble
TLC reality show averages 4.1 million for two episodes
By Diego Vasquez
Aug 5, 2009
After weeks of nonstop tabloid coverage following Jon and Kate Gosselin’s split, viewers were a lot less interested in watching their antics on television.
Four million people tuned in to the first of two “Jon & Kate Plus 8” episodes on TLC Monday night, with 4.2 million watching the second.
That was less than half the 10.6 million who watched the previous episode, in which the Gosselins decided to separate.
The show was still up from what “J&K” was averaging in the three weeks before it went on hiatus, when it drew around 3 million viewers.
Since then, the tabloids have given nearly nonstop coverage to the Gosselins, from Jon’s new girlfriend (or girlfriends, depending on which magazine you read) to Kate’s new condo to Jon’s new clothing line.
That may have caused some “J&K” fatigue, or it may just be that the gawkers who tuned in to the most recent episode weren’t really interested in seeing the family cope with the mundaneness of post-separation life. There was nothing juicy in this week’s show.
Much of the fun of “J&K” has always been watching an exasperated Kate badger her husband. Monday night, the show depicted the couple in separate outings with their kids.
Still, “J&K” was hardly a bust for TLC. The 9:30 p.m. episode ranked as the No. 1 show on broadcast or cable among women 18-49 and 18-34 as well as adults 18-34.
And both the 9 and 9:30 episodes tripled TLC’s average third quarter ratings in primetime among key demos.
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