Hefty first bite
for ABC's new 'Chew'
Talk show for foodies averages 2.5 million total viewers
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Sep 28, 2011
Soap fans are still mad at ABC for canceling "All My Children," but the program that took its place, food-focused talk show "The Chew," launched to better ratings than "AMC" on Monday.
"Chew" averaged 2.5 million total viewers in its noon debut on ABC. That was 100,000 more than "AMC" averaged this past season.
Among daytime's target women 18-49, "Chew" averaged 590,000 viewers, nearly 50,000 better than "AMC's" season average.
ABC gleefully pointed out that "Chew" bettered the premiere of CBS's "The Talk" last year, the most recent new network talk show to launch.
"Talk" drew 2.2 million total viewers in September 2010, and it has struggled since then, recently firing two of the show's original five hosts. Nonetheless, "Talk" did get renewed for a second season.
If "AMC" was a decadent dessert, full of delicious backstabbing, murder and deceit, "Chew" is more like a casserole.
The show is essentially about anything and everything food-related, from cooking to restaurants to entertaining, and based on the first two episodes, that can give the program an uneven flavor, with some segments stronger than others.
The show also has five regulars, which could be pared down as the program continues. As "Talk" discovered, five can be a lot of stars for a show still finding its identity.
But while ABC was chirping about Monday's numbers, soap fans remained angry about "AMC's" disappearance.
The show went off the air after 41 years on Friday with a big cliffhanger, upsetting some loyal viewers who had been expecting things to be tied up more neatly.
Producer Prospect Park plans to continue "AMC" online, though it's not clear when the show will return. Stars Cameron Mathison and Lindsay Hartley have already signed for the web version, though lead Susan Lucci reportedly turned down an offer.
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