Younger viewers
A very plush life: 'La Familia P. Luche'
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jul 14, 2006, 01:10

The dopey dads on TV sitcoms often seem like cartoon characters, with their exaggerated pratfalls, elaborate scheming and beer bellies. But on Telefutura’s “La Familia P. Luche,” the live-action Spanish-language sitcom starring Mexican comedian Eugenio Derbez, the scenery around this dad is also like a cartoon.

Derbez, his TV wife and their three kids live in a world made of plush, everything from their cars to their clothes. That adds an extra layer of laughs to the otherwise traditional sitcom, and it’s become quite popular among young Telefutura viewers.

Last week, the week ended July 9, “Luche” was the network’s only program to average above a 0.1 rating among viewers 2-11, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Univision. The show, which airs Monday through Saturday at 10 p.m., peaked with a 0.5 average on Wednesday, just 0.1 behind Univision in that timeslot.

Thursday and Friday’s episodes, which both averaged a 0.4, tied for third place in their slots ahead of ABC and NBC, respectively. In fact, the Thursday edition of “Luche” is Telefutura’s most-watched show among kids this summer, and the 28th-best showing for any program in the channel’s four-year history.

Interestingly, the show doesn’t do nearly as well among older viewers. It averaged only a 0.2 among 25-54s last week, indicating that its wacky humor plays better among children than adults.

“Luche” originally premiered on Telefutura’s sister network, Univision, in November of 2003 and aired on Saturdays as a lead-in to “Sabado Gigante.” Reruns migrated over to Telefutura this year.

Derbez is a well-known name in Mexico. The son of actress Silvia Derbez, he made his TV debut at 12 and is famous for his passion for Formula 1 auto racing. He owns and races several of those cars.

Two seasons of “Luche,” which is a Televisa production, have already been filmed. Derbez is currently mulling whether to return for a third, according to speculation in Mexico.

He might be well-advised to do so. Because of its interesting visuals, with the plush playing into lots of puns, “Luche” and Derbez have also garnered an English-speaking audience.

“I was watching a Spanish television show call La Familia P.Luche, they are like the Flintstones, but like current, they have all this furry stuff and clothes, live action,” says a poster on the Cool-teens.com forums. “I love Spanish TV!”

Meanwhile, elsewhere in younger viewer ratings for the week ended July 9:

Among kids 2-11, Fox led with a 1.0 average rating, followed by Univision at 0.9, ABC at 0.8, CBS, UPN and NBC at 0.7, the WB at 0.4, Telemundo at 0.2 and Telefutura at 0.1.

Among teens 12-17, Fox led with a 1.5, followed by UPN at 1.2, ABC, NBC and Univision at 0.8, CBS at 0.7, the WB at 0.6, Telemundo at 0.2 and Telefutura at 0.1.

On basic cable for the week ended July 2:

Top five shows among 2-11s: 1. “Drake & Josh” (Nickelodeon, Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.); 2. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Tuesday, 5 p.m.); 3. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Monday, 1:30 p.m.); 4. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Wednesday, 5 p.m.); 5. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Monday, 2 p.m.)

Top five shows among 6-11s: 1. “Drake & Josh” (Nickelodeon, Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.); 2. “Ned Declassified” (Nickelodeon, Monday, 6 p.m.); 3. “Drake & Josh” (Nickelodeon (Monday, 5:30 p.m.); 4. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Tuesday, 5 p.m.); 5. “Drake & Josh” (Nickelodeon, Thursday, 5 p.m.)

Top five shows among 12-17s: 1. “BET Awards” (BET, Tuesday, 8 p.m.); 2. “Family Guy” (Adult Swim, Tuesday, 11:30 p.m.); 3. “Family Guy” (Adult Swim, Wednesday, 11:30 p.m.); 4. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Monday, 2:30 p.m.); 5. “Family Guy” (Adult Swim, Monday, 11:30 p.m.)

Top five shows among 12-24s: 1. “BET Awards” (BET, Tuesday, 8 p.m.); 2. “Family Guy” (Adult Swim, Tuesday, 11:30 p.m.); 3. “Real World/Road Rules: Fresh Meat” (MTV, Monday, 10 p.m.); 4. “WWE Entertainment” (USA, Monday, 10 p.m.); 5. “Family Guy” (Adult Swim, Monday, 11:30 p.m.)

Note: The combined cable and broadcast charts for the week ended July 9 were delayed by the July 4 holiday. Below are cable charts for younger viewers for the week ended July 2. The regular charts will return next week.