Media Life Overnights:
Better yuks for
ABC's new 'Underbelly'
Two-episode premiere averages a 3.7 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald
April 13, 2007
Perhaps ABC should have pulled its long-delayed sitcom “Notes from the Underbelly” off the shelf sooner. The show had a very solid debut last night after a stinker season for new comedies on ABC, though with a big assist from “Grey’s Anatomy.”
“Underbelly” averaged a 3.7 adults 18-49 rating at 10 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, tying NBC’s sagging “ER” for No. 2 in the timeslot behind CBS’s “Shark.”
Airing after a “Grey’s” clip show recapping big moments from the past three seasons, “Underbelly” held a good deal of the drama’s audience, which was way down from a regular episode.
“Grey’s” averaged a solid 5.0 at 9 p.m., and “Underbelly” retained 74 percent of it. The first episode averaged a 3.9, and the second fell to a 3.4.
Still, that’s well ahead of nearly all ABC’s sitcom premieres this season. “Help Me Help You” averaged a 3.5 last fall, debuting out of “Dancing with the Stars,” but the show was canceled after dipping drastically after “Stars” ended.
“Big Day” averaged a 2.8 and “Knights of Prosperity” a 3.0 in their debuts earlier this season, though neither had the strong lead-in that “Underbelly” did. Both shows have been yanked after big declines.
Though it received mixed reviews, “Underbelly” does seem like a smart match for the sexy, steamy “Grey’s.” It focuses on a young couple having their first child.
“Underbelly” will face a much tougher test next week, when it moves to its regular Wednesday 8:30 p.m. slot leading out of “According to Jim.”
Meanwhile, CBS finished first during each hour en route to a first-place finish last night among 18-49s with a 5.0 average rating and a 14 share. ABC was second at 3.7/10, NBC third at 3.3/9, Fox fourth at 2.6/7, Univision fifth at 1.8/5 and CW sixth at 0.7/2.
At 8 p.m. CBS led with a 4.4 rating for “Survivor,” followed by a 3.6 average for NBC for “My Name is Earl” (3.1) and “The Office” (4.1). That left Fox third with a 3.4 for “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader,” ABC fourth with a 2.4 for an “Ugly Betty” clip show, Univision fifth with a 2.0 for “La Fea Mas Bella” and CW sixth with a 1.0 for a repeat of “Smallville.”
CBS led again at 9 p.m., growing to a 6.6 among 18-49s for “CSI,” the night’s top-rated show in the demo. ABC was second with a 5.0 for a “Grey’s” clip show, NBC third with a 2.6 average for “30 Rock” (2.6) and “Scrubs” (2.7) and Univision fourth with a 1.9 for “Destilando Amor.” Fox slipped to fifth that hour with a 1.7 for a repeat of “Trading Spouses” and CW sixth with a 0.4 for “The Brick Awards.”
At 10 p.m. CBS finished the night in the lead with a 4.0 for “Shark.” ABC and NBC tied for second that hour at 3.7, ABC for the premiere of “Underbelly” and NBC for “ER,” and Univision was fourth with a 1.5 for “Aqui y Ahora.”
Among households, CBS was first for the night with a 10.4 average rating and a 17 share. ABC was second at 6.6/11, NBC third at 4.7/8, Fox fourth at 4.3/7, Univision fifth at 2.2/4 and CW sixth at 1.2/2.
