TBS Scores a Hit with Frank TV
Former MadTV Impressionist’s Sketch-Comedy Show Averages 2.87M Total Viewers
-- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/21/2007 5:18:00 PM
With a writers’ strike keeping the broadcast late-night shows in reruns, TBS saw big ratings for the premiere of its new 11 p.m. sketch-comedy show, Frank TV, Tuesday night.
The show averaged 2.87 million total viewers, according to early numbers from Nielsen Media Research, and it outdelivered the 2007-to-date premiere episodes of broadcast late-night shows, including The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, in the adults 18-34 and 18-49 demos, according to TBS.
The episode averaged 1.08 million adults 18-34 and 1.86 million adults 18-49. That was enough to beat year-to-date averages of original episodes of The Late Show, Late Night, Last Call with Carson Daly, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Kimmel Live, as well as Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. The episode also outdrew premiere episodes The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in the adults 18-34 demo.
The weekly show features former MadTV impressionist and regular guy comic Frank Caliendo, who many late-night viewers know from his appearances on Letterman. It comes to TBS after the "very funny" Turner Broadcasting System cable network saw hit originals this summer with Tyler Perry's House of Payne and The Bill Engvall Show.
"With Frank TV joining the lineup, we have proven once again that TBS is the television destination for outstanding comedy from some of the best talents in the business," Turner Entertainment Networks president Steve Koonin said.
