Tony Who? LIFETIME Television's Hit Drama Series 'Army Wives' Matches Record-Breaking Premiere in Its Second Episode

NEW YORK, June 11 -- While no one in America is really sure who got whacked during the series finale of "The Sopranos," it is clear that Lifetime has a new hit original series, "Army Wives." The critically acclaimed and most-watched series premiere in Lifetime's 23 year history held across key ratings in its second week. "Army Wives" delivered a 2.9 household rating, even with the premiere, and again scored a 2.1 rating among W18-49, bucking the industry trend of second week drop offs with 100% ratings retention.

Its performance far surpasses the average second episode performance of nine new ad-supported 2007 cable series, which have retained only 66% of their premiere total viewers.*

Also, on June 10, online, streams of "Army Wives" on LifetimeTV.com were up 30% vs. the June 3 premiere.

The success of "Army Wives" kicks off Lifetime's bold summer strategy of debuting three new dramas for the same night in the same season continues on Sunday, July 15 when "Side Order of Life" and "State of Mind" join the schedule at 8PM (ET/PT) and 9PM (ET/PT), respectively.

Filmed on location in Charleston, South Carolina, "Army Wives" stars Emmy(R) Award winner Kim Delaney ("NYPD Blue"), Sally Pressman ("Shark"), Brigid Brannagh ("Over There"), Brian McNamara ("The O.C."), Sterling K. Brown ("Starved"), Wendy Davis ("Commander in Chief"), Drew Fuller ("Charmed") and Catherine Bell ("JAG"). Mark Gordon ("Grey's Anatomy," "Criminal Minds") and The Mark Gordon Company's President of Production, Deborah Spera ("Criminal Minds") serve as executive producers. Jeff Melvoin ("Alias") serves as executive producer and show runner. Katherine Fugate ("The Prince & Me") created the series and also serves as executive producer and writer. The series is based on the book Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives by Tanya Biank, who serves as a consultant. "Army Wives" is produced by ABC Studios.

*2007 cable drama premieres are "Dirt," "Jake 2.0," "Lincoln Heights," "The Dresden Files," "Blood Ties," "Riches," "Bullrun," "Painkiller Jane," and "The Starter Wife."

LIFETIME is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. LIFETIME Television, LMN, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (including LifetimeTV.com) are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

SOURCE LIFETIME Television
http://www.lifetimetv.com