or


[08/07/03 - 12:00 AM]
'Nip/Tuck,' 'Queer Eye' Have Legs for Fx, Bravo
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- FX's "Nip/Tuck" and Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" are shaping up to be long term hits for their respective networks and both surprisingly air against each other.

Week three of FX's surgical drama averaged 3.55 million viewers, an increase of 6% over last week's numbers (3.34 million viewers). That's a rare feat considering most series lose viewers for the first month after their premieres. More importantly, "Nip/Tuck" actually hit a new series high in adults 18-49 (1.8/5) beating a repeat of "Judging Amy" on CBS (1.5/4) and tying ABC's "N.Y.P.D. Blue" for second place overall in its time slot.

Meanwhile, things aren't slowing down for Bravo's makeover series. Tuesday's episode scored 2.68 million viewers, just 70,000 viewers below from last week's record breaking episode (the most watched hour in the network's history). It also equaled last week's numbers in adults 18-49 (1.6/5). In fact things are going so well for "Queer Eye," parent company NBC is expanding next Thursday's rebroadcast on the Peacock to one hour. Instead of a trimmed half-hour version at 9:30/8:30c, NBC has opted to go for the full 60 minutes beginning at 10:00/9:00c. Overall, the show has helped Bravo more than double its entire primetime average when compared to a year ago (up 102%).

But that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to good (and some bad) news about cable this week. Here's a breakdown of the latest rumblings:

-- Lifetime's new Saturday series "1-800-MISSING" and "Wild Card" both exploded onto the scene, as the former set the network's record for best series premiere in its history. "1-800-MISSING" drew 3.3 million total viewers in its Saturday, 10:00/9:00c slot topping the 2001 bow of "The Division." "Wild Card" was no slouch either as the Joely Fisher-led drama scored 2.8 million total viewers.

-- While "Nip/Tuck" may be reason to celebrate at FX, the network's "Friday Night Fix" is looking to rain on its parade. The new two-hour block, which is composed of "Driveshaft," "Trash to Cash with John DiResta" and "The Hitchhiker Chronicles," averaged just 404,000 viewers this past weekend. That's down from the network's recent average in the 10:00/9:00c to midnight/11:00c slot when FX aired movies. Nevertheless, the block saw a 43% jump in its target demographic of men 18-34 from a year ago.

-- USA probably has the most to be excited about as all three of its original dramas finished in the top 15 of all cable series last week. "Peacemakers" came in third overall for its Wednesday debut (5.2 million total viewers) with "Monk" finishing just behind in fourth with 4.7 million while "The Dead Zone" rounded out the bunch at 13th (3.4 million) for Sunday's episode. The trio, along with FX's "Nip/Tuck" and Lifetime's "1-800-Missing," marked the first time five scripted series finished in the top 20 of all cable series in the same week.

-- MTV has picked up "The New Tom Green Show" for an additional 65 episodes (or 13 weeks) based on its solid ratings performance. Since its June 23 bow, the late night series has posted a 30% increase in its time slot from a year ago on the channel.





  [august 2003]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· DEAD ZONE, THE (USA)
· DIVISION, THE (LIFETIME)
· DRIVESHAFT (FX)
· HITCHHIKER CHRONICLES, THE (FX)
· JUDGING AMY (CBS)
· MISSING (LIFETIME)
· MONK (USA)
· NIP/TUCK (FX)
· NYPD BLUE (ABC)
· PEACEMAKERS (USA)
· QUEER EYE (BRAVO)
· TRASH TO CASH WITH JOHN DIRESTA (FX)
· WILD CARD (LIFETIME)





[09/09/26 - 01:01 PM]
Star-Studded Lineup Set to Present at the 78th Emmy Awards, Sept. 14 on NBC and Peacock
They'll join host Emmy Award-winning actor, director, producer and television icon Mariska Hargitay.

[09/09/26 - 12:09 PM]
ESPN to Exclusively Televise MLB Doubleheader on September 23 Featuring Matchups with Postseason Implications
Look for Cleveland Guardians/Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros/Seattle Mariners on said date.

[09/09/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 31
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," "The Grand Tour," and "The Traitors" led all original series worldwide.

[09/09/26 - 11:51 AM]
BYUtv's "Big Stories" Returns for Fourth Season Featuring NFL Legends and Untold Stories from Across the Big 12
Each 7-to 10-minute episode will be available to stream for free alongside each game on the BYUtv app and at BYUtv.org.

[09/09/26 - 10:52 AM]
Lifetime Announces New Original Documentary "Kimora Lee: On Her Own" Premiering September 20
Model, businesswoman and mother, Kimora Lee, tells her story through candid interviews with her children, family, friends and collaborators to chronicle her extraordinary journey from one of Karl Lagerfeld's youngest Chanel models to the visionary behind Baby Phat.

[09/09/26 - 10:15 AM]
Michael Kelly Joins Season Three of the Paramount+ Hit Series "Landman"
Kelly will star as William Crockett, the leader of the largest oil management firm in the world.

[09/09/26 - 10:01 AM]
Host Jane Krakowski and New Bandleader Robin Thicke Set the Stage for an All-New Season of "Celebrity Name That Tune"
Ice-T and Tony Hawk face off in the season premiere on Monday, September 21.

[09/09/26 - 10:00 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" to Premiere 52nd Season Sept. 26 on NBC and Peacock
Jalen Brunson, Dakota Johnson, Shane Gillis, and Inde Navarrette are the first wave of hosts.

[09/09/26 - 10:00 AM]
Prime Video Announces 2026 New York Comic Con Programming
"Blade Runner 2099," "Bloodaxe," and "Helluva Boss" are the featured projects.

[09/09/26 - 09:19 AM]
Johnny Knoxville and the Gang Make One Final Raucous Return for "Jackass: Best and Last," Streaming on Paramount+ September 24
Grab your buddies, raise your glasses and experience the cinematic event that promises to be the last time you'll ever laugh this hard.

[09/09/26 - 09:16 AM]
New Dating Series Will Discover If Singles Can Fall in "Love at First Sight"
Do you believe you could see someone and know instantly that they're the one?

[09/09/26 - 09:07 AM]
Nirvana to Receive Video Vanguard Award During "2026 MTV Video Music Awards" Airing Live Sept. 27 on CBS
On this date in 1992 (9/9/92), Nirvana took to the "VMAs" stage for the first time - shaping music, culture and MTV forever.

[09/09/26 - 09:05 AM]
"Ghost Adventures" Returns with Chilling All-New Season - Wednesday, September 30 on Discovery Channel
Navigating abandoned frontier towns, centuries-old landmarks and historic estates, investigators Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley and Billy Tolley delve into the shadows of America's turbulent past in pursuit of restless dark forces wreaking havoc on the living.

[09/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: HBO Max Releases Trailer for "The Howard Stern Show"
Each week, Howard's SiriusXM show will be adapted into a streamable episode for HBO Max.

[09/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
USA Network's "The Rainmaker" Returns for Season 2 on Friday, October 16 at 10:00 P.M. ET/PT
In 2025, "The Rainmaker" became USA Network's most-watched freshman series in seven years and finished the year as the #1 highest-rated new scripted TV series across all of cable.