or


[08/21/03 - 12:00 AM]
'Man Show,' 'Red Water' Hot for Cable
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- The ups and downs of cable's originals continued this week as MTV's "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica" and Comedy Central's revamped "The Man Show" joined the fray:

COMEDY CENTRAL - Sunday's fifth season premiere of "The Man Show," featuring new hosts Joe Rogan and Doug Stanhope, scored the series' best numbers in over four years. 1,738,000 viewers viewers watched the opener, 1,092,000 of which were from the key 18-49 demograhic. Overall the series was up 16% in total viewers, 22% in men 18-49 and 29% in men 18-34 from last season's bow. The opener even jumped a whopping 63% from its lead-in, which was a best-of-old-"Man Show" marathon and grew from the first half of the half-hour to the second half.

BRAVO - "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" once again went in the record books as Tuesday's episode scored the network's best numbers in total viewers (2.932 milion), adults 18-49 (2.2 million) and adults 25-54 (2.2 million) in its 22-year history. The latter two demo scores were the top numbers for the night on basic cable. Overall "Queer" finished with a 2.8 household rating. Such a stellar performance spilled over into Bravo's repeats of "The West Wing" as Tuesday's 11:00/10:00c installment marked its best scores since joining the network last week. "Queer's" lead-in "Boy Meets Boy" also saw a slight lift, attracting a 1.2 household rating and 1.3 million viewers.

FX - Original drama "Nip/Tuck" held strong for its fifth week, beating Bravo's "Queer Eye" by a slim 27,000 viewers. Overall the series averaged a 2.9 household rating and 2,959,000 viewers, on par with last week's rating (2.9 household rating) but off by 391,000 viewers.

A&E - The British spy drama "MI-5" continues to struggle as Tuesday's installment scored a 0.9 household rating and 1 million viewers, down significantly from the 1.6 household rating and 1.8 million viewers for its premiere.

TBS - The network's original movie "Red Water" grabbed a stunning 5.0 household rating and 6.9 million viewers for its Sunday premiere. "Water" was not only the most watched original movie this year on basic cable, but it also took the crown in all the key demographics: adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. Such a performance helped propel TBS to the top spot for the week of August 11-17 in primetime. The network also saw solid numbers for its theatricals "Men in Black" (3.81 million viewers) and "Deep Blue Sea" (3.80 million).

In an interesting twist, despite such stellar news TBS announced today it is phasing out its original movie development. Turner topper Steve Koonin hopes to shift those dollars to developing "light entertainment" and reality-based shows such as the upcoming "House Rules." While such a move might seem crazy (TBS also had last year's top telefilm: "Atomic Twister," which scored a 5.9 household rating), Koonin pulled a similar move when he ditched TNT's successful World Championship Wrestling coverage a few years ago. Since the move, TNT has been one of cable's top draws thanks to its popular "Law & Order" repeats.

LIFETIME - The cable channel's new Saturday lineup saw drops once again this week as both "1-800-Missing" and "Wild Card" each fell to 1.6 household ratings. In just three weeks, both shows have fallen a full rating point, a huge blow for cable series. Such a dip hasn't affected the network's established dramas as "Strong Medicine" and "The Division" scored 2.8 and 2.4 household ratings respectively on Sunday.

USA - "Peacemakers" slid again this past week as its August 13 installment managed a 2.4 household rating, off 14% from last week (2.8 household rating) and 40% from its opener (4.0 household rating). "Monk" however stayed consistent with its summer numbers, pulling in a 3.2 household rating for Friday's episode. The network's other original, "The Dead Zone," failed to make the top 50 on basic cable this past week.

MTV - The series premiere of the half-hour reality series "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica" drew 2.48 million total viewers on Tuesday, winning its time period among viewers 12-34, MTV's target demographic. Overall the bow scored a 2.3 household rating.

TNT - The network's coverage of the Michigan 400 Nascar race took in a stellar 6.23 million viewers making it the second most watched program on basic cable this past week despite not even airing in primetime. The network's "Law & Order" repeats also continued to impress as Tuesday's installment scored a 3.0 household rating and 3.3 million viewers.





  [august 2003]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· ATOMIC TWISTER (TBS)
· BOY MEETS BOY (BRAVO)
· DEAD ZONE, THE (USA)
· DIVISION, THE (LIFETIME)
· HOUSE RULES (TBS)
· LAW & ORDER (NBC)
· MAN SHOW, THE (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· MI-5 (BBC AMERICA)
· MISSING (LIFETIME)
· MONK (USA)
· NEWLYWEDS: NICK & JESSICA (MTV)
· NIP/TUCK (FX)
· PEACEMAKERS (USA)
· QUEER EYE (BRAVO)
· RED WATER (TBS)
· STRONG MEDICINE (LIFETIME)
· WEST WING, THE (NBC)
· WILD CARD (LIFETIME)





[10/24/25 - 02:30 PM]
Video: First Look at Upcoming New Drama "Memory of a Killer" Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli - Premiering This January on FOX
Dempsey stars as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret - he has developed early onset Alzheimer's.

[10/24/25 - 02:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's Most-Watched Newsmagazine Across the Board
In addition, "20/20" posted its best Adults 25-54 in more than four months.

[10/24/25 - 02:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 4th Straight Week
"Nightline" grew year to year across the board: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/24/25 - 01:05 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Makes Television History - Rising for Fifth Straight Week
The October 21 episode scored 6.63 million Total Viewers and a 1.38 rating among Adults 18-49, hitting new season highs in both demographics.

[10/24/25 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "Hollywood Arts," A Brand-New Spinoff of Hit Live-Action, "Victorious," with Daniella Monet Returning as Star and Executive Producer
The series is set to debut on Netflix in 2026, followed by releases on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.

[10/24/25 - 07:14 AM]
FOX Sports Readies for Major League Baseball's 121st World Series Presented by Capital One
Action leads off Friday, October 24, between the National League and current reigning World champion Los Angeles Dodgers and American League champion Toronto Blue Jays from Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One.

[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind" Season 9: The Reunion - Official Trailer - Netflix
Denver singles shake up their search for "the one" and step into the pods, braving twists, turns and love triangles to find their soulmate sight unseen.

[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Experience the Family, the Fun, and the Fantastic! Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" Lands Exclusively on Disney+ November 5
Continuing the celebration of Marvel's First Family, the announcement was made live from SpaceCon 2025 in San Antonio, where The Fantastic Four: First Steps Immersive Pop-Up Experience invites attendees to step inside the iconic Baxter Building.

[10/24/25 - 06:00 AM]
The CW Network and Xfinity Celebrate 11 Years of the NASCAR Xfinity Series by Presenting the Third Stage of the Championship Race Commercial-Free
Taking place in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, November 1, the commercial-free stage presented by Xfinity was created to thank the loyal race fans who have supported the NASCAR Xfinity Series for more than a decade - helping the series grow through their unwavering enthusiasm, increased viewership, and continued trackside attendance.

[10/23/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "As You Stood By" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When two women plot to end an abusive marriage through murder, an unexpected visitor arrives - threatening to shatter everything they've carefully planned.

[10/23/25 - 02:33 PM]
Largest Audience for "NBA Tip-Off" Doubleheader Since 2010 as NBA Returned to NBC and Debuted on Peacock
Tuesday night's audience across NBC and Peacock peaked at 7.1 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a one-point win over the Houston Rockets in double overtime.

[10/23/25 - 02:28 PM]
The 305 Just Got Hotter: "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" Moves to BET Season 7 Premieres Tuesday, November 4 at 8 PM ET/PT
The upcoming seventh season dives deeper than ever into Miami's thriving entertainment scene, following a cast of stars who are rebuilding, rebranding, and redefining success in real time.

[10/23/25 - 01:30 PM]
Critically Acclaimed Noir Thriller, "Dark Winds," to Return to AMC and AMC+ Sunday, February 15
The series' gripping fourth season focuses on the search for a missing Navajo girl, which takes Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito from the safety of Navajo Nation to the gritty terrain of 1970s Los Angeles in a race against the clock to save her from an obsessive killer with ties to organized crime.

[10/23/25 - 12:01 PM]
Video: BET+ Releases Trailer for Horror Film "A Demon's Revenge"
In the film, following the bloodshed in Belize, Peaches, played by Jhoné Lucas, delves deeper into Caribbean folklore and the terrifying truth that lurks beneath.

[10/23/25 - 12:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Acquires Equity Stake in Chain, Forging Strategic Partnership with Experiential Food Phenomenon Co-Founded by B.J. Novak
Included in the investment is a first look development deal through Chain Media.