Abc Has A Few New Hits On Their Hands

It’s no surprise that the ABC talent show “Dancing With the Stars” is a ratings giant. Viewers turn out each season to watch the roster of C-listers dance their way to the prize. This season is no exception, though surprisingly, ABC’s two new comedies are also showing promise.Last night’s premieres of “Modern Family” and “Cougar Town” tied as the No. 1 show of the night and finished as TV’s highest rated comedy debuts in nearly two years. With 12.7 million viewers, "Modern Family" drew ABC's biggest overall audience in the half-hour with regular programming in two years.

It also became the first-ever comedy to build on the “DWTS’ audience. “Cougar Town” also debuted with 100% retention of its lead-in. It even built on the “Modern Family” audience.This is great news for ABC which is in dire need of some scripted hits. Sitcoms seem to be a dying breed (gone are the days of shows like “Who’s the Boss,” “Full House,” “Perfect Strangers,” “Family Matters,” etc.) and smart sitcoms like “The Office” and “30 Rock” are dominating the market.

I saw bits and pieces of both “Modern Family” and “Cougar Town,” and from what I saw of both shows looked promising. And they actually made me laugh (which is rare knowing my sense of humor.) I plan to set my Dish Network DVR for next week so I can catch both shows (they go up against my other favorite “Glee.”)As far as the 10 o’clock time slot goes, "Eastwick" finished well ahead of the "Dirty Sexy Money" premiere in the hour last season, boosting the time period for ABC year to year by 1.5 million viewers and by 25% in Adults 18-49.

Excluding only "Lost" premieres and finales, "Eastwick" produced ABC's highest viewer and young adult numbers in the time period with regular programming in almost 2 years since 10/17/07 and 10/24/07, respectively. It also earned a second place spot in the 10 o’clock hour, beating out NBC’s "Jay Leno” by over 2 million viewers.I also caught some of “Eastwick,” and unfortunately it was not as promising as the two sitcoms before it. I think some people may have tuned in our of curiosity, but I don’t foresee this show surviving the season. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think “Modern Family” and “Cougar Town” will stick around as long as the ratings stay decent.

By: Frank Bilotta

By: Frank R. Bilotta

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