QUICK TAKES - April 11, 2009
NBC got some good news from the ratings for two new Thursday night shows, a comedy starring former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Amy Poehler and a Los Angeles cop drama from one of the creators of “ER.”
At 8:30 p.m., “Parks and Recreation,” starring Poehler as a self-deluded bureaucrat in the mold of Steve Carell on “The Office,” drew 6.8 million total viewers, according to early data from Nielsen Media Research. That put it in third place behind CBS’ “Survivor” (10.6 million) and Fox’s “Bones” (8.5). However, “Parks” scored better among the young adults NBC courts, with a second-place 3.0 rating/9 share among adults ages 18 to 49, for 91% retention of its lead-in from “The Office.”
At 10 p.m., “Southland,” the new police drama from producer John Wells, faced off against the premiere of CBS’ “Harper’s Island.” In total viewers, “Harper’s” pulled off a narrow victory, 10.5 million versus 9.7 million. But a closer look reveals that “Southland” performed more strongly among young adults, with a 3.2 rating/9 share versus 2.7/8 for CBS. More important, the audience for the cop show grew slightly during the hour, while “Harper’s” shed viewers -- usually a clear sign of audience rejection for a premiere.
CBS and NBC tied for the night overall among young adults, with both networks averaging a 3.3 rating/10 share.
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Scott Collins
