E!-bound: more ‘Anna Nicole’

Undeterred by scathing reviews and a precipitous drop in viewership from its lofty premiere, E! Entertainment Television has ordered 13 additional episodes of “The Anna Nicole Show,” to begin showing early next year.

The unscripted series, which chronicles the exploits of plus-size model Anna Nicole Smith and her entourage, premiered in August to 4.1 million viewers, roughly seven times what the cable network averaged in that time period.

However, for the most recent Sunday, that audience has fallen to 1.5-million viewers -- a decline of more than 60%, but still an improvement over E!’s usual tune-in. While some critics accused the channel of exploiting Smith, network officials said the audience is “rooting for her to turn her life around,” noting that the show helped E! post its highest-rated quarter ever among adults age 18 to 34, a youthful demographic that the channel targets.

The current season of “Anna Nicole” will conclude Nov. 3. Production will begin next month on the new episodes.

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--Brian Lowry