Lifetime premiered Marc Cherry's Devious Maids on Sunday to two million total viewers at 10 p.m.
The debut falls 29% below those for recent scripted premieres for the network in The Client List and Drop Dead Diva, which each bowed to 2.8 million viewers for their premieres in 2012 and 2009, respectively. In key demos, Devious Maids averaged 865,000 adults 25-54; 826,000 adults 18-49; 662,000 women 25-54; and 633,000 women 18-49.
Based on the hit Mexican telenovela Ellas son la Alegría del Hogar, the soapy drama was originally developed at ABC for the 2012-13 season, but the network ultimately passed on picking up the pilot. The series is from ABC Studios and executive produced by Cherry, Sabrina Wind, Eva Longoria, Paul McGuigan, Larry Shuman, David Lonner, John Mass, Paul Presburger and Michael Garcia.
