FX’s dramedy series, Lucky, became the first cable original scripted
skein casualty of 2003.
Meanwhile, new plastic-surgeon series Nip/Tuck saw its audience sliced
a bit during its second installment Tuesday.
Lucky, starring John Corbett as a compulsive gambler, failed to draw
enough viewers to merit a second season, FX officials said.
The series debuted April 8 to a 2.2 rating, but by week four, it had lost
more than one-half of its viewers. The 13-episode show bottomed out in its
12th week with a 0.65 rating before finishing up with a 0.93.
Nip/Tuck, about the personal and professional lives of a pair of plastic
surgeons in Miami, garnered a 3.0 household rating and 3.3 million viewers from
10 p.m.-11 p.m. July 29, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
That’s down from the 3.2 household rating and 3.8 million viewers who tuned
in the 90-minute series pilot the week before.
The second episode improved in the key adult 18-49 demo, drawing 2.1 million
of those viewers, 5% more than it did during its debut.
Nip/Tuck's performance must also be gauged in the context of its squaring
off against other strong cable reality fare during the hour, which featured MTV:
Music Television’s Real World XIII and The Osbournes and Bravo's
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, the latter of which pulled record ratings
for the NBC-owned network.
Given the competition, the demo amelioration, the 3.1 household average and
almost 3.6 million viewers on average, an FX spokesman said, the network is
certainly pleased with Nip/Tuck’s beginnings.
The question now is whether Nip/Tuck’s audience will drop in the weeks
or ahead or flatten at those high levels for basic cable.
Another struggling FX series, The Orlando Jones Show, is showing
improvement after a shaky start.
The late-night comedy/variety series is averaging a 0.25 rating, but FX
executives said it is beginning to gain momentum, particularly among adults
18-49.
