Few stay still for 'Sit Down, Shut Up'

Viewers stood up, started talking and left the room -- the premiere of Mitch Hurwitz's animated comedy Sit Down, Shut Up was the weakest link in Fox's comedy lineup Sunday night.

Debuting at 8:30 p.m., Sit Down (5.2 million viewers, 2.3 preliminary adults 18-49 rating) fell 23% from its Simpsons (6.5 million, 3.0) lead-in, then audiences jumped up 65% for Family Guy (7.4 million, 3.8). American Dad (5.8 million, 3.0) filled out the block. The Sit Down opener also was down 15% from the time period's average performance (typically King of the Hill).

Fox placed second for the evening to ABC, which featured the first Desperate Housewives (13.6 million, 4.7) and Brothers and Sisters (9.6 million, 3.3) in a few weeks, with a repeat lead-in. Housewives was a bit lower than usual but was the highest-rated show of the evening.  

NBC was third with a two-hour Miss USA special (5 million, 1.4), down 18% from last year, followed by Apprentice (8.4 million, 3.1), up a tick this week.

Fourth-place CBS' The Amazing Race (10.4 million, 3.0) slipped a peg, while the two-hour snoozily titled Hallmark movie The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (9.8 million, 1.5) placed last in its time period, and fell 32% from CBS' previous Hallmark film, Loving Leah.

Also: For those wondering how Kings (2.4 million, 0.6) performed in its new Saturday time period, the NBC drama once again managed to come in last place, pulling about half its Sunday average at 8 p.m.

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