Lopez, Sykes talkers see mild drops

New TBS, Fox shows on similar patterns since premieres

By James Hibberd

Nov 15, 2009, 05:16 PM ET

New late-night talk shows from George Lopez and Wanda Sykes have been seeing a similar pattern since their premieres, with both programs posting mild declines.

Saturday's second episode of Fox's "Wanda Sykes Show" drew a 1.9 metered-market household rating, down 14% from its debut. That slips just under the "Mad TV" average for the fourth quarter last year.

Over on TBS, the first four days of "Lopez Tonight" rose and fell largely based on the strength of the talk show host's lead-in.

After Monday's "Lopez Tonight" premiere generated 1.7 million viewers on the network (plus an additional 1.5 million via simulcasts on other Turner networks), Tuesday dropped 18% to 1.4 million viewers -- nearly matching its "Office" lead-in.

With "Meet the Browns" generating big numbers Wednesday, "Lopez" rose to its highest TBS audience yet -- 2 million viewers. Then the chat show plunged to 1.3 million Thursday after a similarly rated airing of "Meet the Parents."

Naturally, it's too early to make judgments about either show's prospects, but both shows seem to avoided a steep post-premiere plunge, which can signal outright rejection from an audience.

Lopez, Sykes talkers see mild drops

New TBS, Fox shows on similar patterns since premieres

By James Hibberd

Nov 15, 2009, 05:16 PM ET