Overnights
Right decent premiere for 'Swingtown'
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jun 6, 2008 - 11:51:58 AM

The NBA hoopsters attracted a large chunk of audience last night, but CBS’s swinging hipsters also had a decent debut.

The premiere of the wife-swapping drama “Swingtown” averaged a solid 2.7 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, finishing second in the 10 p.m. timeslot behind the first game of the NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

“Swingtown” improved on last week’s CBS timeslot occupant, a rerun of “Without a Trace” that averaged a 2.1, by 29 percent. The show also bettered fellow new drama “Fear Itself” on NBC by 0.7 rating points, though “Fear” did match NBC’s highest non-sports rating in the 10 p.m. timeslot from last summer.

"Fear" held quite steady from its first to its second half hour, falling only a tad from a 2.8 to a 2.7.

As expected against the male-skewing finals, “Swingtown” skewed female. In women 18-49, “Swingtown” averaged a 3.3, to a 2.2 for men 18-49. And among women 25-54 the show averaged a 4.2 rating, compared to a 2.5 among men 25-54.

The scripted drama, which won its timeslot among both of those female demos, was announced at last year’s upfront as a midseason show but delayed until June. Reviewers praised its ‘70s stylings, though many also said it lacked strong plotting.

NBA-fueled ABC was first for the night among viewers 18-49 with a 3.7 average overnight rating and an 11 share. Fox was second at 3.3/10, CBS third at 2.3/7, NBC fourth at 2.1/6, Univision fifth at 1.4/4 and CW sixth at 0.6/2.

As a reminder, fast nationals measure only timeslot data and not actual program data. Numbers for the NBA finals, which lasted past 11 p.m., therefore will be inaccurate. Media Life will post updated final numbers on Monday, though early numbers indicate a boost over last year’s average.
 
ABC led each hour of the night, starting with a 3.2 rating at 8 p.m. for “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (2.9) and NBA pregame (3.4). Fox was second with a 3.0 for “So You Think You Can Dance,” CBS third with a 1.9 for a repeat of “CSI,” NBC fourth with a 1.8 for a repeat of “My Name is Earl” and the start of “Last Comic Standing,” Univision fifth with a 1.5 for “Al Diablo con los Guapos” and CW sixth with an 0.6 for a “Smallville” rerun.
 
At 9 p.m. ABC was first with a 3.7 for its first hour of the NBA Finals game between the Lakers and Celtics, followed again by Fox with a 3.5 for another hour of “Dance.” NBC was third with a 2.4 for more “Comic,” CBS fourth with a 2.3 for another “CSI” rerun, Univision fifth with a 1.6 for “Fuego en la Sangre” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a repeat of “Supernatural.”
 
At 10 p.m. ABC led again, this time with a 4.2 for basketball, while CBS moved to second with a 2.7 for “Swingtown.” NBC was third with a 2.0 for “Fear” and Univision fourth with a 1.1 for “Amas de Casa Desperadas.”
 
ABC also finished first for the night among households with a 6.3 average overnight rating and an 11 share. CBS was second at 6.0/10, Fox third at 5.6/10, NBC fourth at 3.3/6, Univision fifth at 1.8/3 and CW sixth at 1.2/2.