Finally, a new sitcom gets a pickup

ABC’s had surprising success with “Dr. Ken,” which has posted steady ratings on low-rated Friday night.

The network has rewarded the sitcom with a full-season pickup, making it the first new comedy this season to receive a full-year order.

“Ken” is a family comedy starring Ken Jeong as a doctor. It’s loosely based on the comedian’s real life—he was a physician before entering the entertainment business.

“Ken” has averaged a 1.4 adults 18-49 Nielsen rating in three episodes, and last week it tied “The Muppets” as ABC’s No. 2 new show, behind “Quantico.”

Of course, ratings expectations for “Ken” are lower, airing on Fridays. The show nearly doubled its NBC sitcom competition in the 8:30 timeslot last week, and it’s holding all of “Last Man Standing’s” lead-in.

It has been a tough start for broadcast’s new sitcoms. “Muppets” bowed to big numbers but quickly declined, while others such as “Grandfathered” and “The Grinder” debuted to mediocre numbers and fell.

Though CBS’s “Life in Pieces” has posted good viewership behind “The Big Bang Theory,” broadcast’s top comedy, it’s still losing nearly half that lead-in audience.

In addition to “Ken,” three other new shows have received full-season pickups, all of them dramas: “Quantico,” NBC’s “Blindspot” and Fox’s “Rosewood.” ABC is the only network to pick up two new shows so far.

Tags: abc, new shows, comedies, canceled shows, pickups, sitcom, dr. ken