Yesterday, EW’s Ken Tucker published a snotty dismissal of Fox’s marketing campaign for “New Girl” (the pilot was available for free on iTunes, Hulu, and Fox.com for two weeks leading up to the premiere). Today, Ken Tucker can enjoy a big serving of humble dick-filled pie, because ten million people watched “New Girl,” a huge success for a network trying to add more live-action comedy to its schedule.
New Girl was seen by 10.1 million viewers at 9 p.m. and delivered a strong 4.7 adults 18-49 rating. That’s the highest-rated fall sitcom premiere on Fox since The Bernie Mac Show 10 years ago. What’s particularly impressive about this number is how much the comedy built from its Glee third season premiere lead in. Glee (8.9 million, 3.8) was down 32 percent from its first episode last fall, yet New Girl was up a whopping 52 percent from the debut of Raising Hope in its slot last year. [Inside TV]
I liked “New Girl,” and though it isn’t perfect (the three guys all feel like caricatures), I’m pleased that Zooey Deschanel is going to be on my TV every week. Even if making out with a paused TV screen isn’t as rewarding as I might like.
