‘Brown’ posts Bravos’s best debut since 2003
Just when it appeared the celebrities-are-people-too subgenre of unscripted TV was fading, Bravo has come up with what might possibly be a new hit in the category.
More than a million people tuned into the premiere of “Being Bobby Brown” last Thursday, making it the highest-rated series debut on the cable channel since late 2003 and the best Thursday premiere in Bravo’s 25-year history.
Despite reviews that ranged from bemused to downright savage, the show drew an average audience of 1.1 million people curious to peek into the life of the Grammy-winning singer and frequent defendant, along with that of his wife, Whitney Houston, and their family.
The vast majority of those viewers – 829,000 – were in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, the holy grail for advertisers.
“Bobby Brown” also added viewers in the second episode of its back-to-back premiere, a good sign for a new show.
The 1.1 million viewers aren’t a huge number in the larger cable universe – top-rated shows like TNT’s “The Closer” typically draw about five times that – but they represent a big improvement for Bravo in the time slot.
‘Closer’ deal closed
Less than a month after its debut, TNT has picked up its new series “The Closer” for a second season.
The decision hardly comes as a surprise: TNT has received huge returns on the show, its first weekly series in several years. The June 13 premiere drew some 7 million viewers, the biggest audience for a non-sports broadcast on basic cable this year.
“The Closer” stars Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Johnson, a Los Angeles deputy police chief who leads a team that investigates high-profile murders.
Harmon reborn on NBC
Angie Harmon, best known for her role on NBC’s “Law & Order,” will return to the network to star as an ambitious reproductive specialist in “Inconceivable,” a new drama series set in a fertility clinic.
“Inconceivable,” also starring Ming-Na (“E.R.”) and Jonathan Cake (“Empire”), will air on Friday nights starting this fall. It will revolve around the clinic’s doctors, lawyers and patients.
Harmon, 32, played Assistant District Attorney Abbie Carmichael on “Law & Order” from 1998 to 2001.
Her screen credits include “Good Advice,” “Agent Cody Banks” and the upcoming “Fun With Dick and Jane,” a remake of the 1977 comedy starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni.
Celebrity ‘Idol’ in idle
A celebrity version of “American Idol” may well happen at some point, but it’s not a sure thing.
“We’re going to let them rumble on,” “Idol” executive producer Nigel Lythgoe says of reports of a pending “Celebrity Idol,” adding: “We have no deal yet with Fox.”
The celebrity version reportedly would gather people famous for things other than singing and have them compete for charity. Lythgoe said he won’t discuss details until an agreement is finished.
A “Celebrity Idol” would likely have a shorter run than “American Idol,” and participants wouldn’t be forced to audition.
Meanwhile, NBC has announced a similar project called “I’m a Celebrity But I Want to Be a Pop Star.”