E! Entertainment Television scored its second-highest-rated series debut with
Sunday's Star Dates.
The half-hour series, which features "celebrities" venturing into the world
of blind dating with cameras in tow, scored a 1.18 household rating Dec. 15 at
10:30 p.m., according to Nielsen Media Research data.
That translates into 942,000 viewers on average who watched Butch Patrick,
best known as Eddie on 1960s comedy The Munsters, try to get lucky in
love.
E!'s highest-ever series debut was reality comedy skein The Anna Nicole
Show, which notched a 4.1 household rating with its Aug. 4 premiere.
Star Dates also played well with younger viewers, registering a 1.31
rating among adults 18 through 34 (644,000 of those watchers).
Last year, E! recorded a 0.47 household rating and a 1.03 demo rating in the
time slot.
In the weeks to come, the show will track Gary Coleman (Diff'rent
Strokes), Dustin Diamond (Saved by the Bell), Phyllis Diller, Kim
Fields (Facts of Life) and Jill Whelan (The Love Boat) as they go
on blind dates.
"We are very excited about E!'s latest program offerings, including Star
Dates and the soon-to-debut The Michael Essany Show," E! Networks
executive vice president of entertainment Mark Sonnenberg said in a prepared
statement.
"These new shows are playing an integral role in helping us to deliver on our
mandate to attract and build a younger audience for the network," he added. "The
high debut ratings, particularly with the younger demos, is a testament to our
commitment to development."
