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EVERYBODY LOVED ‘CHRIS’: Ratings set UPN record; show beats all competition in Brooklyn.
*UPN’s “Everybody Hates Chris,” the Chris Rock-produced and –narrated sitcom set in his real New York hometown of Do or Die, Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, drew 7.8 million viewers during its 8 p.m. premiere Thursday, making it the most-watched comedy premiere in the network’s 10-year history and the No. 3 premiere of any kind on UPN (behind "Star Trek: Voyager," which launched the network in 1995, and "Enterprise" in 2001).
“Chris” beat the first half-hour of NBC’s hour-long “Joey” premiere, which drew 7.5 million viewers. The show, inspired by Rock’s own upbringing, was second overall in the 8 to 8:30 portion of the 8 p.m. slot, getting about half the 15.5 million viewers who tuned in to time-period winner "Survivor: Guatamala."
But in Brooklyn, the show beat “Joey,” “Survivor” and everything else in its 8 p.m. Thursday timeslot, including Fox’s “The O.C.” "Chris" was also No. 1 in New York with the advertiser-coveted 18- to 49-year-old viewers, and second around the country with that crowd.
Meanwhile, the fourth season of "The Apprentice" had its smallest premiere audience ever with only 9.9 million viewers. To put it all in perspective, Thursday night’s ratings champ, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” pulled 29 million viewers for CBS.
Ten million of those folks turned away from the network’s new drama, “Criminal Minds.” The series, which co-stars Shemar Moore, still managed to earn the most-viewed series premiere of the season with 19.6 viewers.
