Now that the writers’ strike has all but obliterated your regular TV viewing schedule (no need to get the kids in bed and laundry folded before “Desperate Housewives” comes on, no need to have dinner done and dishes washed before “The Office” airs) have you noticed that you’ve been spending less time in front of the boob tube? Or have you just altered what you watch?
If you are like most Americans you’ve done the latter. Take a look at last week’s TV ratings and you might just be as surprised as I was to see that more than 23.2 million viewers (that’s more than tuned in for weekly doses of ABC’s smash hit “Dancing with the Stars”) watched Fox’s “The Moment of Truth.” The new lie-detector reality show’s Wednesday night debut was the most-watched series premiere in more than a year, according to Nielsen Media Research. Among young viewers, it was the top-rated series debut in five years.
For a show that has contestants strapped to a polygraph machine?
If you weren’t among the tens of millions who tuned in last Wednesday you basically missed watching everyday folks answering increasingly personal and embarrassing questions with the possibility of earning $500,000 for telling the truth. The series debut featured a former football player who was asked if he ever peeked at his teammates in the shower, and whether he had flirted with women on the Internet after he was married.
Apparently, this is the new must-see TV.
For the record, show producers are quick to point out that contestants are not forced to go on (Duh). And they further revealed the actual polygraph examination is given a few days before the show’s taping, so the contestants know what the questions are before going on the air and can call it quits at any point in the game.
Bottom line: the show is a ratings bonanza and is proving to be a golden ticket for Fox. I should note that “The Moment of Truth” comes on immediately after Fox’s other ratings king “American Idol.” According to Nielsen Media Research, among viewers aged 18 to 49, the lie-detector series kept 94% of the “American Idol” audience, the best-ever retention rate for a show Fox has aired after its No.1 rated singing competition.
By the way “American Idol” drew 26.8 million viewers Wednesday.
Did you watch “The Moment of Truth?” Or, perhaps, more importantly, would you have watched it if the writers’ strike hadn’t affected your other shows?
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