TBS’s Frank TV Scores Big Premiere With 2.9 Million Viewers

TBS has once again scored a major triumph on the original series front with its new late-night sketch comedy series Frank TV, which last night delivered 2.9 million viewers, according to preliminary numbers from Nielsen Media Research. The show, which stars master impressionist Frank Caliendo (MadTV), also outdelivered the 2007-to-date premiere telecast averages among key adult demos for such popular late-night series as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

“After a summer in which we celebrated the top-rated premieres of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and The Bill Engvall Show, TBS is keeping the fire burning into fall with yet another superb series launch,” said Steve Koonin. “With Frank TV joining the line-up, we have proven once again that TBS is the television destination for outstanding comedy from some of the best talents in the business.”

Ratings highlights for the premiere of Frank TV on TBS:

• Last night, TBS’s premiere of Frank TV scored a strong 2.1 coverage household rating and averaged 2,872,000 viewers; 2,050,000 households; 1,084,000 adults 18-34; 1,856,000 adults 18-49 and 1,715,000 adults 25-54.

* • Among TBS’s targeted adults 18-34 and adults 18-49 demographics, Frank TV outdelivered the 2007-to-date averages for new episodes of such late-night series as The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, Last Call with Carson Daly, The Late Late Show with Craig Furguson, Jimmy Kimmel Live and MadTV. It also beat the 2007-to-date average for new episodes of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno among adults 18-34.

Frank TV, which airs Tuesdays at 11 p.m. (ET/PT) on TBS, is a sketch comedy series that features comic everyman and master impressionist Frank Caliendo, famous for his pitch-perfect takes on everyone from John Madden and George Bush to Dr. Phil and Robert DeNiro. Named by Variety in 2007 as one of 10 comics to watch, Caliendo has cultivated fans through almost every means possible. His presence on YouTube and MySpace resulted in what one blogger called “The Caliendo Effect,” marking the shift from traditional entertainment outlets to the Internet. Caliendo’s spot-on impression of President Bush earned him an invitation to perform during the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, where he brought down the house. Sports fans know him for his weekly picks on Fox NFL Sunday, which he delivers as a wide variety of characters and personalities, including the John Madden impression for which he is most famous. Late-night comedy fans remember him as a regular cast member on the popular MadTV sketch comedy series, as well as from his regular appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. And he performs to sold-out crowds in comedy venues across the country.

Frank TV is being produced for TBS Productions by New Wave Entertainment® and executive-produced and written by Caliendo, Matt Wickline (In Living Color) and John Bowman (Saturday Night Live), with Barry Katz (Last Comic Standing) also serving as executive producer. Brian Volk-Weiss (Bachelor No. 2, Good Luck Chuck) and Leo Clarke (Moesha, The Steve Harvey Show) serve as producers for the series, while Jay Karas (The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show) and Rich Correll (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, That’s So Raven) serve as directors.