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ABC Spike

Turning a talk show bit into a show = ratings success

Lip Sync Battle Dwayne Johnson The Rock
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on Spike's Lip Sync Battle, which debuted with strong ratings. (Photo by Spike)

by Andy Dehnart 8 Apr. 2015 | 1:03 pm

Two talk show bits turned into half-hour unscripted programs have managed to draw decent numbers of viewers. Spike’s Lip Sync Battle, based on a segment from Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show, started strong, as did the expanded version of a bit from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, ABC’s Repeat After Me, though it has declined in recent weeks.

Spike announced today that, in live+3 ratings (three days of DVR playback added to the original broadcast), last Thursdays’ premiere of Lip Sync Battle “drew a record 3.2 million viewers” which makes it “the most-watched series premiere in network history and second most-watched original series telecast in channel history.”

After just same-day viewing, the show had 2.2 million viewers and Spike announced then that it was “the most-watched non-scripted series debut in network history.”

Meanwhile, there’s ABC’s Repeat After Me, which uses hidden cameras to record people’s reactions to celebrities who are repeating lines fed to them from a studio by Wendi McLendon-Covey. It had 3.5 million viewers and a .9 in live+3 last Tuesday. That’s down sharply from its Feb. 17 premiere, though, which had 4.7 million viewers and a 1.5 in live+3.

Can Lip Sync Battle sustain or grow those ratings? I enjoyed the first episodes and was pleasantly surprised how a 10-minute bit became a half-hour show without seeming too padded. There are four performances followed by a quick audience vote, with a few fun backstage and post-performance moments. But I’m not sure I’d watch every week, because it’s kind of one-note. Ultimately, the show only works if it has ego-free celebrities–like The Rock–who are willing to surprise us with their commitment to the ridiculousness.

As long as there’s surprise, though, there will be viewers. Just watch this clip of Anne Hathaway performing “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus, which already has 7.7 million views on YouTube.

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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