Cable ratings: ‘Buckwild’ series premiere fares better than ‘Jersey Shore’
Just how well did MTV’s “Buckwild” really do on Thursday night? In answering that question, what you are really looking at is a matter of perspective and spin about what you consider to be a good start for a show with reasonable expectations on a cable network.
Overall, the West Virginia-set series, which we described in our review as a relative failure due to its inability to bring anything new to the reality TV table, ended up drawing a solid 2.5 million viewers along with a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
If you want to compare this to the series premiere of “Jersey Shore” all the way back in 2009, you have to consider this a great start; after all, the adventures of Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and the rest of the fist-pumping crew in Seaside Heights only drew an audience of 1.375 million. However, this audience more than tripled over the course of the season thanks in part to the controversy surrounding Snooki getting punched while out at a club, and by season 3 it was near posting 9 million viewers for individual episodes. Will “Buckwild” have this same sort of success? We’re skeptical.
As far as comparing it to some other shows that MTV has broadcasted recently, it falls above the launch of “Snooki & JWoww” (2.4 million), but below the first episode of “The Pauly D Project” (2.9 million). It also scored lower numbers than what most episodes of “Teen Mom 2” tend to draw on a regular basis.
Ultimately, the “Buckwild” numbers (if held steady) will be enough for these crazy party-lovers to get a second season, though they will probably never rise to the same level of fame as the Seaside Heights crew. As much as they may not want it, these new cast members may as well admit that this is what they will always be compared to, especially when you remember that they are in the old “Jersey Shore” timeslot.
Are you surprised at all with the “Buckwild” ratings? If you want to read more on the show, you can do so over here.
Photo: MTV