Broke ratings: Pauley Perrette’s new series gets off to solid start

While there are a number of established shows on the air Thursday night, what we were the most interested in was the premiere of Broke. How could we not be? It was the first series gig for Pauley Perrette since her exit from NCIS, and there were a number of other super-funny people involved, as well. Think in terms of Jaime Camil and Natasha Leggero, among others. This was a chance to see how a new multi-camera sitcom could do in an era where they aren’t getting the same attention they once did.

Based on the premiere numbers alone, we’d at least say that Broke is off to a solid start … though we’re still far too early to guarantee anything for the long-term future. The premiere episode generated overall a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic and then just over 7 million live viewers. These numbers are enough to put Broke in roughly the same position ratings-wise as a number of the different shows around it. That’s good given that Man with a Plan and Mom are both series that have already aired for multiple seasons as it is.

Of course, the big challenge for Broke will be seeing how it fares over the weeks ahead, mostly because it’s one thing to get off to a good start. It’s another to retain viewership. New shows often lose 10-15% of their viewers from one week to the next, and if it can keep a good percentage of its audience, there is a chance for it to stick around for a while. We know that CBS is likely intent on finding themselves a new scripted-comedy hit, given that Young Sheldon is the strongest thing they have now that The Big Bang Theory is over … and it was reliant in the early going mostly on its franchise name.

We’ll continue to monitor the ratings for Broke over the weeks ahead, but for now know that Grey’s Anatomy remains the Thursday-night champion with a 1.4 rating in the demo. This matters in the end more than total viewers to networks for advertising purposes.

Did you watch the premiere of Broke Thursday night?

Be sure to tell us what you thought in the comments below, and then also stick around for some more news related to all things TV. (Photo: CBS.)