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Palin's ratings fall

Print | Comments () Posted by Matthew Gilbert November 23, 2010 11:20 AM

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Last week, "Sarah Palin's Alaska" set a record for TLC, as the most watched series premiere in the network's history. The episode drew 5 million viewers. But the second episode, which aired on Sunday night, fell a whopping 40%, to three million viewers. And the all-important 18-49 demo dropped 44% from week one. The median age of the show is now 57, 15 years older than TLC's usual median age of 42.

The curiosity factor, of course, inflated the numbers for the premiere. "Sarah Palin's Alaska," like everything Palin does, got an inordinate amount of publicity, which created a significant initial viewership.

While the numbers dropped when Bristol went clubbing (halibut) on Sunday, they will certainly be extremely high tonight on ABC as Bristol learns whether or not she has won "Dancing With the Stars." If Bristol wins, of course, brace yourselves for lots of complaining and accusations that her victory was a political -- and not an aesthetic -- statement by voters. And if she loses, brace yourselves for lots of complaining and accusations that her loss was a political -- and not an aesthetic -- statement by voters.