Angel Soars Over Debate; Bush Succumbs to Letterman
October 5 -- Fox TV honchos were touched by an angel this week. A Dark Angel, that is.
The network was criticized when it chose to air James Cameron's new sci-fi show, Dark Angel, instead of the first debate between presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush. But according to ratings released Wednesday, Fox knows what its viewers want — and it's babes and baseball, not politics.
Dark Angel, produced by Titanic director Cameron, debuted Tuesday with an average of 17.3 million viewers. The show, which focuses on a genetically (and physically) enhanced babe from the future, propelled the network to its best Tuesday prime-time ratings ever, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The debate between Democratic presidential nominee Gore and Republican rival George "Dubya" Bush drew a combined average audience of 46.6 million viewers. Don't get too excited: That number includes coverage by all cable outlets and all four major networks, including the tape-delayed debate broadcasts aired on Fox and NBC affiliates.
East Coast viewers had their choice between the 9 p.m. Dark Angel pilot and the live debate coverage on ABC and CBS, while West Coasters could see the debates live on CBS and ABC at 6 p.m. PDT, followed by the Dark Angel premiere at 9 p.m.
NBC let its affiliates choose whether they wanted to air the debates or the Major League Baseball playoff game live. Most gave viewers the latter.
Dubya Squares Off With LettermanPerhaps Bush's ratings (and popularity) will fare better when he shows up on CBS's The Late Show With David Letterman Oct. 19. Letterman had wanted Bush and Gore to square off with a mini-debate on his time; Gore accepted, but plans were nixed when Bush declined.
Late Show producer Maria Pope joked in a statement, "With [Al] Gore's recent appearance on the show, and now Bush's planned sit-down with Dave, we expect that all undecided voters will now be decided."
Gore chatted with Letterman Sept. 14 and garnered laughs with his reading of the show's tongue-in-cheek "Top 10 Rejected Gore/Lieberman Campaign Slogans." The vice president chuckled as he delivered No. 9, "… Remember, America: I gave you the Internet, and I can take it away. Think about it."
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