In what universe does a show that scored a 1.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic and just over 3 million viewers in its second episode get a full-season pickup? The wacky, crazy universe that we call this one, apparently! Fox is apparently putting numbers aside, as it has ordered full seasons of its new comedies Ben and Kate and The Mindy Project, just two episodes into both of their infancies.
The Mindy Project gets a full back-nine order, bringing its Season 1 episode count to the standard 22 episodes. But Ben and Kate will be a little shorter, with just six more episodes added to its count.
The new shows have been boosted by Fox's live-action Tuesday comedy block, where they're paired with Raising Hope and New Girl. Last season, New Girl was the beneficiary of a quick full-season pickup after two episodes, but it filled out the stat sheet nicely as an instant megahit to the tune of a 4.4 rating in the adult demo and 9.26 million viewers. The same can't be said about Ben and Kate and The Mindy Project, which tallied 3.32 million viewers with a 1.6 rating and 3.68 million viewers with a 1.9 rating, respectively, in their second episodes. Do ratings even matter anymore? In case you're wondering, last week's New Girl, the third episode of the show's second season, drew 4.99 million viewers and a 2.8 rating.
With few series waiting in the wings as possible replacements, it looks like Fox is going to ride this one out instead of taking drastic measures. The Mindy Project and Ben and Kate join NBC's Revolution, Go On, and The New Normal as the only new series picked up for full seasons so far.
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
I was a bit surprised to see that these shows got picked up so quickly because they don’t seem like major hits. Both of them seem like cute ideas, but when I watch them it makes me wonder if they could actually fill out multiple seasons. I was talking to a coworker at DISH about this, and he thinks it is a desperation move from Fox because they are really lacking on programming. I only watch these shows off of Primetime Anytime on my Hopper because the reality shows on Tuesday are so much better. I only watch these shows off of Primetime Anytime on my Hopper because it automatically records them for me. It is really easy to keep up because I don’t have to set any timers, so I will keep watching them to see where they go. It is possible that The Mindy Project could develop into a successful series, but I don’t have high hopes for Ben and Kate.