Critics ’Wonder,’ auds don’t

Sun Mar 14, 7:00 PM ET

RICK KISSELL

(Variety) Critics loved it but viewers didn’t exactly flock to "Wonderfalls" on Friday, as the premiere of the Fox drama ran fourth for its hour.

According to prelim nationals from Nielsen, the quirky hour about a young woman who communicates with inanimate objects averaged a 2.0 rating/6 share in adults 18-49 and 4.8 million viewers overall. These fourth-place averages weren’t much better than what "Boston Public" had been delivering in the hour.

Show did exhibit some strength among younger viewers, finishing in a virtual three-way tie with ABC and CBS for the hour’s lead in viewers 12-34 (2.0/7).

Fox was more competitive in Friday’s opening hour with the series premiere of reality skein "Playing it Straight" (prelim 2.3/7 in 18-49, 5.3 million), which ran third in 18-49 and led its hour by 2 shares in prelim 12-34 results (2.5/10).

It was the highest-rated program of the evening in adults 18-34, persons 12-34, teens and men 18-34.

Also Friday, the WB laffer "The Help" (prelim 1.1/3 in 18-49, 3.0 million) matched the 12-34 score of its repeat lead-in, "Grounded for Life" (prelim 1.2/4), to place fifth in the younger demo. In its premiere a week earlier, "Help" finished a tick behind a "Grounded" original in 12-34 (1.6/6 vs. 1.7/7) to land second.