Just how fashionable is Ugly Betty according to Nielsen and the network? Here's the place to talk it over.

Does anyone know if they are going to re-air this show?

You can see it online at ABC.com and I think ABC Family is airing it tonight.

Ratings for the premiere:

Zap2it:



First place!

(Mediaweek is not up yet)

Wow!!!!

She beat Survivor????

Talk about the triumph of the underdog!!


Yes, yes, I know ABC was full-speed-ahead promoting the heck out of it, but I was expecting a second place at most, behind the Survivor juggernaut!


I am very glad!!!

The number that matters to the execs is the demos where Survivor did beat UB. And it (Survivor) did have more total viewers as well. But still, not a bad day for Betty.

Ugly never looked so smashing, darling!

Mediaweek update:



Edited to add link for babelfish...sorry about that!

mtlchickie, do you have the link to the Mediaweek article?

I am so excited about those numbers! Yeah for good ratings.

I'm really surprised that UB drew such relatively weak numbers in adults 18-49. I would really like to see the A18-34 numbers, because I'm better than it skewed very young.

Those are great numbers. Although I'm not a huge fan of the show I'm happy it did so well. I'd rather see a show like this than a show like The Nine or Six Degrees do well.

Good for UB. I'm kind of over the numerous attempts at recreating 24, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, etc.

I love survivor, but I'm not worried about people not watching it. Also, if it ended after this season (which is a great season) I'd be okay with it.

And don't forget the million CSI wannabes.


But that's the way TV (and entertainment in general) works.

If these numbers for Ugly Betty hold for a substantial amount of time, get ready for plenty of quirky, campy shows based on telenovelas.
Not that I would complain, I would love to see an Americanized version of Cuna De Lobos (which in itself was based on an old, obscure Bette Davis film called The Anniversary)

Wow! I'm so glad it did well. Let's just hope that this keeps up since I really want to see Ugly Betty be a success. It'd be nice to see this concept be successful all over the world.

According to my cable guide SoapNet is airing the pilot episode at 11am & 11pm (Central Time) on Saturday.


I’m wasn’t too thrilled with the pilot, but I’m glad ABC is giving UB a real chance to succeed with all the re-airings.

I predicted that UB would be the most watched show new show (up to this point) and from the looks of this article I was right.

Is it too early to start saying that ugly is the new hot? If these numbers hold up, Betty will be around for a long time.

This makes me happy.

I think what makes the ratings go up too, is that it's a classic case of counter programming. ABC did an excellent job in creating a block of shows (UB, Grey's and Six Degrees) that appeals to a certain type of audience that probably wouldn't check out ruthless competition and gritty reality or the supernatural element. For once, the monkeys at ABC were really smart by pairing up Greys and UB. Here's hoping the trend continues.

dealan, I completely agree. This is the perfect case scenario of counter programming. ABC is actually doing an excellent job of creating a brand for themselves. You even see it in their less anticipated new series. People are sampling all of their shows and the ones that are making an impact are looking to be hits (and in the case of Ugly Betty,a breakout hit). All of ABC's new shows have started well this season (Six Degrees with the help of Grey's).

ABC had a stellar programming year in 2004, hit series wise (LOST, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Dancing with the Stars). I think they may have two new jewels to add to the pile this season with UB and The Nine. We will see, but if UB continues to grow in viewers and The Nine uses it's LOST lead-in wisely, ABC could actually win 4 out of the six programming nights (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday). Next week will be interesting for UB because there has been a lot of good buzz and viewership could increase. It's looking promising for a full season.

Indeed, Ugly Betty looks like a strong performer and one that may hang around for the long haul. Negative publicity for this current round of Survivor and the absence of My Name Is Earl from the Best Comedy Series race for the latest Emmys no doubt aided efforts at ABC, but UB is also a well-produced series with a considerable pedigree. It seems that the stars are aligning right for this one, the way that it happened for Grey's Anatomy.

However, Six Degrees doesn't seem to fare as well, as it currently loses a significant amount of the GA viewership.

I'm not surprised that this show is a hit. It's light, likeable, funny and easy to watch. Plus, it's a part of a great 3 hour block on ABC... things are looking good for Betty.

Last week Ugly Betty showed on ABC Family on Friday and the Soap channel on Saturday but I don't see it on my Tivo guide for either of those times. Is it just on Thursdays from now on? I'll skip Survivor for it if I have to but I was kind of hoping to be able to watch both.

From Mediaweek:



I think a drop was expected. But still awesome! I'm glad that one my new four shows has already been picked up for the season and this one might be too.

I knew there would be a drop - there always is after the pilot episode when the people who decide they don't like it don't tune in again. But those numbers are still pretty darn good.


I don't know if it will be repeated on any other network, but I think that you can still watch the episodes on ABC.com - at least for now. Who knows how long they'll keep that up.

Wow...that drop is excellent...from 16 million viewers to 14 million?
And it's even more astonishing considering that it's going against Survivor and My name Is Earl.

I think UB is comfortably settling at a solid number that will most likely keep it running for a long time.

Compare UB's second episode modest 9 % drop in overnight ratings with Studio 60's 30 % second-episode drop-off.

I agree with whomever said "Get Used To Betty!"

It beat Survivor in households again!

I love ER, especially the fabulous Parminder Nagra, and I think John Stamos is looking surprisingly fresh and strong after being in the Hollywood mill forever.

But if counter-programming is the thing, I think UB at 10 on Thursday could really keep the viewership up in the 15-16 million range, given the general tiredness of ER, the folding of disgusting James Woods' Shark, and a lead-IN from Grey's Anatomy. Since Six Degrees is an immediate scratch anyhow.

Why would you ever tinker with a good thing right now? That would be the absolute last thing ABC should do. It's doing great at 8, the last thing they should do is move it around no matter what perceived weakness there is at 10.

I agree that Ugly Betty should stay put, primarily because its appeal for a wide variety of ages make it right for what used to commonly be the "family hour". But Men In Trees could be fun at 10/9. That is, if it wasn't already shoring up Friday ratings.

Definitely agree with the earlier start time. This is a show with very wide appeal age-wise, and sending it to 10 p.m. could negate a lot of that audience.

I don't think it was on ABC Family or SoapNet this week. Thanks to ABC.com, I saw it (with limited commercial interruptions) via computer Friday. Ironic that I no longer see any ads on TV thanks to my DVR, but do watch them on my computer.

From Mediaweek...



Definitely has staying power, this one.

ABC has picked up UB for a full season! Yay!!!
http://www.tv.com/story/story.html&story_id=6742

Yes! That is great news!
I've been worrying that this show would get cancelled, but I guess I shouldn't have.

Go Betty! I really hadn't paid attention to the ratings news for this show, but I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about it being cancelled.

Ratings for this week...still looking pretty good. Especially with all its competition.

Other than Dancing With The Stars last season, there have been a lot of shows in that timeslot that got canned due to Survivor. ABC will happily take those numbers and whip up more delicious flan with it.

I've been very impressed with the numbers! Those numbers are great considering that it's against Survivor.

The cold, hard facts are that...
• Survivor, though still potent, is an aging franchise.
• My Name Is Earl and The Office, while critically impressive, are mired in a stagnant-to-sputtering network.
• 'Til Death and Happy Hour are not. catching. on. And baseball season can't be blamed for keeping viewers away.
• Smallville, even with a strong core audience, doesn't have the distribution muscle behind it that is common to the three oldest networks. And it's no spring chicken, either.

The timing was right for something to break through this season in this timeslot. And while Ugly Betty would have been a fun pairing with Men In Trees as originally intended, its style and characters make it fresh and enjoyable, with a serial element that works well alongside Grey's Anatomy. Betty is as sharply conceived as My Name Is Earl was seen to be last year, which makes pitting the two against each other now so frustrating to viewers like myself.

Survivor has a clip show this week & The Office/Earl are reruns. Wouldn't you know this is the one week I don't have a class Thursday? Thankfully Ugly Betty is a new episode. I guess the other shows are afraid of going against the World Series, but maybe ABC figures there aren't a lot of baseball fans watching Ugly Betty.

This show got upped for a second season? Wow. Must be a lot of 9-year olds with a minimal sense of humor running the network.

A second season? Alright!

I think it's a bit soon to be discussing a second season - UB just got picked up for a full first.

And if it was a bunch of nine-year olds, then I owe them candy. Lots and lots of candy.

And lots of hugs.

I'm confused by this comment. What does it mean?

It means they don't like the show, and they are adhering to the "Without Pity" policy.

Let's stick to talking about confirmed news -- I haven't heard ANYTHING about a season two. When and if that happens, then we can either celebrate or complain.

Thanks, guys!

From Mediaweek:



Different Numbers from Zap2It:

So apparently some episodes of Ugly Betty are being shown out of order. I think maybe ABC did this so that the Halloween episode would air in the right week (before Halloween).