the networks are dying

BET’s Real Husbands Appears to Be a Monster Hit

Kevin Hart

Last night, BET premiered an admittedly fake comedic reality show called Real Husbands of Hollywood, and it was a monster, out-of-the-box hit in the ratings. The half-hour starring Robin Thicke, Nick Cannon, J.B. Smoove, and Kevin Hart was seen by just over 4 million viewers, a bigger audience than those of any of the very expensive, fully scripted first-run comedies on ABC and Fox Tuesday. And among adults 18 to 49, the demo group most networks target, BET’s Real Husbands scored a higher rating (2.0) than anything on ABC, Fox, or NBC last night (and twice the rating of time-slot competition Cougar Town, which you might have heard now airs on TBS). BET kept the momentum going at 10:30 with Second Generation Wayans, a scripted comedy featuring actual Wayans family members. It averaged 3.4 million viewers and a 1.6 demo rating. Yup: The BET Wayanses outdrew the Happy Endings Wayans.

BET’s Real Husbands Appears to Be a Monster Hit