FOX’s freshman sitcom, “The War at Home,” has been cornering the market on young viewers.
And in a business obsessed with youth, that, more than anything else, has earned the show a full-season order.
“It’s more important to Fox what age the audience is than the quality of the show,” says industry analyst Marc Berman of Mediaweek.
“They won’t win any awards for ‘War,’ but as long as they’re bringing in younger viewers, it’s a success.”
The sitcom, starring Michael Rapaport and Anita Barone as a married couple dealing with their three teenage kids (Kyle Sullivan, Kaylee Defer and Dean Collins), is averaging a respectable 8.4 million viewers.
But more importantly to network execs and advertisers, the show’s performance among coveted young demos – especially among teens, and young males – has been terrific thus far.
In fact, “War,” which was pre-empted for Fox’s playoff/World Series baseball coverage, is ranked tops in its timeslot (8:30 p.m. Sunday) in adults 18-34, teens, men 18-49, men 18-34 and male teens.
It’s also the season’s top new show in terms of bringing in teen viewers.
“Advertisers believe that once you reach 50, you’re over,” says Berman. “Everyone is interested in youth, and that’s the audience that’s watching ‘War.’
“Fox ran ‘Arrested Development‘ in that timeslot and it didn’t do the same number [as ‘War’], and ‘War’ has better retention out of ‘The Simpsons’ – and that’s the first thing anyone looks at.”
In fact, Berman points out that ‘War’ is retaining 80 percent of its ‘Simpson’ lead-in among adults 18-49.
“If a show can maintain 85-90 percent it’s really good, but ‘War’s’ retention is good, too,” he says. “And ‘Family Guy’ builds out of ‘War,’ so the flow is good.
” ‘War’ is performing better than they expected . . . and is a potential modest hit.”