COMEDY CENTRAL'S® "RENO 911!" COLLARS BIG RATINGS
Series Premiered Last Night To A Stellar 1.94 HH Rating/1.51 P18-49 Rating
Drawing 2.2 Million Total Viewers (1.5 Million P18-49)
"RENO 911!" Was The Highest Rated Program In Prime Time On Basic Cable Last Night Among
M12-34 And Won Its Timeslot In Every Male Demographic
Including M12-34, M18-34, M18-49 And M25-54
Premiere Marks The Second Major Hit For COMEDY CENTRAL This Year And Becomes
Only The Second Series In Network History To Build On The "South Park" Lead-In
NEW YORK, July 24, 2003 -- COMEDY CENTRAL's July 23 series premiere of "RENO 911!" registered a 1.94 HH rating (2.2 million viewers) / 1.51 P18-49 (1.5 million viewers). The half-hour unscripted series, created by and starring "Viva Variety" and "The State" alums Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney and Thomas Lennon and produced in association with Jersey Television, is a character-driven comedy that presents a hilarious take on the traditional cop drama with soap opera-like twists and turns.
In addition to the remarkable overall ratings, "RENO 911!" was the highest rated program in prime time on basic cable last night among M12-34 and won its timeslot in every male demographic including M12-34, M18-34, M18-49 and M25-54. The series also joins "Chappelle's Show" as the only COMEDY CENTRAL series to ever build on their "South Park" lead-in in the key P18-49 demographic (+20%), where it also outperformed the prior six-week time period average in this demo by +86%.
"RENO 911!" airs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m.** and repeats later that night at Wednesday at 12:30 a.m., Friday at 1:00 a.m. and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. The critically acclaimed series is a narrative comedy that focuses on the adventures and relationships of a local Reno, Nevada precinct, providing a unique window into the lives of the men and women of the Washoe County Sheriff's department both at work and at play and offering a hilarious and unexpected spoof of the traditional cop reality program. The series brings viewers into the squad car as the officers swing into action, from responding to 911 calls concerning everything from speeding violations and prostitution to staking out a drug den. Within each episode, viewers are given an insiders' view of the officers' uncensored opinions, ranging from their most personal feelings to professional critiques of their colleagues. Joining Garant, Kenney and Lennon on the "RENO 911!" beat are Cedric Yarbrough, Niecy Nash, Carlos Alazraqui and Wendi McLendon-Covey.
In next week's episode (debuting Wednesday, July 30 at 10:30 p.m.), the officers are put on the line to rid Reno of contraband fireworks after the Mayor's son blows his thumb off with an illegal explosive.
The team of cops patrolling the mean streets of Reno are diverse in personality and background: Lt. Jim Dangle (Lennon), the squads' fearless leader, a straight-shooting cop who's not completely "straight;" Deputy Trudy Wiegel (Kenney) who's always searching for "Mr. Right" or even just "Mr. Okay;" Officer Travis Junior (Garant), the quiet cop with the big fuse and the lead foot; Deputy Clementine Johnson (McLendon-Covey), a former topless showgirl/magician's assistant who's always the first to know about a party in Reno; Deputy James Garcia (Alazraqui), a one-man, 5'4" law enforcement machine; Deputy S. Jones (Yarbrough), better known as the "Billy Dee Williams" of the stationhouse; and Deputy R. Williams (Nash) who's got class, sass and a big...firearm.
Credits for "RENO 911!" include John Landgraf, Garant, Kenney and Lennon as executive producers and Peter Principato and Paul Young as co-executive producers. Jim Sharp serves as the executive in charge of production for COMEDY CENTRAL.
Jersey Television is headed by Landgraf, working closely with his partners Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher. In the four years of its existence, the company has produced nine primetime comedy and drama pilots, five of which have become television series ("The American"/Embassy/FBC, "UC: Undercover"/NBC, "Kate Brasher"/CBS, "RENO 911!"/COMEDY CENTRAL and "Karen Sisco"/ABC). Landgraf, DeVito, Shamberg and Sher have served as executive producers on all of these projects.
COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 82 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL is a registered trademark of Comedy Partners. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is http://www.comedycentral.com.
*Neilsen Media Research 2003
