Fox gets more 'Smarter'
Network orders more '5th Grader'
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Pickup comes as gamer airs in its regular Thursday slot tonight for the first time without the help of an "American Idol" lead-in. Although sure to take a ratings dip without its "Idol" companion, the bona fide hit is expected to dramatically improve Fox"s perf on Thursdays - making the network a competitive player on the toughest night in television.
"The success was so quick and so great, we felt we should pick up as many episodes as we could as quickly as possible," said Fox alternative honcho Mike Darnell.
Standup comedian Jeff Foxworthy hosts the gamer, in which adults are asked simple grammar school-level questions - and are frequently forced to ask real grade-schoolers for help.
"At its core it"s a very simple relatable format on a simple relatable topic," said "5th Grader" exec producer Roy Bank, who"s also head of development and operations for Mark Burnett Prods. "We expected it to come out of the gate really strong, especially with an `Idol" lead-in. What we could have never predicted was the level of success."
Gamer stunned just about everyone - including Fox execs - two weeks ago by scoring the net"s best premiere numbers in 13 years. And its numbers were big enough (26.5 million) that it also repped the best preem for any net in five years.
Since then, the Mark Burnett-produced quizzer has continued to impress, making it the No. 1 new program of the 2006-07 TV season in all demos. Gameshow has averaged a 9.3 rating/22 share in adults 18-49 and 23 million viewers overall.
It"s also the most compatible show ever to air alongside "Idol." After its first four airings, "5th Grader" held on to 84% of its "Idol" lead-in, giving it the highest retention of any program that has run behind the talent competish.
Fox had already picked up an additional four episodes (beyond its initial six-seg order) by piecing together pre-existing footage. Now, Darnell said "5th Grader" will head back into production in three weeks. That means the show could continue in its Thursday slot beyond April 19, when its final episode is currently scheduled. But the net hasn"t yet determined whether to keep the show on the air or rest it and hold the 13 new episodes for later broadcast.
"It"s nice to have these in the bank," Darnell said. "It"s also a fantastic player for us to have in the fall."
Burnett, Bank, Barry Poznick and John Stevens exec produce "5th Grader," which comes from Mark Burnett Prods. in association with Zoo Prods.
