Crash & Kim
Tough times for US remake of Aussie hit
It was by far the most successful Australian comedy around, so when American executives decided to remake Kath and Kim, interest down under was understandably feverish.When the resulting programme was imported back into Australia, more than 1.2million curious viewers tuned it to see what NBC had made of their favourite characters. But it seems they didn’t like what they saw.
Channel 7 has now dumped the programme after just two episodes, as viewing figures plummeted to just 729,000.
It will now use the Sunday night shot to rerun old episodes of the original Kath And Kim.
The remake is also struggling in America, despite a substantial marketing push. The first episode attracted a healthy 7.5million viewers to NBC, despite the reservations of critics, but last week’s second episode was seen by just 6million – a 20 per cent ratings dive.
NBC is airing the programme, starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, as part of its Thursday night comedy block, all of which lost audiences last week. My Name is Earl, which is on first, lost seven per cent, while The Office, airing after Kath & Kim, suffered a nine per cent slip.
Published: 21 Oct 2008
