[WyldeMan45]

That's not what they where expecting........

NBC's 'Parenthood' gets fair start

Parenthood The heavily promoted launch of NBC's "Parenthood" got off to an OK start Tuesday night, winning its hour with a somewhat unimpressive number considering the strength of its Olympic-sized marketing.

On the plus side, "Parenthood" (8.1 million viewers, 3.1 preliminary adults 18-49 rating) largely retained its "The Biggest Loser" (8.3 million, 3.2) lead-in. For NBC to win 10 p.m. with a scripted drama in a post-"Leno Show" era is what the network needs, though NBC hoped for a bigger splash out of the gate. Critics generally liked the first hour, with THR calling it a "sweet, extraordinarily well-cast dramedy."

Rival networks are jumping on the "Parenthood" number, but it's important to remember that "The Good Wife" debuted to this same rating, in this same time period, and the CBS show is now considered a success. Bottom line: From this starting point, "Parenthood" could go either way.