ABC's UNCLE BUCK Opens as Top Summertime Comedy Debut In 9 Years

With the premiere episodes of "To Tell The Truth" at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and the debut of "Uncle Buck" in the middle hour from 9:00-10:00 p.m., ABC ran a solid second on Tuesday in Adults 18-49 (1.3/5) to NBC with "America's Got Talent" and "Maya & Marty," nearly doubling Fox's first-run schedule (+86% - 0.7/3 for "Hotel Hell"/"Coupled").

ABC's "Uncle Buck" debut ranked as the No. 2 TV show of the night in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5) to NBC's "America's Got Talent."

"To Tell The Truth" (8:00-9:00 pm - 5.4 million and 1.0/4 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against the first hour of "America's Got Talent," ABC's special preview of "To Tell The Truth" beat out Fox's time-slot veteran "Hotel Hell" by 2.8 million viewers (5.4 million vs. 2.6 million) and by 11% in Adults 18-49 (1.0/4 vs. 0.9/4).

"Uncle Buck" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 5.2 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):
Spiking 50% over its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. and holding steady throughout the hour, ABC's debut of "Uncle Buck" took second to NBC's "America's Got Talent," tripling Fox's "Coupled" in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5 vs. 0.5/2).

"Uncle Buck" stands as TV's top summertime (Memorial Day-Labor Day) comedy debut in 9 years with Total Viewers and in 7 years with Adults 18-49 - since 6/4/07 and 5/27/09, respectively.

"To Tell The Truth" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.2 million and 1.2/5 in AD18-49):
In its regular time-slot premiere at 10:00 p.m., ABC's second episode of "To Tell The Truth" grew 20% from its 8:00 p.m. preview telecast in Adults 18-49 (1.2/5 vs. 1.0/4).

"To Tell The Truth" delivered ABC's best summertime numbers with series programming in the hour in 3 years in Total Viewers and in 2 years in Adults 18-49 - since 5/28/13 and 6/24/14, respectively.

Projections Rationale:
Lifts vs. L+SD are based on 2015-16 season averages for originals (excluding the premiere).
Returning shows: Profile based on same show (either premiere or averages for originals).
New Series: Based on similar series.

A note about DVR penetration: DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample is currently at 49% in U.S. TV Homes. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which are increasingly not reflected in the overnight Live + Same Day numbers. As a result, the Live + 7 Day ratings are the most accurate Nielsen measure to gauge the size of the TV audience.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings for 6/14/16, unless otherwise specified.

Photo credit: ABC/ Michael Ansell