NBC disaster drama series La Brea has avoided a linear ratings sinkhole and instead taken off on streamer Peacock and in the younger demo.
The premiere episode of the series, which and stars Natalie Zea, has more than doubled in total viewers since its September 28 launch from 6.4M, per Nielsen overnights, to 15.6M. This figure includes live and delayed linear viewing as well as digital viewers on Peacock.
The show, from David Appelbaum, has become the best launch of any new NBC show on the network’s sister streamer, although the company didn’t break out the standalone digital figures.
While NBCUniversal is evidently happy with its total performance, both on linear and digital – it is the number three new show of the season in total L+3 viewers after NCIS: Hawai’i and FBI International – it is particularly pleased with its performance among younger viewers.
The premiere has more than tripled in the 18-49 demo from 0.77 to 2.72, growth of more than 250%, and it is the number one new show of the season in this demo across overnights, L+3 and L+7. The company said that it had the best growth from live viewing to L+7 in the demo of any new show this season and its 1.07 rating in the 18-49 demo for L+7 over its first two episodes is beating CBS’ FBI: International, which is in second place with a 0.87.
The series is centered around a mother and son separated from father and daughter after a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens up in LA, and in addition to Zea stars Jack Martin, Eoin Macken and Chiké Okonkwo.
NBCUniversal has given it a huge marketing push that began with promos during the Summer Olympics and continued across the premieres of The Voice and Chicago franchises as well as during Sunday Night Football, including during Tom Brady’s return to New England, which was watched by 26M viewers. It has also had coverage on sister network Syfy.
The show, which was originally pitched as Lost-meets-Land of the Lost, comes from Keshet Studios in association with Universal Television.
Keshet Studios’ President Peter Traugott told Deadline that he was pleased with the amount of marketing support for the show, which took a long time to make it to air as a result of the pandemic – it was in the middle of producing its pilot when Covid hit and was picked up straight-to-series in January 2021.
“The only thing worse than a network not liking you show is that they love it so much that there’s that pressure. We have no control with the ratings. NBC and Universal have been so supportive because La Brea has the potential to draw in audiences, and if they turn-up, the pressure is on us to keep bringing them back,” he said.
