• June 7, 2001

"Kristin," the new NBC comedy starring Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, premiered to decent ratings Tuesday thanks largely to its cozy time slot.

According to Nielsen, the workplace sitcom -- nestled between a pair of "Frasier" repeats -- placed second in its 8:30 p.m. berth among viewers aged 18 to 49 (2.9/9), the group most prized by advertizers.

The show built slightly on "Frasier" (2.8/9) and topped repeat Fox comedy "Titus" (2.6/8), finishing behind only the second half-hour of ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (4.3/13).

It built by an impressive 27% on "Frasier" among women 18-34 (finishing second with a 3.8/12) and placed third in its time period in total viewers (6.5 million), down slightly from its lead-in.

The "Frasier" sandwich also helped NBC squeeze decent initial ratings in March out of mid-season comedy "The Fighting Fitzgeralds," but "Fitzgeralds" eventually faded and was not renewed for a second season.

Expectations are low for the critically shredded "Kristin," whose premiere was delayed by NBC until after the season ended in May. It will air at 8:30 after "Frasier" again next week before assuming the 9:30 p.m. slot (again, post-"Frasier") beginning June 19.

Another NBC comedy, "Go Fish," bows on that same night.

- Reuters/Variety