Head Of Class: Fox Orders 13 New Episodes Of '5th Grader'

Even before it flew solo for the first time last night--without a lead-in from the "American Idol" titan--Fox expressed confidence. It ordered an additional 13 episodes for the so-far strong performer "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?"

The series, where adults are challenged to answer questions they might have faced in middle school, has been a boffo hit to date. It's the season's top new show and top-rated show in the 18-to-49 demo, right behind "Idol's" two weekly airings.

Last night, the reality hit ran for a full hour, leading off the night for Fox in the 8 p.m. slot, a hyper-competitive locale on Thursdays with CBS' "Survivor," ABC's "Ugly Betty" and NBC's comedies.

The new "5th Grader" episodes mean the series will air through May 10 and run in the season's final sweeps period. "The success was so quick and so great, we felt we should pick up as many episodes as we could as quickly as possible," Fox's head of alternative programming Mike Darnell told Variety.

"5th Grader" debuted Feb. 28 with a huge 10.8 "live" rating in the key 18-to-49 demo, holding on to 95% of its "Idol" lead-in. Fox said it marked the highest-rated series premiere in the demo on any network in five-and-a-half years. If ratings stumble for Fox, Mark Burnett Productions may be the biggest winner in the Thursday 8 p.m. time period, as it produces both "Survivor" and "5th Grader."

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