• by David Goetzl , April 18, 2008

The premiere of MyNetworkTV's much-hyped comedy starring VH1 luminary Flavor Flav outperformed the network's season average by double digits Wednesday, although it doesn't appear ticketed as the network's first breakout hit.

"Under One Roof," where the rapper ... turned VH1 celeb-reality star ... turned comedy performer plays an ex-convict who moves in with his conservative brother, averaged 648,000 viewers in the target 18-to-49 demo (.5)--up 18% from the 550,000 viewers that MNTV is averaging this season.

The Wednesday 8 p.m. series, however, fell far short of MNTV's top-rated programs--limited series "Breaking the Magicians Code" (an average of 1 million 18-to-49 viewers) and the second half-hour of "Jail" (832,000). It also trailed the CW's "America's Next Top Model" by more than a rating point to finish sixth among the broadcast networks in the 18-49 demo Wednesday.

In the 18-to-34 demo, the Flavor Flav series--the only original comedy on MNTV--delivered 336,000 viewers (.5) in its premiere--31% higher than MNTV's season average in the demo (257,000).

It also trailed the magic show and "Jail" by notable margins and finished last on the night among the broadcast networks, trailing NBC's "Deal or No Deal" by .9 of a rating point in 18-to-34 viewers.