The new dating show executive produced and hosted by Eva Longoria was supposed to be NBC's next great hope. Instead, Tuesday's premiere bombed big time -- and that was with the singing smash "The Voice" as a lead-in.
Though it benefited from both heavy promotion and having The Voice as a lead-in, the Peacock’s new dating show Ready for Love seems fairly dead on arrival. Its two-hour series premiere was the lowest-rated program in both the 9 and 10 p.m. time slots last night, earning just 3.8 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49. (To be fair, the show did beat Smash‘s last-Tuesday episode, which garnered 3.0 million viewers and a .9 demo rating.)
The series, which will be executive produced by the former Desperate Housewives star, has tapped Amber Kelleher-Andrews, Tracy McMillan and Matthew Hussey as matchmakers, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.
Kelleher-Andrews is the CEO of Kelleher International, a search firm credited with matching Fortune 500 CEOs and A-list celebrities as well as members of the British royal family and Rockefellers.
To put those numbers in perspective: "Ready for Love" held on to a measly 28% of "The Voice's" audience. That means nearly three-quarters of viewers fled when they realized what was on.
Giuliana and Bill Rancic will host the series, which is set to debut in winter 2012-13.
"These are three of the best relationship experts in the world, each coming to the show with their own unique approaches to matchmaking and fostering healthy, long-lasting relationships," NBC Entertainment alternative and late-night programming president Paul Telegdy said. "The chances of the men finding true love are infinitely better because the matchmakers hand-selected women they feel will be most compatible with each of the guys.”
