CBC Revenue Group

CRITICAL PRAISE AND RATINGS SUCCESS IN FIRST SEASON ON CBC-TV

Apr 26, 2012

Comedian Gerry Dee's character may be a chronic underachiever, but his sitcom MR. D was a ratings success in its inaugural season on CBC Television, according to the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement (BBM).

The MR. D series premiere was the highest-rated debut for a CBC-TV comedy since LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE back in 2007, drawing almost 1.3 million viewers. Over the season, MR. D had an average audience of 796,000 viewers, with almost half (45 per cent) falling in the coveted 25-54 age bracket.

The ratings success came in spite of competition from American prime time shows carried on competing Canadian networks. MR. D held its own against How I Met Your Mother (CITY-TV) and won a bigger audience than The Mentalist (CTV Two).

"To achieve such a big debut season, at almost an 800,000 viewer average audience a week is a testament to the huge talent of Gerry Dee and all of the creative individuals associated with this show," said Jenny Hacker, CBC Creative Head, Comedy, Commissioned and Scripted Programming. CBC has renewed MR. D for a second season.

MR. D draws from creator Gerry Dee's real life experience as a teacher at a Toronto private school, and is also fueling his Life After Teaching standup comedy tour which has been playing to sold out houses across Canada.

MR. D centres on an under-qualified teacher trying to fake his way in a teaching job just as he fakes his way through life.  www.cbc.ca/mrd

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CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages, plus seven languages for international audiences. In 2011, CBC/Radio-Canada celebrated 75 years of serving Canadians and being at the centre of the democratic, social and cultural life of Canada. 

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