Networks Gaga Over Girl Shows

While female-driven series are generally in short supply on the broadcast networks, this fall season was exceptional for the number of comedies featuring women, reports The Wall Street Journal (subscription required). And the initial returns have been very promising. 2 Broke Girls, which followed Two and a Half Men on CBS last Monday, scored 19.4 million viewers, making it the highest-rated fall premiere in a decade. Another hit emerged on Fox, New Girl, drew 10.3 million viewers Tuesday, a personal best for Fox when compared with the network’s season premieres over the last 10 years.

Also among the noteworthy is Whitney, on NBC, which roped in 6.8 million viewers with its premiere last Thursday. HBO will jump on the girl bandwagon shortly with Girls.