At the FX network head John Landgraf announced the renewals of three comedies; It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Louie, and recent entry Wilfred.
Starring Elijah Wood, Jason Gann, Fiona Gubelmann, and Dorian Brown, Wilfred is based on an Australian TV series of the same name. Paired with the season two return of Louie, the show debuted on June 23rd to a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 2.55 million viewers. That represented the best premiere numbers for a comedy in the cable channel’s history.
The ratings held up well for episode two but then dropped by more than 30% for episode three. Fortunately, they didn’t stay at that level. This week’s episode hit a series low with a 0.6 demo rating and 1.40 million viewers but it aired opposite the return of Jersey Shore.
Thus far this season, Wilfred’s been averaging a 0.8 in the demo and 1.75 million. That’s significantly better than the cable’s other Thursday night comedy, Louie, which is benefiting from the Wilfred lead-in. FX is reportedly very happy with the pairing.