Hope Remains for Lipstick Jungle

There’s still hope for Lipstick Jungle, according to a new article in the New York Times. Brooke Shields reveals that Lipstick Jungle‘s audience increases by 2.3 million viewers when the live +7 numbers (i.e. people who watch the show on DVR within 7 days of airing) are counted. According to a Nielson analyst, that’s the largest percentage increase of any primetime show. Wow!

In other good news, NBC says they will air the remaing 4 episodes of the original 13-episode order staggered through mid-January before making a final decision on the fate of the show. The sets are still standing and intact at the studio in New York, waiting for that decision. The ratings will be crucial, however. Advertisers prefer to have live viewers who can’t fast forward through commercials, so even with the bump from live +7 numbers, the show is in danger. One way the producers are trying to combat that for advertisers is by embedding commercials within the show. Did you notice Lindsay Price’s Victory requesting that one of her models be done up with Maybelline mascara during the fashion show? That wasn’t an accident – that was product placement and one of the better examples I’ve seen lately. This show is ripe for product placement as we watch these women go about their lives. Have Brooke Shields’ Wendy do the weekly shopping and choose Pantene over Sunsilk and voila! Instant commercial. Have Kim Raver’s Nico take some Tylenol or Excedrin while working late on a deadline for the magazine; perfectly natural and believable product placement.

Just a few ideas for how to keep this Nice Girls favorite on the air. The Friday night “death slot” may mean we aren’t watching it live as often as we did on Wednesday, but we are still watching and we want more!