On the surface, “Undercover Boss” appeared to be the ideal post-show match for the Super Bowl.
After seeing quirky hits like “The Office” fail to retain the bulk of the ‘middle America’ audience that tunes into the big game en masse, CBS went with a reality series that panders directly to that segment–those who work jobs for which they believe executive America lacks a true appreciation.
If the very preliminary overnight ratings are to be believed (a 20.3 rating), the show posted a household rating of more than 40% above that for NBC’s comedy last year and the best overall number since ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2006.
Because the live broadcast makes it hard to narrow down the rating in the preliminaries, the figure is very subject to change. Nonetheless, given the concept’s suitability for the NFL game’s audience, it would be shocking if the final number did not end up in solid territory.