Dan Harmon’s “Krapopolis” got off to a very un-krappy start on Sunday, thanks in large part to it immediately following NFL football on the east coast.
“Krapopolis” drew 3.6 million “live” viewers, according to early Nielsen numbers, and had a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49. That makes it television’s most-watched animated series premiere in a decade, and Harmon’s most-watched episode of an animated show (so, not “Community”) ever. Excluding awards shows, the football-boosted “Krapopolis” debut was the most-watched entertainment telecast since Fox’s “Next Level Chef” launched out of February’s Super Bowl.
Like “Next Level Chef,” much of Sunday’s success can be directly attributed to folks just leaving their TV sets on their Fox station after the “Game of the Week’s” final whistle. (And a quickie version of post-game show “The OT.”)
Save NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Las Vegas Raiders) telecast, “Krapopolis” is likely to be primetime’s no. 1 show.
Fox will say it focuses on numbers that include three days of delayed viewing, and it will. But take our word for it: Fox is very happy to have these Nielsen numbers out there as a one-off.
Linear-television (broadcast, like Fox, and cable) ratings have been dwindling for years as streaming usage has soared. Similarly, “live” tune-in has given way to on-demand viewership and bingeing. Sports, news, and other live events (like awards shows) are just about the only thing that can and should still be analyzed using Nielsen’s Live + Same Day metric; the NFL is the biggest player in its genre.
Fox’s 4 p.m. (ET) national game was the Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs. Though the contest was a total blowout in Kansas City’s favor, it had the added intrigue of (and social-media attention from) Taylor Swift cheering on Travis Kelce from his Arrowhead suite. Fox cameras cut to Swift seemingly at every chance — even its announcers publicly shipped the pop/country star and the Chiefs’ star tight end. The two would later be seen leaving the stadium together.
You think the league was excited? Following the Chiefs’ win, the NFL’s official TikTok account changed its bio to “Taylor was here.” We’re sure football purists loved that.
Even with the very non-football storyline, faced with a 34-0 score at halftime, Fox was forced to cut away to a more competitive game. The consolation prize was an Arizona Cardinals upset of the Dallas Cowboys, the first win for the former and first loss for the latter. A network could do worse: the Cowboys, nicknamed “America’s Team,” draw the best national TV ratings of any NFL team.
IndieWire TV critic Ben Travers gave “Krapopolis” a C+ grade. “There are laughs to be had and glimpses of largely unrealized potential,” Travers wrote, calling out Hannah Waddingham and Matt Berry’s voice performances at highlights.
But in watching the three episodes provided in advance to press, Travers didn’t quite see three seasons — the order Fox handed Harmon — of material at the ready. Read his full review here.
The animated comedy takes place in the ancient Greek city of Krapopolis, under the rule of Tyrannis (Richard Ayoade). As the son of goddess Deliria (Waddingham) and mantitaur (half manticore, half centaur — so part human, horse, lion, and scorpion) father Shlub (Berry), Tyrannis is pulled between his curious mortal genes and mighty Olympian heritage.
Pam Murphy voices Tyrannis’ sister Stupendous, with Duncan Trussell as his brother Hippocampus (both are half-siblings, their other parents a cyclops and a mermaid, respectively), as this ancient modern family try to govern the city and themselves through chaos.
New episodes of “Krapopolis” air Sundays at 8 p.m. on Fox.
