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Keenen Ivory Wayans Edges "Vibe"
Following a big promotional push, the new late-nighters debuted satisfactorily Monday night, with The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show edging out rival comedian Chris Spencer's Vibe.
In spite of appearing on a set featuring a fish tank (at item also present when Chevy Chase made his woeful plunge into the late-night-talk shark tank), Wayans scored a 3.9 rating with a 9 share of the audience, thanks to better name recognition and stronger lead-in ratings in most markets. Vibe attracted a respectable 7 share of potential viewers for a 3.1 rating.
However, Industry observers say the numbers generated by heavily hyped premieres are hardly indicative of their long-term prospects in syndication.
Both shows strive to prove they can attract the biggest fish when it comes to booking star guests. With particular emphasis on African-American celebrities, Wayans showcased singer-songwriter Babyface, a giggly Jada Pinkett and blaxploitation cult figure Rudy Ray Moore, while Spencer chatted with Brandy and was also treated to so-called "surprise" drop-ins from Whoopi Goldberg and Salt-N-Pepa.
Meanwhile, the established talk shows, whose standard ratings were not affected by the upstarts, also featured black guest stars. Jay Leno rallied with tennis prodigy Venus Williams and Letterman bantered with reggae scion Ziggy Marley. Bill Maher, at least, had the grace to acknowledge the blatant competitive moves, before introducing his trio of Afro-American guests, which included rapper-turned-commentator Chuck D.
Critics praised Wayans flashy set and all-female rock band but were underwhelmed by his opening monologue and interview skills. He'll have a chance to improve those skills with upcoming guests like ER's Eriq LaSalle (seeking the exposure he feels TV Guide is denying him), Michael Jai White (sans Spawn suit) and MTV veejay/How to be a Player star Bill Bellamy--who was a Letterman guest on Monday!
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