So, are people tiring of Sarah Palin—or of Tina Fey's Sarah Palin?
Last night's Saturday Night Live special, featuring Fey's latest appearance as the Republican veep candidate (and maybe Will Ferrell's final cameo as the outgoing President Bush), was watched by the short-run show's smallest audience.
How big was the dip in the polls?
Actually, it was rather small. The episode, the third of three half-hour prime-time specials, was down a tick from last week, averaging an estimated 8.5 million for NBC, and helping ease the pain of Kath & Kim (5 million).
Still, it was no match for last weekend's SNL, which drew some 14 million for the much-anticipated Palin-Fey summit, or the premiere of SNL Weekend Update Thursday, which pulled in about 10 million two weeks ago.
Interestingly, last night was the first time Fey put on her pageant-walking shoes for a Thursday SNL. Previously, she spoofed the Alaskan governor solely on Saturday's SNL, to great ratings, if not comedic, effect. All together, Fey's now done Palin five times.
If Palin fatigue is setting in, then Fey, at least, has an exit strategy. Starting next week, she's back as Liz Lemon on the returning 30 Rock.
SNL, meanwhile, isn't so much working on an exit strategy as a blow-out, going-out-of-campaign-business special. The 90-minute, prime-time Presidential Bash 2008 is scheduled to air Nov. 3—the night before Election Day.