The Friday, Sept. 8 primetime debut of the The Replacements was Disney Channel’s most-watched animated series premiere on record with kids 6-11 (2.06 million) and tweens 9-14 (1.53 million). According Neilson data, the show was also the most-watched animated telecast of the week on broadcast and cable television among the two key kids demographics.
In The Replacements, orphans Riley and Todd come across a comic book ad for the Fleemco Co., which promises a new set of parents for $1.98. Their quirky new family consists of a British international spy mom named Agent K, a daredevil dad named Dick Daring and C.A.R.T.E.R., a cynical talking spy car who used to be Agent K’s partner. Riley and Todd soon realize that they can replace any adult in their life simply by making a call to Fleemco owner Conrad Fleem. The series is created by children’s author and illustrator Dan Santat (The Guild of Geniuses) and is exec-produced by Jack Thomas (The Fairly OddParents) and directed by Heather Martinez (SpongeBob SquarePants).
Another big performer for Disney Channel is the learning-focused preschool series, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which features a CG-animated Mickey and friends. For the second time since its May 6 premiere, the show stood as basic cable’s most-watched regularly scheduled series in the target demographic of kids 2-5 (799,000), marking a 47% increase in viewership over the same period last year.
