The premiere of NBC’s Australian-shot summer series Camp drew 5 million viewers in the US on Wednesday night.
While the show won its timeslot against admittedly weak opposition, the figure was variously described as “modest” (Broadcasting & Cable), “respectable” (The Hollywood Reporter) and “soft” (Deadline.com).
Filmed in the Tweed Valley in NSW and set in a US summer camp, the series stars Rachel Griffiths as a newly-divorced camp director/owner and Rodger Corser as her Aussie rival/love interest.
The premiere was the second-best this season for a new scripted series behind Under the Dome, winning its 10 pm timeslot against Mexican telenovela Qué bonito amor (What a Beautiful Love) on the Univision network and a repeat of Criminal Minds on CBS.
But there was a steep drop-off from the lead-in to Camp, America’s Got Talent, which drew 7.8 million viewers. The series will air here on the Seven Network, probably over the summer.
Clearly a lot of Americans either did not read or were not swayed by numerous positive reviews for Camp, which was produced by Selfish Mermaid, BermanBraun and Australia’s Matchbox Pictures in association with NBCUniversal International Television Production.
The New York Times’ Alessandra Stanley opined, “While it could be awful, this series has charm woven into predictable story lines. It’s not a National Lampoon-style spoof, but it is too light-hearted to be a drama. In spirit Camp… may be closest to shows like Brothers & Sisters and Parenthood, but because this is, after all, summer camp, this show is sillier.
“Rachel Griffiths, who starred in Brothers & Sisters and Six Feet Under, plays Mackenzie Granger, who inherited the property from her parents and is struggling to keep it going. And it takes a very talented actress to play a gung-ho camp director who isn’t foolish or comically annoying. “
The show did have its haters, typified by the New York Post’s Linda Stasi who ranted, “If you hated summer camp, may I suggest you avoid NBC’s horrible new scripted summer series Camp like a case of poison sumac. You loved summer camp? Then the advice goes double.”