David Tennant's new game show Genius Game ratings confirmed
The new ITV series debuted last night.
Having just landed on our screens, it seems as though the jury's still out when it comes to ascertaining whether Genius Game is set to be a game show hit or miss with its viewers.
The overnight viewer ratings for the first episode are in and, unfortunately, it seems as though the David Tennant-led series has fallen way short of its average for the show slot it occupies.
The series debuted to just 1.2 million (via Broadcast Now), nearly half the 2.2 million average for the slot itself and below former primetime competition format show The Fortune Hotel, which initially aired with 1.5 million in its Monday night 9pm slot on ITV1.
While we'll just have to wait and see how the series pans out, it has already been slated by many for its slightly confusing format, with some viewers claiming that the crux of the show is more than a little complicated.
The series is based on the South Korean original series and sees Tennant take on the role of The Creator, guiding players – that include the likes of a crime writer, forensic scientist, PhD student and two doctors – as they attempt to navigate each uniquely crafted challenge to win the ultimate cash prize.
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Of course, with fanfare and chatter, the ratings for Genius Game could very well change and will also be subject to being analysed via its ITVX streaming data.
Unfortunately, though, the series is going up against BBC One hit series Race Across the World, which is back for its fifth season.
The BAFTA Award-winning show sees a selection of different couples tackling the prospect of travel without access to their mobile phones or the internet, relying on a finite amount of money, the kindness of strangers and having quick wits about them.
The second episode of Race Across the World outperformed many of its rival shows, including Genius Game, pulling in a whopping 3.1 million viewers.
The figure is way ahead of its 2.9 million slot average and is in line with the 3.2 million that tuned in for the premiere episode last week.
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As for Genius Game, the format may be confusing for some, but many will likely tune in not only to see which challenges befall the country's finest minds, but to also see Tennant in another role for the books.
While the actor is known for the likes of Doctor Who, Broadchurch and, more recently, Rivals, this is the first time he's been at the helm of a game show.
As per the synopsis: "To win, contestants will participate in a host of never-before-seen games all designed to not only test their intellectual acumen but encourage them to carefully and creatively use the art of manipulation to outfox their opponents and win a cash prize."
Genius Game continues airing on ITV1 on Wednesday evenings at 9pm.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
