Episodes one and two of The Eleventh Hour both got clocked – bringing less than half a million viewers to CTV and casting doubt on the future of Canada’s only new English-language drama. Just 404,000 Canadians tuned in for the Nov. 26 debut, followed by 456,000 on Dec. 3.

That’s roughly a third of what CTV’s famously short-lived The Associates brought in when it first aired in January 2001.

At press time, the network had not returned calls for week three ratings, but following week two it remained optimistic.

‘We’re building it week by week,’ says spokesperson Mike Cosentino, adding that ep two improved 13% on the pilot despite a weaker lead-in from Less than Perfect at 9:30 p.m. The first episode of the U.S.-made sitcom drew 800,000 Canuck viewers on Nov. 26, but only 700,000 when it repeated Dec. 2.

‘Aggressive ad campaign’

‘We’re encouraged by the numbers. We think [Eleventh Hour] is a smart series and we’ve got an aggressive ad campaign underway,’ Cosentino says, adding the show will remain in its Tuesday 10 p.m. timeslot.

At least the critics like it. The Toronto Star’s Vinay Menon showered the series with adjectives like ‘flawless,’ ‘inspired’ and ‘clever.’ Readers of The Toronto Sun were urged to tune in and Scott Feschuk at National Post praised the ‘uniformly splendid’ cast – which includes John Neville, Shawn Doyle and Sonja Smits – and tight script by co-creator Semi Challas.

Produced by Alliance Atlantis, the series follows the exploits of investigative journalists at a TV newsmagazine, and recalls the behind-the-scenes intrigue of movies like The Insider and All the President’s Men.

-www.ctv.ca

-www.allianceatlantis.com