CBS reality hit "Undercover Boss" is coming back for a second season.
The show — which is shaping up to be the biggest new unscripted hit on a network since ABC’s "Wipeout" — has been given the greenlight to start recruiting new bosses for a second cycle of episodes. CBS isn’t saying how many new episodes of the show it’s ordered, or whether the series will return next fall or winter.
Thanks to the smart call of scheduling its premiere after the Super Bowl — and the "casting" of well-known brands such as Hooters and 7-11 — "Boss" now stands as the No. 1 new show of the season. Including the inflated post-game premiere, the show is averaging 18.7 million viewers and a 7.1/17 in adults 18-49.
But even without a big football boost, "Boss" has been boffo. It’s dominated its Sunday slot in each of the three weeks it’s aired original episodes, dramatically boosting the Eye’s average on the night.
"We are thrilled with the overwhelming response to the series and how audiences seem to connect to it on several levels," said Jennifer Bresnan, who runs alternative programming for CBS. "The wish fulfillment of seeing the top boss perform jobs of the rank and file is universal, and the employees’ stories discovered at each company are often relatable and inspirational."
Various reports have noted just how much free publicity "Boss" has given the companies whose CEOs have appeared on the show. "Boss" has also broken through as a pop culture phenom of sorts, with non-entertainment media riveted by the notion of fat cats walking in the shoes of their employees.
The show’s premise even sparked a debate between Arianna Huffington and Bill Maher on last Friday’s edition of Maher’s "Real Time" on HBO.
"Boss" is exec producer by Stephen Lambert and Eli Holzman via Studio Lambert, Ltd.
