Flashpoint Scores Cross Border Bullseye

USA Today be damned–Flashpoint shot down the critics Friday, scoring surprisingly strong ratings on both sides of the border. The Toronto-based police drama–starring Enrico Colantoni and Hugh Dillon–drew 1.1 million viewers Friday night on CTV, No. 1 by far in its timeslot and No. 1 in the 18-49-year-old demo. The U.S. ratings were lower proportionally but still sensational for a summer debut on a Friday night: 8.13 million CBS viewers according to Nielsen Media Research.
Episode two, featuring Henry Czerny as a desperate dad seeking a heart transplant donor for his daughter, airs this Friday at 10 p.m.
Robert Bianco–who crucified the show in his USA Today review Friday–was shocked to hear the numbers when I ran into him this morning at the Fox press tour session. “I hope they won’t burn me in effigy in Canada,” he says.