The Lifetime Original Movie The Client List, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Cybill Shepherd, averaged an impressive 3.9 million (3,898,000) Total Viewers in its world premiere last night. Additionally, the film secured 2,099,000 Adults 25-54 viewers, 1,877,000 Adults 18-49 viewers, 1,355,000 Women 18-49 viewers and 1,501,000 Women 25-54 viewers – improving Lifetime’s 2009-10 Original Movie average in each demographic by double digits. The Client List also generated a 2.9 Household rating, according to Nielsen Research.
The Client List is this year’s second most watched original movie premiere on cable, behind only the January 23rd debut of Lifetime’s The Pregnancy Pact, among Women 18-34 (630,000), Women 18-49, Women 25-54, Adults 18-49, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-34 (871,000). As a result, the top six movie telecasts on ad-supported cable in 2010 among Women 18+ are either Lifetime or Lifetime Movie Network Original Movies.
Online, myLifetime.com secured a significant amount of visits yesterday largely driven by The Client List, with the site generating the second best day on record (after 6/8/09) in unique visitors and video views.
Inspired by a true story, The Client List is the story of Samantha Horton (Hewitt), a former Texas homecoming queen and physical therapist. When both she and her husband are laid off from their jobs, Samantha accepts an offer to work at a massage studio in a nearby town, not realizing that the other staff members are actually prostitutes who service a clientele of wealthy and powerful businessmen. Eventually realizing what goes on behind closed doors, but desperate to provide for her family, Samantha goes along for the ride. But when the police raid the business and Samantha is arrested, she ends up as a key witness in the case — putting 69 high-profile johns in handcuffs and bringing a small Texas town to its knees. Shepherd plays Horton’s mother Cassie.
The Client List was produced by Jaffe-Braunstein Entertainment and Hewitt’s production company, Fedora Films. Hewitt, Dannielle Thomas, Michael Jaffe and Howard Braunstein executive produced the teleplay written by Suzanne Martin. Eric Laneuville directed.
