On Sunday, Bravo aired the first installment of Teresa Checks In, a Real Housewives of New Jersey miniseries spinoff focusing on the Giudice family and the difficulties they’ve faced with the head of their household behind bars.
It’s already been announced that Teresa will return to The Real Housewives of New Jersey once she’s released, and the miniseries is being used by Bravo to ease her transition back to reality TV and gauge the level of viewer interest in the incarcerated 43-year-old.
Unfortunately, it seems there’s a significant bump in Teresa’s comeback road, as Radar Online is reporting that Teresa Checks in was a ratings flop.
The premiere was watched by just 1.2 million people, which is a smaller audience than any episode of the last season of RHONJ.
That number isn’t terrible on its own, but it will likely shrink as the series continues, and the Giudices will almost certainly suffer the embarrassment of having fewer than 1 million viewers tune in for their show.
Granted, Teresa doesn’t actually appear on camera on Teresa Checks In, but she makes frequent voice cameos via telephone, and given the amount of money Teresa is being paid to return to Bravo, it’s safe to assume that Andy Cohen and company believed the hotheaded Housewife would draw a much larger audience.