Megyn Kelly's Sunday night newsmagazine debuted with an exclusive interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but that was not enough for the show to finish above third in total viewers.
NBC's "Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly" had 6.1 million total viewers, putting it behind ABC's NBA Finals pregame coverage and a "60 Minutes" rerun on CBS, the Hill reported. Kelly's show did outperform "60 Minutes" in the 18-49 demographic, which carries particular weight with advertisers.
Kelly's premiere episode also received lackluster reviews. Forbes said that it "fell flat," and Newsday said she got "off to a rough start." Vanity Fair's headline blared "Even Putin Seemed Bored With Megyn Kelly's Interview."
In Kelly's interview, Putin dismissed concerns about Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election. Critics faulted Kelly for not getting better answers from the Russian president.
One writer who did not blame Kelly for Putin's answers was David Zurawik.
The Baltimore Sun media critic said, "What did anyone expect from this one-time K.G.B. chief and master of propaganda?"
Zurawik also said, "NBC might finally have a winning newsmagazine. It is too early to tell after just one hour, but 'Sunday Night' is sharply focused in content and storytelling on women at a time of cultural change in terms of gender and power."