Lifetime scored a gold medal in the form of 3.8 million viewers Saturday — a strong showing for the cable network and players involved. But is it too soon for The Gabby Douglas Story biopic to even be on the air?
With the Olympics upon us, television fans are in the mood to celebrate a winner. This past weekend, Lifetime aired the true-but-still-developing story of Gabby Douglas, which starred Everybody Hates Chris alum, Imani Hakim, in the central role.
That said, The Gabby Douglas Story became the night’s most-watched cable telecast and enjoyed by a healthy number of viewers. The film chronicles her childhood and natural affinity for gymnastics, told in a Karate Kid-style motif. Director Gregg Champion doesn’t offer a lot of technical detail, but that’s probably because the now-18-year-old phenom can compete for more Olympic hardware.
Drawing in 3.8 million viewers on Saturday night is a boon for the network best known for its made-for-TV movies.
Overall, The Gabby Douglas Story placed third behind Lifetime’s other recent movie premieres, Flowers in the Attic (6.1 million viewers) and Lizze Borden Took an Ax (4.4 million viewers), which both aired last month.
