The search for the next Maria von Trapp is playing well so far for CBC, which saw over half a million viewers tune in for the debut episode of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? on June 15, almost all of whom came back for the second outing.

The numbers dipped only slightly to 402,000 viewers for the second episode of the seven-week series – which sees ordinary Canucks trying out for the lead in a remount of The Sound of Music – on June 16, suggesting it will keep viewers coming back into July (all numbers are 2+).

The Maria debut outperformed the first hour of MOW The Terrorist Next Door, which nabbed 458,000 viewers at 8 pm on CTV, and in its second hour it trumped CBC’s Othello by some 283,000.

Meanwhile, the MOW Quality of Life – a continuation of the Dominic Da Vinci series from Chris Haddock – aired Saturday June 15 on CBC to a so-so 371,000 viewers. Nicholas Campbell reprised his role as the title character, co-starring with Mary Walsh (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Hugh Dillon (Durham County).

Another recent MOW, the $15-million two-part miniseries Burn Up, garnered 443,000 viewers for Global back on June 10, dipping to 319,000 the following night. The thriller starring Neve Campbell (Scream) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) follows the politics of climate change, focusing on environmental activists and oil company execs.

From Playback Daily