In January, “Catfish: The TV Show,†the documentary series on MTV that follows Nev Schulman and his videographer, Max Joseph, enjoyed a brief moment in the spotlight when when the Notre Dame football player Manti Te'o became the most high-profile example of someone who was “catfished†- that is, the victim of a hoax involving a faked online identity. But so far, any interest from that incident has not translated into higher ratings for the show.
The Jan. 21 episode, which ran after the Manti Te'o story broke, propelled the series to a high of 2.8 million viewers. The Season 2 premiere on Tuesday had only 2.5 million viewers, barely above the average viewership of Season 1, which was 2.4 million.
It should also be noted that original airings of Season 1 were scheduled at 11 p.m., making the ratings for those episodes more impressive. The Season 2 premiere unfolded in prime time, at 10 p.m., a higher-profile slot but also a more competitive one.
This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: June 29, 2013
An earlier version of this post rendered incorrectly the surname of the Notre Dame football player who was "catfished." He is Manti Te'o, not T'eo.
