Lifetime occasionally puts together TV movies with interesting casts and premises, and the high-profile flick A Deadly Adoption was certainly one of those. Starring SNL alums Will Ferrell and Kristin Wiig, the Lifetime original movie had plenty of buzz, and more than 6 million people tuned in over the weekend to see what all the fuss was about.
A Deadly Adoption initially hit the schedule on Saturday evening, nabbing 2.1 million total viewers. Yes, that’s fewer than the whopping 4.5 million total viewers who tuned in for Lifetime’s Whitney Huston biopic during its first viewing earlier this TV season. Still, A Deadly Adoption did have the added burden of premiering in the summer, during a time when it is traditionally more difficult to engage larger audiences as families go on vacation and spend more time outside. Plus, Deadline notes that A Deadly Adoption was aired several more times over the weekend, and more than 6 million people tuned in.
Before A Deadly Adoption premiered, it was hard to tell if the movie would be parody focused, but a few minutes in when Sarah (Wiig) falls into a lake and miscarries, we learned all the cheese and clichés related to Lifetime original movies would be left intact. Despite a lack in comedic inclinations, the serious and sex-crazed movie still had an avid viewership who was active on social media during the premiere.
If you didn’t get a chance to catch A Deadly Adoption in all of its glory, you can catch the trailer for the production, below.
We first learned about Wiig and Ferrell’s Lifetime original movie a couple of months ago, on April Fool’s Day, to be exact. After the “super secret” project was leaked, we learned it may not be happening, after all, leading a lot of people to believe A Deadly Adoption was always intended to be a joke. But then posters popped up for the TV movie and Lifetime confirmed it was indeed happening and would air as part of Lifetime’s 25th anniversary. It also is a further indicator of Lifetime’s shift in programming, as the network has nabbed higher profile projects, including Grace of Monaco and the upcoming The Clan of The Cave Bear series. Hopefully, the success of A Deadly Adoption will lead to similar original programming in the future.
