Reality series gets a second season after scoring decent winter ratings

In case you missed "Here Come the Newlyweds" the first time around, ABC has a remedy for you.

The network has renewed the show, which scored decent ratings in the strike-depressed TV environment earlier this year, for a second season. It's also upped the show's episode order from six to eight, with comedian Pat Bullard returning as host.

The second season will pit nine recently married couples in a series of competitions to win a nest egg worth several hundred thousand dollars. The couples themselves determine who goes home at the end of each episode.

ABC's announcement of the renewal refers to the show "the hit one-hour romantic comedy alternative series," which aside from being a mouthful may stretch the definition of "hit" just a little bit.

True, the show won its 10 p.m. Sunday timeslot during its six-week run in March and April, averaging 8.1 million viewers and a 3.3 rating among adults 18-49. Those numbers came during a fallow time of the season, however, when the writers' strike that "Newlyweds'" competition was "Law & Order: SVU" reruns on NBC and repurposed "Dexter" episodes on CBS. The 8.1 million average ranks about 75th among all programs for the entire season.