HBO’s muscular Mafia megahit, The Sopranos, attracted 9.2 million viewers to the network on Sunday. However, the premium channel’s freshman entry, Big Love - which follows The Sopranos - managed to lose almost 6 million of its buff lead-in’s audience, registering a limp 3.4 million viewers.  Dubbed ‘Desperate Housewives in Utah’ by cynics, Big Love premiered on Sunday, March 12, to a less than stellar audience of 4.6 million.

For the uninitiated, Big Love stars Bill Paxton as a Viagara-propelled polygamist who juggles three beautiful wives and legal woes in present-day Utah.  As the over-extended husband/father/businessman, Paxton is supported by the wonderful Ginnifer Goodwin, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Chloe Sevigny, as the wives who perpetually get short shrift.

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