Red Band Society‘s much-hyped premiere episode did not attract as many viewers as Fox and new fans might have hoped.

The new dramedy series Red Band Society has been met with mixed opinions. Some critics are commending its bravery for tackling such a serious subject matter (sick children living in a pediatrics ward) in such a light-hearted manner, while others call it childish, full of cliches and with underdeveloped characters.

Hypable.com offered two conflicting reviews on the pilot episode, arguing both for and against watching the new series.

Fox has gone all-out with their marketing campaign for this series. The cast has been touring children’s hospitals, done lots of interviews, and even created a music video (hoping to attract the Glee viewers, we’re sure):

But when the show premiered last Wednesday, it was to mediocre ratings. The pilot drew in only four million viewers, with a 1.3 rating among Fox’s target demographic of viewers (under 50). This is not counting DVR numbers, but it is still less than we might have hoped for.

Now, it is worth noting that the pilot has been available online on Hulu for a while now. And considering the target audience (pre-teens to 30-somethings), the ones who were most intrigued by the premise had probably already watched it ahead of its Fox premiere.

But that means very little when it comes to network TV, which is still governed by the traditional ratings system. To compare, fellow Fox show Glee originally premiered to 9.6 million viewers. These early signs indicate that while Red Band Society won’t be an immediate flop, it probably won’t gain the massive levels of attention and acclaim it was hoping for.

So far, Fox has ordered 13 episodes for season 1, with a possibility for a nine-episode extension – but executive producer Rina Mimoun doesn’t think this is likely to happen.

However, you shouldn’t be too worried yet. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Mimoun clarifies that, “If we didn’t get a back order, that certainly doesn’t mean we won’t get a second season. I do think there’s something about this show that if you stretch it out too long, you stretch the believability. This show works really well in smaller doses.”

Mimoun goes on to discuss the nature of the show. “We’re doing a somewhat traditional soap, but we’re using patients to tell the soap,” she explains, adding that they are making sure to add lots of dark humour to maintain the Fault in Our Stars vibe.

And while they want to make the show as fun and accessible as possible, they are certainly taking the medical issues seriously as well. Mimoun explains how series creator Margaret Neagle assembled the writing staff, which includes people who have personally struggled with some of the diseases presented. “Everyone is pulling from their own personal lives,” she says.

She also talks about one of the seemingly more whimsical aspects of the pilot, the fact that it is narrated by a boy in a coma. This is not just a fun gimmick.

“In episode five, you find out how Charlie got into the coma and watch the entire story happen in a flashback,” Mimoun reveals. “The notion of ‘Charlie’s World’ becomes a tool for Nurse Jackson in the series and it becomes a big plot point that we hinge a lot on.”

While the show’s first season will span roughly three weeks and center on this particular group of characters, the writers are still struggling with the decision about whether or not to change it up for season 2. They might follow a completely new group of kids, for example.

“We’re wide open,” Mimoun says. “People like Octavia (Spencer), Dave (Annable), Rebecca (Rittenhouse) and Wilson Cruz are there forever; they work at that hospital. But there is always a chance that patient stories can change.”

Red Band Society returns next Wednesday with season 1 episode 2, titled “Sole Searching.”