Well it was supposed to be a sure thing…

Wednesday's episode of Law & Order SVU guest-starring Mike Tyson, which was, of course, a controversial casting choice from the moment it was announced, was supposed to be a sure ratings grabber. But it turned out instead to be just the opposite.

The episode entitled Monster's Legacy, in which Tyson played a convicted killer on death row who claims that the sexual abuse he suffered as a child led to his crimes, came in third in its time slot after Modern Family on ABC and Criminal Minds on CBS. The episode attracted 5.2 million veiwers which is the lowest audience ever for an original, regularly scheduled episode in the series' history.

And to add insult to injury, the show's ratings were 12% lower than the previous week's show and Modern Family actually posted its lowset ratings numbers in years and yet still beat out SUV.

No doubt the controversy and the criticisms about the casting of Tyson may have taken a toll on the show's ratings.