FX's 'The Americans' gets off to a strong ratings start
Premiere outdraws the 'American Horror Story' launch
Keri Russell of "The Americans"
Credit: FX
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Goosed by an aggressive ad campaign and strong critical response, FX's "The Americans" got off to a strong ratings start on Wednesday (January 30) night.
In a confusingly timed premiere airing that ran from 10 p.m. to 11:38 p.m., the '80s-set spy drama drew 3.22 million total viewers, including 1.57 million viewers among adults 18-49. Those numbers exceed the overall premiere audience for "American Horror Story" (3.18 million) and the 18-49 premiere for "Sons of Anarchy" (1.55 million).
If you want to slice the ratings pie very thin, FX notes that the "Americans" premiere drew 407,000 male viewers aged 18-34, topping the broadcast networks in that very specific demo. [If you're really slicing up numbers, it's only fair to mention that the second season finale of Discovery's "Moonshiners" actually drew 3.87 million viewers and ranked as the top cable show for the night among adults 18-49 and in a slew of other demos.]
The first encore telecast for "The Americans" began at 11:38 and added an additional 1.01 million total viewers, including 643,000 viewers among adults 18-49. One additional encore started at 1:14 a.m. and added 470,000 viewers including 319,000 adults 18-49.
For the three premiere night/morning airings, "The Americans" totaled 4.7 million total viewers, with 2.54 million in the key 18-49 demographic.
"We’re very happy with premiere ratings for 'The Americans' and, just as importantly, we’re proud of the widespread critical acclaim the show has received," blurbs John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX. "We have no doubt that when we get the Live+7 time-shifted ratings from last night, 'The Americans' will rank among the best series debuts ever on FX. We’re grateful to Executive Producers Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields, Graham Yost, and to our outstanding cast led by Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich, as well as the entire team behind this great show."
Although there's still one thrilling night to go, FX is calling January 2013 the highest rated month in its 18-year-history, with the network hitting highs in nearly every relevant demo.
A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.
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January 31, 2013 at 5:40PM EST Reply to CommentIt amazes me what can and can't be said on cable TV. You can't say the F word, but you can describe intense sexual acts verbatim. And I'm not against it by any means, I just find it bizarre.
ChampSkins
January 31, 2013 at 6:12PM EST Reply to CommentGreat news! Crazy thing is I haven't even talked to one person who saw the premiere, but said they had it on DVR or was planning on watching it next week. Not that the ratings will go up, but good word of mouth could help it too.
Steve
February 1, 2013 at 3:51AM EST Reply to CommentDan - I agree with you. It is amazing what is on this cable network. I actually feel it could be a bit cleaner. I mean, they wouldn't have to remove much and this show wouldn't have to be MA rating and could therefore appeal to even more people. But thats just me. I know I will be in the minority there.
James FX is appealing to a lot of people including me because of the lack of censorship. I'm sure your only referring to the fact that FX is one of the few ad supported channels that has stronger language and does shy not away from sexuality. They give them a TV MA ratings and only air it after 10pm and still prudish Americans object to it. If only Americans had the same moral objects to graphic violence maybe it wouldn't be so prevalent all over TV at all hours of the day including broadcast TV. Why don't people make comments like this about AMC and the Walking Dead? Unlike FX, AMC airs it at all hours of the day even the afternoon. Of course its because the show is just graphically violent but AMC neuters the show from any sexually and strong language therefore it doesn't offend American morality.
February 1, 2013 at 10:10PM ESTTC FX isn't trying to "appeal" to the easily offended. The channel's first original show was The Shield, which revolutionized basic cable dramas. Currently, they've got two of the better dramas (Justified and SOA) and a stable of some of the best comedies on television. They don't need to change a damn thing about what they're doing. They are well aware of their target audience.
February 2, 2013 at 6:34PM EST