Tuesday (September 11) night’s dramatic fifth season premiere of “Sons of Anarchy” set series highs for FX in most measures and may set overall records for the cable network.
Per FX, the “Sons of Anarchy” premiere averaged 5.37 million viewers, up by 10 percent over the record-setting fourth season launch of the motorcycle drama. “Sons of Anarchy” was up 9 percent among adults 18-49 with 3.5 million viewers and 14 percent among adults 25 to 54 with 3.45 million viewers.
That made the “Sons of Anarchy” premiere Tuesday’s top primetime program among Men 18-49 (with 2.15 million viewers) and Men 18-34 (1.18 million) for both broadcast and cable, while it was the night’s top cable program in most non-female-exclusive measures.
“It”s so rare, especially in the current fragmented environment, to see a show grow into its fifth season,” blurbs John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks. “The fact that the season 5 premiere episode is also likely to become FX”s highest rated telecast of all time is a testament to the quality of work Kurt Sutter, the writers, directors, cast and crew have done on this extraordinarily ambitious and riveting drama.”
FX expects the “Sons of Anarchy” premiere to rank as the network’s most-watched single telecast ever once Live+7 data is available. It’s already the most-watched telecast in FX’s 18-year history among Men 18-49 and Men 18-34.