The season finale of "American Horror Story" really killed it in more ways than one.
Wednesday's Season One swan song drew 3.22 million total viewers — a high for the series, which premiered Oct. 5. It was also cable's top-rated program among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic, drawing 2.19 viewers in that demo.
Also read: 'American Horror Story' Season 2: New Cast, House, and Story
While impressive, the performance doesn't mark a dramatic improvement over "AHS"'s maiden episode. The series' maiden episode drew 3.2 million total viewers, with 2 million in the demo.
Overall, the season has averaged 4.4 million total viewers when Live+7 data is factored in. When video-on-demand and online views are added, the Ryan Murphy/Brad Falchuk series is averaging 8.6 million total viewers, going by data from the first five weeks.
"American Horror Story" has yielded the highest-rated first season in FX history, besting "Justified" by 29 percent in total viewers and Murphy and Falchuk's earlier FX offering, "Nip/Tuck," by 50 percent in the adults 18-49 demo.