The season 5 premiere of FX's "Sons of Anarchy" set a ratings high for the show and could set an FX record as well.
The 90-minute premiere of the biker drama scored 5.4 million total viewers, 3.5 million of them in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic. That was a series high, and reflected gains of 10 percent in total viewers and 9 percent in the demo compared to its record-setting fourth-season premiere.
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Including rebroadcasts at 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m., the show had 7.5 million total viewers and 4.9 million in the demo.
FX said the episode is likely to be the most-watched single telecast ever on FX when Live+7 data becomes available from The Nielsen Company.
“It’s so rare, especially in the current fragmented environment, to see a show grow into its fifth season,” said FX president John Landgraf. “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.”
Last season's premiere scored 4.9 million total viewers and 3.2 million in the demo.
Created by Kurt Sutter, the series is executive produced by Sutter, Paris Barclay, John Linson and Art Linson. It is produced by Fox 21 and FX Productions.