A&E's troubled-teen-themed reality series "Beyond Scared Straight" garnered 3.7 million viewers Thursday night, making it the cable network's top-rated original-series premiere ever.
The 90-minute debut also delivered 2.2 million viewers age 18-49.
The show will run Thursdays at 9 p.m.
"We could not be more proud to have undertaken this groundbreaking series and the audience response is extremely rewarding," said Bob DeBitetto, president and general manager of A&E.
"Beyond Scared Straight" is based on the landmark 1978 TV documentary "Scared Straight," which featured youthful lawbreakers getting an earful from real-life prison convicts in an effort to put them on a better path.
