ABC’s “Madoff” opened and closed to modest numbers, especially in the key 18-49 demographic — but the miniseries premiered far better among the affluent.
On Wednesday night, Part 1 of “Madoff” debuted to a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which was only good enough to be the No. 8-rated broadcast show of the night. In other words, not “good” at all.
However, when adjusting for just those with a six-figure annual income, the Richard Dreyfuss-starrer jumped 25 percent to a 1.5 rating, making it fifth-best for the evening.
And among those in the age range with $200,000-plus in annual income, “Madoff” rose 33 percent to a 1.6 rating, which slotted it fourth across primetime.
Then there’s the index — which essentially measures the proportion of upscale viewers versus the norm — where the show performed even better.
Among the $100,000-plus index, the Ponzi scheme show was No. 1 on all of broadcast television Wednesday. In the $200,000-plus index it finished runner-up to NBC’s “The Mysteries of Laura,” which has always done well on the older end of the demo and especially among the affluent.
On Thursday night, “Madoff” concluded to a lower 1.0 rating in broadcast’s main demographic. Its ranking in the income demographics won’t be known until next week, but its probably safe to guess that rich folks stuck around for the comeuppance.