“Glee” was far from a showstopper in its official premiere Wednesday, but it did well enough to give FOX a victory in the key 18-49 demographic.
With 7.5 million overall viewers and a 3.5 in the young adults demo, the premiere–though technically the second episode of “Glee” to air on the network–was the best FOX fall scripted debut in three years. Its rating among women 18-34 was particularly strong; the episode posted a 5.4/15 rating in the demographic and actually topped the number for the preview episode that aired after “American Idol” in May.
How positively one chooses to view the performance depends on his opinion of what drove Wednesday’s numbers. If the curiosity factor, combined with the lack of original, scripted competition on some of the other major networks, spiked the rating, next week’s number will dip to a much less impressive figure (and 7.5 million viewers for a show with a “curiosity spike” is far from spectacular in and of itself). FOX, however, is undoubtedly hoping that after showing the pilot multiple times, there was no more uncertainty among the target demographic–the rating was not artificially bolstered by people who did not know if “Glee” was for them. And if the show can repeatedly draw numbers in the ballpark of this week’s episode, it will be a winner for FOX’s fall schedule.
— “So You Think You Can Dance,” which led into “Glee” posted mediocre ratings for its fall season premiere. It kicked off with 6.55 million viewers and a 2.7 in adults 18-49.