Months worth of buzz for the season premiere of “Jersey Shore” certainly worked in MTV’s favor, as Thursday’s season two premiere set a ratings record for the series.
The episode garnered 5.3 million viewers, an increase from the 4.8 million who watched last season’s finale and the modest 1.4 million who tuned into last year’s series premiere. Though not as massive a premiere number as some critics were expecting, the viewer count is certainly strong for a series of the sort.
MTV’s highest-rated season premiere since the second season of “The Osbournes” bowed in 2002, the show averaged a 5.1 in people 12-34. It scored a 2.6 adults 18-49 rating (actually tied with last season’s finale), along with a 4.8 in women 18-34 and a 5.3 among teens.