MTV’s “Jersey Shore” has fallen from its record ratings level and is no longer setting the pace for television on Thursday nights (that crown now belongs to “American Idol”), but it continues to deliver exceptional numbers.
Thursday’s episode posted a strong 4.0 adults 18-49 rating with 7.73 million viewers. Within the A18-49 demo, “Shore” ranked second, only behind “Idol,” for all of television–network and cable. It also posted a healthy 7.6 in women 18-34 and a 6.5 in teens 12-17.
USA Network’s “Fairly Legal,” meanwhile, again sank in the young adults demo. Airing behind a fairly-lukewarm “Royal Pains” season finale (1.1 rating with 4.05 million viewers), “Legal” fell to a 0.7 with 3.06 million. The forthcoming loss of that “Pains” lead-in could spell further difficulty for the Sarah Shahi-starrer.