Compared even to last year’s “Seinfeld” reunion-themed numbers, the performance for “Curb Your Enthusiasm”‘s eighth season premiere was a slam dunk.
The show garnered 1.7 million viewers with a 0.9 adults 18-49 demographic for its first airing, advancing from the 1.1 million who tuned into the season seven premiere, the 1.6 million who watched the first episode to feature the full “Seinfeld” cast and the 1.3 million who watched the “Seinfeld” reunion-centric fiinale.
But while the advance is noted, two key factors also belong in the conversation. First, as a summer premiere, the eighth season opened against less sports and mainstream television competition than the seventh season, which debuted in September 2009.
More importantly, “Curb” was not expected to be a self-starter this season and instead received the mammoth “True Blood” lead-in. By no means did anyone expect the numbers to reveal a significant crossover between “Blood” and “Curb,” but with 5.0 million viewers and a 2.8 rating in the demo, the HBO flagship definitely provided some valuable support for the “Curb” launch.
