So much for “Jersey Shore” running its course. The MTV reality series’ third season premiere kicked things off with a whopping 8.45 million viewers, the highest total for a series telecast in the music network’s history.
Up significantly from the, at the time, impressive season two finale, the premiere garnered a 4.2 adults 18-49 rating. Within that demo, “Shore” thus tied for second place among all of television Thursday, matching ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and losing only to CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory.” It easily won its 10PM timeslot among young adults.
MTV also provided demo details for a younger target — the show scored an 8.3 rating among persons 12-34, a higher rating than any non-sports telecast this television season.
Thursday’s season premiere featured the gang returning to the house in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. With Angelina officially out of the cast, Snooki’s off-air friend Deena Nicole Cortese joined the mix, becoming the focal point of the drama by getting drunk, ‘stripping’ in front of Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and aligning with J’Woww and Snooki in their feud against Sammi.
