Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Opens Big, No Intervention by the Avengers Needed
ABC
With nary an Iron Man or Hulk in sight, ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. blasted and smashed the competition last night, pulling 11.9 million viewers and a very special 4.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Within that get-the-advertisers-all-slobbery demo, S.H.I.E.L.D. can now boast the strongest TV drama premiere in the past four years.
So it looks like Joss Whedon’s new series could be around for a goodish while, or it could be dead at age 2, like V, the previous holder of this particular record. Presumably Marvel fanboys (and fangals) are more dedicated than the people who held a candle for a remake starring Morris Chestnut and Juliet from Lost. Either way, ABC took a swing at a new big-budget project (early estimates had the show’s Industrial Light & Magic effects costing $1 million per episode) directed by that guy who made The Avengers, and we’re one step closer to verifying that it was indeed a good move.
A couple other Tuesday-night shows beat S.H.I.E.L.D.’s overall viewership — CBS’s NCIS had 19.4 million but just a 3.4 in the 18-49 demo; The Voice peaked at 15.6 million viewers and, across two hours, averaged a tie with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s 4.6 rating. NBC’s The Blacklist still has this fall’s number to beat, with a premiere garnering 12.6 million viewers. On the downside, ABC’s 10 p.m. debut, Lucky 7, landed a 1.3 rating (this fall’s worst yet) and 4.6 million viewers. We’ll see in the coming weeks if Agent Coulson and his not-quite-superhero pals can do anything about dredging ABC out of fourth place in the 18-49 demo.
More from
-
We Went There: Clippers-Mavs and DeAndre Jordan Night in Los Angeles
-
No Messi, No Problem: Neymar Becomes a Superstar
-
World Series Weekend: Five Questions for Three (or Two) Royals-Mets Games
-
Brand Echh: Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton Can’t Save the Lame ‘Our Brand Is Crisis’
-
50 Scenes That Do Not Appear in the Fox ‘X-Files’ Revival
More ABC
-
I Loathe the ’80s: ‘Wicked City’ Is an Empty Journey Into the Dark Heart of the Sunset Strip
-
2015 Fall TV Preview: Burn It All Down
-
‘Bachelor in Paradise’: The Epic Season Finale That Will Change Everything (or Nothing)
-
‘Bachelor in Paradise’: Samantha Turns on Joe and Ashley I. Books a Night in the Fantasy Suite
-
‘Bachelor in Paradise’: Juelia Gets Her Revenge, and Suggestions on How to Fix ‘After Paradise’
More Hollywood Prospectus
-
Brand Echh: Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton Can’t Save the Lame ‘Our Brand Is Crisis’
-
50 Scenes That Do Not Appear in the Fox ‘X-Files’ Revival
-
In Praise of Beach Slang, 2015’s Best, Most Sincere Rock Band
-
Who Was Missing From Taylor Swift’s Miami Squad?
-
Happy ‘Halloween’: The Best Horror-Movie Monsters