USA's 4400 Shatters Cable Viewers Mark
The USA Network limited series The 4400 shattered the record for basic cable's most-watched series premiere Sunday.
A staggering 7.4 million total viewers tuned in to the two-hour bow at 9 p.m., easily outdistancing previous record holder The Dead Zone by 1 million. Its adults 18-49 haul beat the network's Sunday primetime average in that coveted demographic by 130%.
The 4400 was the highest-rated program on USA since the 1998 miniseries "Moby Dick," which averaged 10.4 million over two nights. With 4400 and Dead, USA now holds four of the five highest-rated series premieres in basic-cable history, including Peacemakers (5.2 million) and Monk (4.8 million).
4400 is a thriller about a group of missing people who mysteriously return to Earth with special powers. Peter Coyote and Joel Gretsch star.
Bonnie Hammer, president of USA and Sci Fi Channel, credited the series' success to promotional power. "I think the combination of the actual marketing campaign created by USA, supplemented by the visibility and awareness of NBC Universal's cross-promotional capabilities really added up to something terrific," she said.
Four more hourlong episodes of 4400 are scheduled to run; Hammer said no decision has been made on whether USA will order more episodes.
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