IT'S A BRIGHT DAY FOR IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
Season 3 Premiere Ratings Shine for FX Comedy Series
Episode 1 (10 PM) Delivers 2.33 Million Viewers and 1.79 Million Adults 18-49 Posting Gains of +62% in Total Viewers and +77% in Adults 18-49 vs. Season 2 Premiere
Premiere Episode Ranks #1 in Basic Cable on Thursday Among Adults 18-34 1.26 Million Adults 18-34 Marks +140% Gain Over Season 2 Premiere
Episode 2 (10:30 PM) Delivers 1.86 Million Total Viewers and 1.41 Million Adults 18-49 Posting Gains of +20% in Total Viewers and +45% in Adults 18-49 vs. Year Ago
LOS ANGELES, September 14, 2008 � The season three premiere episode of the comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia delivered shining ratings for FX on Thursday (10 PM) delivering 2.33 million total viewers and 1.79 million Adults 18-49, respective increases of +62% in total viewers and +77% in Adults 18-49 versus season two premiere (June 29, 2006).
The premiere episode of Sunny ranked #1 in basic cable Thursday night in delivery of Adults 18-34 with 1.3 million viewers in that demo, a remarkable +140% increase from last season's premiere (527,000) and its 1.8 million Adults 18-49 ranked #2 for the night in basic cable.
FX aired episode two at 10:30 PM which also posted massive gains versus prior year, drawing 1.86 million total viewers (+20%), 1.41 million Adults 18-49 (+45%) and 1.03 million Adults 18-34 (+95%).
Both episodes far surpassed Sunny's previously highest rated episode, the season 2 premiere which drew 1.7 million total viewers and 1.0 million Adults 18-49 (Live+7 Nielsen data). Last season, 10 first-run episodes of the series averaged 1.3 million total viewers and 902,000 Adults 18-49 (Live+7 Nielsen data).
For the 10-11 PM time period, the first two episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia averaged 2.1 million total viewers and 1.6 million Adults 18-49, respective increases of +127% in total viewers and +181% in Adults 18-49 vs. the time period on Thursdays for September 2006. The FX Prime movie lead-in Dodgeball (8-10 PM) averaged 1.6 million total viewers and 964,000 Adults 18-49.
FX will air two all new episodes next Thursday, September 20 � "Dennis & Dee's Mom is Dead," and "The Gang Gets Held Hostage" � at 10 & 10:30PM, respectively. Produced by FX Productions, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia features Charlie (Charlie Day), Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Sweet Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Frank (Danny DeVito), five ne'er-do-wells who own and operate Paddy's Pub in Philadelphia. Their constant scheming to get ahead by not-so-redeemable methods usually lands them in a world of hurt, yet they never seem to learn from their mistakes.
FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from the Fox Networks Group. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 92 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning original series; an established film library with box-office hits from 20th Century Fox and other studios; and an impressive roster of acquired hit series. For more information about FX, visit our web site at www.FXnetworks.com.
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