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Jersey Shore’s reign at the top of the weekly cable chart is over. The NFL double-header on ESPN’s Monday Night Football saw to that. The early game started at 7:00 ET and scored a 6.3 demo rating, down from last year’s ESPN opener but still potent. The later game, featuring a late start time for the vast majority of the country (remember about 78% of the US population lives in the Eastern or Central time zone), included teams with less national appeal. MTV’s Jersey Shore and HBO’s True Blood (season finale) followed the NFL football games in the ranking, and the heavily marketed Sons of Anarchy season premiere (FX) rounds out the Top 5 cable programs. The rest of the chart is the usual hodgepodge of shows Middle America seems to like. (No more speeches from me on that — at least for a while.)
Honorable mention goes to HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm’s season finale, which hit a 1.0 rating. It’s not quite enough to make our chart and not in the same league as its lead-in Entourage or True Blood, but it is a good number for a very funny — if sometimes erratic — series. Also, AMC’s Breaking Bad hit a 0.9 demo rating as it builds toward its season finale. I’m sure it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but Breaking Bad features great storytelling and exceptional acting. Perhaps it will fight its way onto the chart as the DEA, the Mexican Cartel, and his own conscience close in on Walter White.
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