Kurt Sutter’s acclaimed FX series Sons of Anarchy closed its seventh and final season with the best ratings the show has ever seen.
Overall, the show drew an amazing 6.39 million viewers and 4.22 million viewers in the key 18-49 age group, according to Nielsen numbers. Variety reports that it earned a 3.3 rating in that key demographic.
These numbers are particularly astonishing since the show didn’t start until 10 p.m. and ran until just after midnight on Tuesday night. It also faced off against the No. 1 show on broadcast TV last night, CBS’ Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which had 9.1 million viewers and a 4.3 18-49 rating.
According to Deadline, the previous high for SOA was the season seven premiere, which drew 6.2 million viewers, with 4.1 million within the key demo.
Also, to show just how greater the audience for cable dramas has grown, the season finale demolished the numbers for The Shield’s November 2008 finale. The series, which Sutter worked on, only had 1.84 million viewers in total.
We will certainly hear more from Sutter in the future. He is developing The Bastard Executioner for FX. SOA actor Charlie Hunnam is also a major star, having appeared in Pacific Rim on the big screen. He will be seen again in next year’s Crimson Peak.
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