“Jersey Shore” Premiere Sets MTV Ratings Record

It’s ratings tiiiiimme!

The season three premiere of “Jersey Shore” drew 8.45 million total viewers Thursday to become the most-watched episode ever for an MTV series, according to reports.

More than four million of those viewers were between ages 18 and 34, a demographic prized by advertisers, The New York Times reported.

The closest other shows got for the night in that demo were ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” (2.478 million viewers) and “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS (2.044 million viewers), according to the Times. Both shows edged "Jersey Shore" when the audience was broadened to include viewers up to age 49.

After transporting "Jersey Shore's" cast of 20- and 30-somethings to Miami last season, Thursday’s show featured the return of Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Jenni “Jwoww” Farley to their digs in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

Ronnie Magro, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, Paul “DJ Pauly D” Del Vecchio and Vinny Guadagnino also returned for another season of GTL, creepin' and drama.

Taking the place of housemate Angelina Pivarnick this season is Deena Nicole Cortese, a longtime friend of Polizzi.

Cortese wasted no time in proving she has what it takes to thrive in the “Shore” environment: “accidental” displays of nudity and drunken aggression.

The cast’s antics have broadened their international appeal, according the Hollywood Reporter.

In Canada, the premiere was most-watched non-sports cable program of the day for viewers 12 to 34.

Selected Reading: THR, New York Times, Daily News

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