The return of USA Network's Burn Notice was hot with viewers Thursday night.
The Jan. 23 installment, the start of the second half of the spy series' second season, drew 5.1 million viewers on average to USA , according to Nielsen Media Research data. That performance marked the show's second-best total delivery ever, trailing only the show's sophomore season premiere last summer, officials said Friday.
Moreover, the scripted show notched its best-ever performance among the Madison Avenue-coveted 18-to-49 demographic, averaging 2.47 million of those watchers Thursday night, beating its prior high during its second-season bow on July 10, 2008 by 4%.
The mid-season launch -- there are seven installments in total in this batch - also was Burn Notice's second-best ever among viewers 25 to 54, a 2.69 million average, just 5,000 less than for its aforementioned second season-premiere last summer.
Compared to the performance in the 10 p.m. time slot on the same day last year, Burn Notice rose 91% among adults 18 to 49, 138% among adults 25 to 54, and 102% in total viewers.
Burn Notice was also the No. 1 show of the day in key demos and total viewers. In fact, USA had the top six telecasts of the day among viewers 25 to 54, with Burn Notice as well as NCIS, House, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
