Like Vic Mackey’s prospective future, the finale of The Shield ended more with a whimper than a bang from a Nielsen perspective.
The Nov. 25 season finale of the FX’s gritty and ground-breaking cop series, starring Michael Chiklis in the Emmy Award-winning lead role, closed with 1.9 million total viewers for its premiere run, according to Nielsen Media Research data.That was less than the 2.1 million who watched the opener of the show’s seventh and final campaign on Sept. 2.
The finale’s multi-run cume total reached 3.4 million and 2.2 million adults 18 to 49, including 1.2 who tuned in the first night.
The final of the rookie season of motorcycle series Sons of Anarchy performed better, revving up 2.5 million during its Nov. 26 debut, a total that matched its Sept. 3 opener. Among the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49, Anarchy notched 1.7 million viewers.
Counted across its multiple runs, the show’s first season concluder notched 5.7 million watchers, including 3.8 million adults 18 to 49, according to Nielsen.
