USA Network is emerging as the star of cable's summer season.
The network debuted its second original series of the summer, offbeat
detective drama Monk, to an impressive 3.5 household rating with
4.8 million viewers July 12, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
Monk, starring Tony Shalhoub as an ace
detective with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, kicked off its 13-episode run
with a two-hour movie.
USA lodged its first hit with supernatural thriller Dead Zone, which
notched cable's highest-ever original-series premiere with a 4.7 rating June 16.
Two weeks later, Dead Zone grabbed a 4.0 rating, good enough to reign
as the highest-rated cable show during the week of June 24 through 30.
For viewers who missed the first effort, USA's sister network, Sci Fi Channel, started reairing Dead Zone
Friday from the first episode.
