The Season 9 premiere of “Shameless” saw Showtime’s most-watched show take a hit in the linear ratings on Sunday night.
Airing at 9 p.m., “Shameless” drew 1.3 million viewers in its initial airing, off approximately 30% from the Season 8 premiere. However, when adding in replays that aired Sunday night as well as streaming and On Demand viewership, the show’s haul grows to 2.2 million.
Meanwhile, the premiere of Jim Carrey’s new Showtime series “Kidding” enjoyed a respectable start in the Sunday ratings. Airing at 10 p.m. immediately after “Shameless,” “Kidding” drew 443,000 viewers in its linear debut. When adding in the three replays that aired the same night, that grows to 787,000. Showtime also made the premiere available on digital platforms ten days prior to the linear launch, with the premium cabler claiming an additionl 360,000 viewers watched in that time. As such, “Kidding’s” total premiere haul stands at approximately 1.2 million.
Looking just at the linear ratings, “Kidding’s” premiere topped previous Showtime offerings like “White Famous” and both season premieres of “I’m Dying Up Here,” which Carrey also executive produces. Other newer Showtime shows, like Lena Waithe’s “The Chi” and Frankie Shaw’s “SMILF,” both enjoyed higher premiere numbers. “The Chi” opened to 533,000 linear viewers back in January, while “SMILF” debuted to 768,000 last November.
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