‘Archer' Premiere A Ratings Bullseye For FX

FX's first animated comedy series starts strong with 1.8 million viewers

By Alex Weprin -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/15/2010 1:19:33 PM

The series premiere of Archer, FX's first foray into the animated comedy genre, debuted strong for the cable network Jan. 14.

Archer drew 1.8 million total viewers at 10 p.m., including 1.2 million P18-49. At 10:30 FX re-aired the pilot episode, which it previewed last fall after It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. That episode drew 1.4 million viewers, including 950,000 P18-49.

Those numbers bode well for the series. FX's last new comedy, The League, launched after Sunny in October and drew just 1 million viewers in its debut. Despite the soft launch, it performed well enough its first season to get a second season order.

The League and Sunny ended up growing their audiences as their seasons wore on.  If Archer does the same, it could turn into a bona fide hit.