Viewership for the fourth season of FX’s The Shield, despite a slight downturn Tuesday night, is well up over its third season.
The gritty cop show, starring Michael Chiklis and now featuring Glenn Close, has averaged 3.3 million viewers for the premieres of the first quartet of episodes in its current campaign and 2.04 million adult 18-49 watchers in the Tuesday 10 p.m. time slot, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
Those totals represent 30% and 19% jumps, respectively, over season-three levels of 2.5 million viewers and 1.7 million adults 18-49.
The April 5 installment pulled in 3.1 million viewers and 2.02 million 18-49 watchers.
During its first season, The Shield averaged 3.2 million total viewers and 2.1 million among the advertiser-coveted demo. The series performance improved to 3.3 million and 2.2 million, respectively, in those groups in its sophomore season, according to FX officials.
