Vincent Kartheiser

AMC "Mad" about ratings for series bow

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Following on the heels of its record-breaking 18 Emmy nominations, AMC received more good news with the debut of its first original drama series, "Mad Men."

The drama delivered a 1.4 household rating in its premiere at 10 p.m. Thursday, according to fast national ratings data released Friday by Nielsen Media Research. That’s 75 percent above AMC’s Thursday night time slot average as well as its recent quarterly primetime performance. The episode also delivered more than 1.2 million homes.

The rating means that "Mad Men’s" premiere is AMC’s highest-rated original series telecast ever.

Because of Nielsen processing delays, other viewership figures — including total-viewer and demo data — will not be available until Monday (July 23).

AMC set a network record on July 19 with a total of 18 Emmy nominations, including 16 for the miniseries "Broken Trail," the network’s first-ever original longform program.