In spite (Or maybe even because of?) Mad Men’s prolonged absence, last night’s premiere became the show’s most-watched episode in its five seasons on the cable air, bringing in a series best of around 3.5 million viewers. That represents a 21-percent jump over the season four premiere in 2010, and approximately one viewer for every Mad Men-related tweet or Facebook status update your friends made this week. The show also saw a 30-percent uptick in younger audiences with around 1.6 million viewers aged 18 to 49, who were rewarded with the swingin’ ’60s rock ‘n’ roll and subtly shifting power dynamics that kids under 50 like. Of course, 3.5 million—let’s call it 4.4 million, if you factor in the encore showing—still doesn’t come close to touching the sort of numbers regularly pulled in by The Walking Dead, but that show has zombies sometimes.
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