The first episode of FX’s new drama series ‘American Horror Story’ was met with solid ratings when it premiered on October 5, drawing in 3.2 million viewers, Deadline is reporting. The premiere, which drew in 2 million adults between the ages of 18 and 49, matched the demo rating of creator Ryan Murphy’s last FX series, ‘Nip/Tuck.’ ‘American Horror Story’s launch was also up 33 percent from the series debut of the cable network’s current flagship drama, ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ which drew in 1.5 million viewers.

However, ‘American Horror Story’ is running behind FX’s famous cop drama ‘The Shield’ in the important 18-49 category, which drew in 3.2 million viewers in the demo. But FX president and general manager John Landgraf said those numbers may change. He added that “We’re really thrilled by the premiere ratings performance of ‘American Horror Story.’ We know that when the Live+7 ratings come in, that of the 13 drama series FX has premiered, ‘American Horror Story’ will rank at least number two all-time in adults 18-49 behind ‘The Shield,’ and there is a possibility that it could be our highest ever.”

Landgraf also pointed to the fact that social media traffic increased after the ‘American Horror Story’ premiere, with fans discussing the show. The increased traffic helped draw in 5 million viewers for the show during its premiere night, with the help of the episode’s two encores.

Written by: Karen Benardello