
Holding on
“Dallas’s” midseason cliffhanger brought the show its second biggest Monday audience this year. The episode, “Where There’s Smoke,” debuted to 2.1 million viewers on April 14, including 714,000 viewers in the advertiser-prized demographic of adults between ages 18 and 49. This is “Dallas’s” most-watched Monday telecast since the third-season premiere, “The Return,” drew 2.7 million viewers on February 24.
“Dallas’s” overall audience grew about 10 percent from last week. This brings the show’s season-to-date average to 1.9 million viewers on Mondays at 9 p.m., down from 2.7 million viewers in this time slot last year. However, when you count DVR users who record “Dallas” and watch it within three days, this season’s average rises to 2.8 million viewers.
“Dallas’s” previous episode, “Like a Bad Penny,” debuted on April 7 to 1.8 million viewers, including 580,000 adults between ages 18 and 49. With DVR playback, the “Like a Bad Penny” audience rose to 2.6 million viewers, including 1.1 million adults between ages 25 and 54, an audience TNT targets.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering: When “Dallas” set Southfork ablaze in 1983, the episode, “Ewing Inferno,” was seen in 20.3 million homes, ranking second in the weekly ratings.
Remember: ‘Dallas’ Returns August 18
“Dallas” is over for the spring, but we still have the summer episodes to look forward to. TNT plans to bring the show back for the second half of its third season, beginning Monday, August 18. That’s just 125 days from tonight.
“Drill Bits,” a roundup of news about TNT’s “Dallas,” is published regularly. Share your comments below.