ratings

Viewers Love Rizzoli and Isles

Wow: Thanks to a big boost from its lead-in The Closer, Monday’s premiere of TNT detective drama Rizzoli & Isles drew a whopping 7.6 million viewers according to Nielsen, making it the second-most-watched bow for a basic-cable series ever. R&I ranks just below the fall 2008 debut of another TNT drama, Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s shaggy-haired Raising the Bar, which brought in 7.7 million viewers. Before all you Angie Harmon (Rizzoli!) and Sasha Alexander
(Isles!) and ampersand (&!) fans go running into the streets with your vuvuzelas, a small reality check: After Bar’s big bow, the show’s second season debuted to just 3.6 million viewers. It was canceled not long after.

Viewers Love Rizzoli and Isles