‘The Bastard Executioner’ sets the stage well for episode 3 with live+3 data

When we first reported on the premiere numbers for FX’s “The Bastard Executioner” last week, one of the things that we were careful to note is that for the most part, the network does have a tendency to be somewhat hesitant to release ratings data until the live+3 figures are available. They are aware of the impact of recording devices on today’s market, and after seeing the full numbers for the drama in this measure, we understand their decision more.

As a whole, Deadline reports that the show drew in total 3.61 million viewers with the three-day viewing figure added to its two-hour premiere Tuesday, and of that 1.79 million was in the key 18-49 demographic. That’s a good percentage of the viewership, and it does bode well for the future of the Kurt Sutter series.

We don’t think that anyone out there thought the show would draw anywhere near the same sort of numbers that we saw back when Sutter’s “Sons of Anarchy” was on the air last year, and for a variety of reasons: This is a new property, it’s a period piece, and in this modern era of TV viewing some wait to watch live until they have a real reason to do so, such as someone saying that the show is really good.

Ultimately, we feel like it benefits “The Bastard Executioner” to a certain degree that it is starting lower, that way it has room to grow and improve over the rest of the season and potentially a season 2. While it has not been renewed just yet, we have a hard time envisioning that it will not get another batch of episodes thanks to the numbers and Sutter’s prestige.

You can read some more of our “Bastard Executioner” coverage by heading over to the link here. Also, you can sign up right away to have some other TV news on everything we cover sent right to you, courtesy of our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: FX.)