‘The Night Manager’ has solid ratings start behind ‘Call the Midwife’ on BBC One

Going into the premiere of “The Night Manager” on BBC One, it was pretty easy to assume that it was not going to get the same sort of ratings that we’re seeing from “Call the Midwife.” However, expectations were that the series starring Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie (which was also produced by AMC and will air stateside in the spring) still would be able to draw at least solid numbers.

After looking at the live viewing figures, it is safe to say that the show did just that. Approximately 6.1 million viewers in Britain checked out the premiere, which if you look in terms of audience share, is extremely impressive. (Few American shows get anywhere close to the share they do in Britain, where there is less competition for original programming.)

According to the Guardian, this series was behind of course “Call the Midwife,” which continues to stay really solid and drew on the night 7.7 million viewers. This show has the benefit of being somewhat procedural, which means that you don’t have to watch every week to know what is going on. Also, it has a recognizable name, and doesn’t really have to rely much at all on word-of-mouth.

The big test for “The Night Manager” is going to be seeing just how the show ends up faring when some of the rest of the episodes this season. If a show keeps the majority of its audience from week one to week two, then more often than not it is a great sign for the future. For now this show is just a limited series, but the ratings here could inform future productions.