'Horror Story' scares up viewers

FX's new drama 'American Horror Story' debuted to 3.2 million viewers in its initial telecast Wednesday."American Horror Story" was scarily good at racking up audience totals in its premiere Wednesday night. FX's new drama from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk drew 3.2 million viewers for its initial telecast and 5 million over three airings. In the 18-49 demo, "Horror Story" delivered 3.2 million viewers in total. Series, which stars Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton as a married couple who move into a haunted house in Los Angeles, received mixed reviews from critics but was clearly a hit for the network. Show went up against tough broadcast competition in its 10 p.m. Wednesday timeslot. In that hour, the 1.6 national rating in adults 18-49 for "Horror" wasn't too far off from the dramas on CBS (2.9 for "CSI"), ABC (2.5 for "Revenge") and NBC (2.1 for "Law & Order: SVU"). Murphy and Falchuk are vets of the cabler, having exec produced "Nip/Tuck." The plastic surgery skein remains one of the most successful shows in FX history. Actually, "Horror Story" equaled the series premiere of "Nip/Tuck" in the demo and was 33% better than the debut of popular motorcycle club skein "Sons of Anarchy." In addition to Murphy and Falchuk, Dante Di Loreto is exec producer. Show is produced by Twentieth Century Fox. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com