Oct-03-2007Even though there is no more "Stargate SG-1" and it has a poorly rated show as its lead-in, "Stargate: Atlantis" isn't doing too shabby in a life all by its lonesome.
GateWorld is reporting that the fourth season premiere of "Atlantis" earned a 1.2 household rating, meaning that 1.7 million viewers tuned in to the show, according to Nielsen Media Research. That's an uptick of 7 percent for adults 18 to 49 -- a key advertising demographic -- compared to the Season 3 mid-season premiere, but down from the 1.5 household rating the show received for its third season premiere.
Like "Battlestar Galactica" last year, "Atlantis" is premiering in the fall for the first time, and has new network competition including "Numb3rs" on CBS and "20/20" on ABC.
Over at Showtime, the second season premiere of "Dexter" got a boost from new hype and a "free preview" weekend by the premium cable channel to become the first Showtime program to cross the 1 million viewer mark. In fact, according to TV Guide, it added another 90,000 viewers plus an additional 414,000 in its 11 p.m. ET encore, marking a 67 percent increase over its series premiere.
"Stargate: Atlantis" airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on SciFi Channel. "Dexter" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.