‘Dexter’ draws another series high in finale

In the wake of Friday’s Newtown, Conn., school shootings, a number of networks and movie studios played down ultra-violent content.

Shows were pulled off the air, and movie premieres were canceled.

But Showtime made no such move with its graphic, grisly serial killer drama “Dexter,” and apparently people had no qualms about watching it.

“Dexter” drew a series-high 2.8 million total viewers on Sunday at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen, the best for any series in the pay cable network’s history.

Including replays later in the night, “Dexter” drew an audience of 3.4 million.

Lead-out “Homeland,” which won the best drama Emmy for last year’s first season, drew its second-biggest audience, 2.3 million. Another 400,000 tuned in to repeats of the finale later that night.

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In cable ratings for the week ended Dec. 16:

Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): ESPN, Discovery Channel, ABC Family, TBS, USA.

Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): ESPN, USA, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Discovery Channel.

Top five cable news networks in primetime (25-54): CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CNBC, HLN.

Top five cable news programs (total viewers): 1. CNN’s “Newtown Memorial Service” (Sunday, 7:50 p.m.); 2. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Tuesday, 8 p.m.); 3. Fox News Channel’s “Special Report with Bret Baier” (Friday, 6 p.m.); 4. Fox News Channel’s “CT Shooting Tragedy” (Saturday, 10 a.m.); 5. CNN’s “Newtown Remembers” (Sunday, 7 p.m.)

Top movie (18-49s): Disney Channel’s “Cinderella” (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.) 1.43 million.

Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “Monday Night Football: Houston/New England” (Monday, 8:30 p.m.) 14.48 million.

Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: ESPN’s “NFL Football: Houston/New England” (Monday, 8:30 p.m.); NFL Network’s “Bengals vs. Eagles” (Thursday, 8:30 p.m.); ESPN’s “SportsCenter” (Monday, 11:40 p.m.).

Show on the rise: Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Sunday, 9 p.m. The reality show averaged 2.34 million viewers 18-49, up 20 percent week-to-week from 1.95 million.

Show on the decline: TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles” Tuesday, 9 p.m. The drama averaged 1.27 million viewers 25-54, which was good enough to place it in the top 50 for the week in the demo, but down 11 percent from 1.42 million the previous week.

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