‘Sons Of Anarchy’ Final Season Ratings Hit All-Time High For FX

The final ride turned out to rev some serious DVR ratings thunder for Sons Of Anarchy. The final episode of the Kurt Sutter-created series jumped up 44% from its Live+Same Day results to 9.26 million total viewers in Live+3 ratings to hit an all-time episode high. While the December 9 broadcast inched ahead of the previous SOA record holder of 9.25 million of the Season 7 debut on September 9 in total viewership, it fell just a little short of making it a double record. Among adults 18-49, the Live+3 data for the end of the FX show drew 6.07 million – just a tad behind the 6.1 million the S7 premiere got.

Still, there was a clear and total victory for the last season of SOA compared with previous seasons and anything else on FX. In the Live+3 results that FX likes so much, the seventh season of the biker drama had an average total viewership of 7.54 million and 5 million among adults 18-49. Not only does that top Season 6 of SOA, which was the previous record holder with 6.98 million total viewers and 4.77 million among the demo, but it is the most-watched season of any FX series in the cabler’s 20-year history.

“It’s a rare and remarkable accomplishment for a television show to generate its — and our channel’s — highest ratings in its final season,” said FX CEO John Landgraf today. “We thank Kurt Sutter and his team for an epic ride.”

To put that ride in clear context, SOA has grown nearly 200% in viewership and the key demo since its first hit the ratings road back in 2008.