Sheen's 'Management' draws record ratings

By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

Posted June 29, 2012

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Charlie Sheen in a scene from 'Anger Management.' (Credit: By Adam Rose, FX)

Charlie Sheen's fans turned out for the premiere of FX's Anger Management Thursday, as 5.5 million viewers tuned it for the first episode and 5.7 million for a second that immediately followed.

FX says the total, based on early Nielsen data, marks the most-watched sitcom premiere on cable, excluding kids programming, and it boosted the returns of Wilfred and Louie later that night. (Russell Brand's new late-night talk show, BrandX, drew 1.1 million at 11 p.m. ET/PT.)

But Sheen's return to prime time was a far cry from his audience on CBS' Two and a Half Men, which claimed nearly 15 million viewers for his final episodes in February 2011, after the network fired him.