American Horror Story's Debut: How Big Was It? Big!

Pretty big. Cable screamfest from Glee creators rivals, if not outdraws, some broadcast-network shows, with estimated 3.2 million viewers

UPDATE: More ratings results have come in, and American Horror Story is now the most-watched series premiere in FX history in Adults 18-34. When the "Live +7" (live viewers plus DVR users) are released, AHS could also overtake The Shield as the highest-rated FX premiere in all demos. Translation: Scary big!

Big names. Big hype. Big Glee genes.

Big cable ratings, too.

Here's the tale of American Horror Story's premiere night:

Per FX, the Wednesday series, starring Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton and Oscar winner Jessica Lange, may go down as the network's highest-rated drama premiere ever among 18- to 49-year-olds.

Overall, the show averaged an estimated 4.2 million viewers, a number that rivaled, if not surpassed, the audiences of some of the night's broadcast-network competition, including the just-canceled Free Agents.

American Horror Story is the latest series from Glee cocreators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk.