Ratings, Anyone? Peep How Tyler Perry’s Two New Shows Did On OWN

This week, Tyler Perry’s first series for Oprah Winfrey’s cable network OWN debuted. And of course, we all want to know, how he faired in the ratings department.

According to Deadline, the drama The Haves And The Have Nots opened with as 1.77 million viewers at 9 PM and another 1.8 million for a second original episode at 10 PM.

That was down from the debuts of Perry’s comedy series on TBS but marked the highest rated series debut in OWN’s history. After the episode aired, Tyler penned a personal message, thanking viewers.

Hey guys, ALL I CAN SAY IS THANK YOUI can’t even find the proper words to tell you how much I appreciate you. Last night, millions of you watched The Haves And The Have Nots. Out of all of the choices you have, you are still standing with me. I wish you could see me smiling right now. It humbles me and brings water to my eyes when I think about what God has done in my life through you… JESUS!!! WOW!

If I could tell you the stories of this cast, the struggles, the fights, the worry and the difficulity that they have had in this business trying to get a break, it would blow your mind. I am so happy that you are standing with them. I knew you would love The Haves And The Have Nots but I didn’t know you would love it this much. Thank you to all of you who posted on Facebook, Twitter and my message board last night… I read until I fell asleep. And I slept with a smile on my face… just wait until next week.

If you tuned into the first episodes, what were your thoughts?

[Deadline, THR,Instagram]