Jill & Jessa: Counting On returns with 1.9 million viewers

It looks like TLC’s gamble on bringing back the Duggar family after the oldest son Josh Duggar’s sexual molestation scandal is paying off big time! The network’s 19 Kids & Counting spin-off Jill & Jessa: Counting On brought in huge numbers Tuesday night, pulling in more than 1.9 million viewers!

The 19 Kids & Counting ratings were on a dramatic upward trend when the show finished up last May, due in large part to multiple pregnancies and Jessa’s wedding. Those last few episodes came in averaging just over 2 million viewers, which means the show has barely skipped a beat in its lengthy hiatus.

This week’s episode was actually the fourth for the spin-off after TLC tested the waters with three episodes in December. Those ratings varied quite a bit, from 1.895 million for the second episode on December 20 to 2.47 million for the third episode on December 27. The premiere of Jill & Jessa: Counting On had 2.22 million when it aired on December 13.

Generally, a reality show bringing in anything over a million viewers is considered a success, so certainly an average of 2 million has got to have the executives at TLC (and at least a couple dozen folks in Arkansas) quite thrilled! In case you missed Tuesday night’s episode, titled “At Home & Away,” you can watch it online via Discovery Go.

We will have to wait and see how their Josh Duggar: Counted Out spin-off does. (Just kidding.) (Or am I?)