A&E’s ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ heisted high ratings but no viewing records

“Bonnie & Clyde” made off with some high ratings Sunday night, even if the miniseries couldn’t quite make people forget all about the Hatfields and McCoys.

A&E Networks’ “Bonnie & Clyde” premiered the first of two installments Sunday with a total of 9.8 million viewers across three networks -- A&E, History and Lifetime -- according to Nielsen.

That was far smaller than the audience last year for History’s “Hatfields & McCoys,” the miniseries about the legendary family feud that drew nearly 14 million on its first night.

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Even so, “Bonnie & Clyde” is still among the highest-drawing miniseries of recent years.

The simultaneous run on three networks was a highly promoted aspect of the telecast. But it’s unclear how much effect the unusual distribution had on the final numbers. History drew the most viewers, with 3.7 million. Lifetime gathered 3.1 million, while A&E had 3 million.

What did you think of “Bonnie & Clyde”?

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