5.4M people watched 3rd 'Librarian' outing

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- About 5.4 million people tuned it to see the television movie "The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice," starring Noah Wyle, TNT said Monday.

The network said approximately 5 million viewers watched the commercial-free premiere of its new drama series "Leverage," starring Timothy Hutton, after "Librarian" aired Sunday night. "Chalice" is the third installment in the "Librarian" TV movie franchise.

"We are thrilled that audiences and critics have responded so positively to this fun and exciting new series," Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, said in a statement about the new show. "'Leverage' marks the latest successful step in TNT's ongoing plans to challenge the broadcast networks head-on with high-profile original programming."

"'Leverage' is yet another example of the great results that can be achieved working with the industry's best talent, in this case an outstanding cast, led by Timothy Hutton, and an incredible production team, headed up by executive producers Dean Devlin and John Rogers," added Michael Wright, senior vice president in charge of the Content Creation Group for TNT, TBS and TCM. "We're very proud that this show has gotten off to such a great start and look forward to its continued success in its regular Tuesday time slot."