Few cable series outpace broadcast hits, but increasingly the strongest are beating many of their big-network rivals. TNT's "Rizzoli & Isles" averaged 8.8 million viewers for its 10-week summer run, and five others topped 6 million. Among viewers ages 18 to 49, AMC's zombie drama "The Walking Dead" and MTV's "Jersey Shore" were huge. "These are eye-popping numbers you didn't see a few years ago," says Jon Marks, senior vice president of research at Turner.
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