Viewers appear to be interested in the on-air dissolution of Kim Kardashian’s marriage.

The new season of Kourtney & Kim Take New York, which chronicles Kim’s brief married life to husband Kris Humphries, debuted big on E! Sunday night.

Preliminary ratings show that the series topped all previous openers, attracting just shy of 3.2 million total viewers during its broadcast. The previous run of the series, which bowed in January of 2011, debuted to 3 million viewers.

Among those tuning in, 2.3 million were in the 18-49 demographic. That marked a 8 percent gain over the previous premiere.

Another big gain for the series was its showing in women 18-49. E! reports the episode ranks in the network’s top 10 highest rated telecasts ever among the group. For adults 18-49, it’s in the top 20.

Previous Keeping Up With the Kardashians spin-off Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami averaged only 2.6 million during its second season premiere.

That’s not to say a showing this strong is unusual for the Kardashians. Different iterations of the series have hit recent highs, with the sixth season run of Keeping Up With the Kardashians ending on high ratings. The Sept. 5 finale averaged 3.3 million viewers, with a 15 percent gain in adults 18-49.

Most recently, the two-part special Kim’s Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event averaged 4.4 million viewers on its first night and 4 million during its second. The event earned respective 2.56 and 2.51 ratings in adults 18-49.

The highest showing in franchise history, 4.7 million viewers, still belongs to the fifth season premiere of Keeping Up With the Kardashians in 2010.

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