In case you give a damn, preliminary Nielsen data tell us that the Jersey Shore Season 4 premiere earned a 4.6 rating among adults ages 18-49 and a projected 9.7 million viewers overall.

Let’s put these staggering numbers in perspective: Broadcast TV’s top rated show last week, America’s Got Talent, averaged about 10.5 million viewers for its two shows.

The next highest broadcast TV show, NCIS, gained 8.9 million. The highest ranking cable show, Pawn Stars, gained 6.9 million viewers.

So, with 9.7 million viewers, Jersey Shore ranks among the highest rated TV shows of the summer – an extremely impressive feat considering it is only available on pay cable TV with less subscribers than free broadcast TV obviously.

What does this say about America?