According to Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva, “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. drew 11.9 million live viewers and a 4.6 rating in adults 18-49 in its debut last night. It was television’s highest-rated premiere in 18-49 in nearly 4 years, since November 3, 2009.”

“That adult demo number is particular impressive given the show’s time slot. S.H.I.E.L.D. had to self-start at 8 p.m. — no lead-in — and ran against huge competition: NBC’s The Voice and CBS’ NCIS are two of the most popular shows on television. And how did it stand up? S.H.I.E.L.D. (recap here) actually managed to tie the two-hour The Voice overall in the demo (4.6) — and beat it head-to-head during the 8 p.m. hour — while trouncing the return of NCIS in the demo (3.4), though obviously losing among total viewers (19.4 million),” wrote James Hibberd for USA Today.

Marvel has also launched new products, including S.H.I.E.L.D. t-shirts, as a follow-on to the show’s debut.