1.3 million viewers watched premiere of ‘Welcome to Myrtle Manor’ Sunday

About 1.3 million people tuned in to watch the Sunday premiere of TLC’s “Welcome to Myrtle Manor,” according to a network spokeswoman.

That number is more than twice as many as the cast members expected but millions fewer than History Channel’s “The Bible,” which was the cable show that brought in the most viewers with 13.1 million. “The Bible” premiered Sunday at 8 p.m. TLC spokeswoman Shannon Martin said it’s against the network’s policy to discuss the ratings of their shows in comparison to others.

“Myrtle Manor” is a docu-series that was shot in Patrick’s Mobile Home Park off of Highway 15 in Myrtle Beach last year.

“That’s a fantastic number,” said Cecil Patrick, cast member on the show and owner of the trailer park. “They are tickled to death. We were expecting around a half a million and we hit 1.3 million.”

Patrick said tons of people have driven by the trailer park and that he’s gotten many calls from former workers. He’s also received calls from people who want to buy merchandise and would like to rent a trailer, but they are not yet set up for those types of rentals.

Patrick told The Sun News last week that he was considering offering vacation rentals because so many people have inquired about the show.

The show premiered to mixed reaction from Myrtle Beach residents. Cast members were mostly pleased with the episode while many Myrtle Beach residents and regulars shared their displeasure on various forms of social media.

Myrtle Beach residents and frequent visitors took to Twitter, Facebook and the comment section of The Sun News to share their thoughts on the show. Common complaints were that the show made the city look bad, that the show was staged and scripted and some said they found the episode to be boring.

This story was originally published March 5, 2013 at 3:48 PM with the headline "1.3 million viewers watched premiere of ‘Welcome to Myrtle Manor’ Sunday."