‘SEAL Team Six’ premieres to record ratings

From left, Kenneth Miller, Anson Mount, Freddy Rodriguez and Cam Gigandet get orders in a scene from “SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden.”

The network aired the Weinstein Co.’s “SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden” on Sunday, Nov. 4 as an original broadcast. The movie pulled in 2.7 million viewers, which gave the cable network its highest ratings of the year.

The initial broadcast of the film, which was told the story of the Navy SEAL’s behind the raid and assassination of bin Laden in 2011, averaged 2.7 million viewers. The film also drew a 1.4 rating among adults 25-54, which is nearly five times the network’s 0.3 average and 1.9 among ment 25-54.

“SEAL Team Six” ranks as the highest-rated telecast in adults 25-54 since August 2011′s “George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview,” which drew 1.7 million.

“SEAL Team Six” stars Freddy Rodriquez, Cam Gigandet, Anson Mount, Robert Knepper, Kathleen Robertson, Eddie Kay Thomas and former Albuquerque resident, TV personality and rapper Xzibit. Albuquerque native — and Albuquerque Academy alum — Kenneth Miller also stars in the film.

All of the actors have extensive screen time: Rodriguez appeared in the TV series “Six Feet Under,” Gigandet was in “Twilight,” Mount is on AMC’s “Hell on Wheels,” Knepper starred in Fox’s “Prison Break” for six years, Robertson appeared in “Beverly Hills 90210″ and Thomas was in the “American Pie” series.

The movie was filmed in February at various locations around Santa Fe. At the Old Main Prison, crews built a model of the bin Laden compound, where the majority of filming took place. Waldo Canyon was used to replicate Afghanistan’s backcountry, and the Toney Anaya Building stood in for the CIA headquarters.

The film employed close to 500 New Mexicans — 100 crew members and 380 extras. It is directed by John Stockwell and will air again at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 on NatGeo. It is also available through Netflix.