American Horror Story returned this Wednesday with a new saga called Coven and made its biggest splash ever.

The FX series saw its biggest premiere ever with over 5.5. million viewers tuning in to watch the first episode of season three. The episode, entitled "Bitchcraft," had 40 percent more viewers than the premiere of American Horror Story: Asylum in 2012.

American Horror Story: Coven averaged a 3.0 rating/9 share in adults ages 18-49. "Bitchcraft" also enjoyed a 39 percent increase in this important demographic, according to Nielsen.

The creepy series easily bested other popular dramas including CBS' long-running CSI. American Horror Story: Coven also saw better numbers than ABC's Nashville, which stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere as country singers. NBC's Ironside, with acting veteran Blair Underwood, was no match for American Horror Story: Coven either.

The only show that did enjoy better numbers than the American Horror Story: Coven premiere was Modern Family, but then again, who could resist Sofia Vergara. Modern Family had a 3.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic Wednesday night.

If you count the repeat showings of "Bitchcraft," which took place at 11:12 p.m. and 1:25 a.m. that same evening, 7.78 million viewers in total tuned in to the FX for a little horror.

"It feels slightly radical that the latest chapter of AHS, a witch saga subtitled Coven, takes people who don't have much of a voice in this country - older women, African-Americans, social outcasts - and turns them into almighty creatures, able to prey on the young and entitled, and occasionally kill white boys with their vaginas," Melissa Maerz, an Entertainment Weekly television critic, wrote.

American Horror Story: Coven stars Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett and Jessica Lange.