"Sarah Palin's Alaska" Sets TLC Debut Record

(CBS)"Sarah Palin's Alaska" broke ratings records for TLC when it debuted Sunday night.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the first of a planned eight episodes, the Palin family adventure show drew 5 million TV viewers, making it the most watched launch ever of a TLC show.

The TLC ratings record for a show still is 10 million who watched a mid-season divorce episode of "Jon and Kate Plus Eight."

The Palin show appears to be part documentary and travelogue and part campaign biopic. Producer Mark Burnett has defended the show as "completely non political."

The former Alaska governor did use some of her airtime to criticize journalist Joe McGinniss, who over the summer moved into the house next door to Palin while researching a book on her.