Airing across three networks -- A&E, History and Lifetime -- on Sunday night, the first installment of original miniseries Bonnie & Clyde fetched nearly 10 million viewers for the A+E cable family.

TV REVIEW: Bonnie & Clyde

The 9.8 million total leaves it shy of recent efforts The Bible and Hatfields & McCoys, which peaked with a respective 14.3 and 13.1 million viewers on History. Excluding those two efforts, Bonnie & Clyde ranks as the most-watched mini opening since 2006's Broken Trail.

Breaking the ratings down by network, the audience was spread out pretty evenly. History, cable's current miniseries champion, topped with 3.7 million viewers -- and Lifetime (3.1 million) and A&E (3.0 million) followed, neck and neck. The simulcast scored 4.2 million adults 25-54.

Bonnie & Clyde stars Emile Hirsch and Holliday Grainger as the famous bank-robbing duo. The Sony Pictures Television production, from Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, marks the first-ever simulcast across Lifetime, A&E and History.

Unlike recent A+E net minis, Bonnie & Clyde has only a two-night rollout. The conclusion will air Dec. 9 at 9 p.m. on all three networks following an encore of the first installment.