If anyone was wondering whether History's "Hatfields & McCoys" could sustain its high ratings over the course of its three-night run, the answer is "yes" -- and then some.

According to a press release by the network, the third installment of the family feud mini-series starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton is the number one entertainment telecast on ad supported cable in fourteen years. The viewers climbed from 13.9 million on the first night to a whopping 14.3 million for night three, a number that is considered magical for network television, let alone cable. The network also reports that May 28-30 was the highest trafficked three day period of all time for History.com, attracting 1.6 million unique viewers.

Is it a coincidence that an extended preview of Hatfields & McCoys was played in front of that other summer blockbuster "The Avengers"? Maybe. When a huge hit like this comes out of nowhere, it's usually because of good marketing, and being the right story in the right place and time. But all I know for sure is that I saw "The Avengers" three times, and all three times, "Hatfields & McCoys" was there.