Like Allahpundit, my first thought was something along the lines of this bump being an oddity because people were tuning in out of curiosity. It was, after all, the first show since Olbermann’s departure. Lots of people were bound to tune in to see what would happen now.

But wait. Because this isn’t the first time Olbermann’s absence has been good for MSNBC’s ratings. Remember this? Ratings soared when Lawrence O’Donnell filled in for Olbermann last April. Olbermann returned and viewership plummeted again. So there’s precedent for ratings increases aligning with Olberdouche being absent.

Still, the question remains: After-departure curiosity bounce or the new normal? We shall see.