QUICK TAKES - June 24, 2009

Breaking up may be hard to do, but it sure helps reel in viewers.

Monday night’s highly promoted episode of “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” in which the embattled couple announced their separation (and later divorce), lifted the reality show’s sinking ratings. The episode attracted 10.6 million viewers, the largest prime-time audience ever for the TLC cable channel.

Now that the looming question surrounding the Gosselins’ 10-year marriage has been answered, another question remains: Will fans continue to tune in? We’ll have to wait to find out, since TLC said Tuesday that the series is taking a production break. New episodes are expected to resume Aug. 3.

-- Yvonne Villarreal