Primetime Ratings: Super Start For CBS Premieres
‘NCIS' reaches close to 20 million in debut, ‘NCIS: LA' and ‘Good Wife' win time slots
By David Tanklefsky -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/23/2009 12:11:43 PM
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CBS trounced the competition last night with the season premiere of NCIS, which attracted nearly 20 million viewers, and the series debuts of NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife, both of which easily won their respective time slots.
The return of NCIS won the opening primetime hour with a 4.6/13 and 19.9 million viewers. It was a big increase from last fall's season debut, which averaged a 3.5/10 and drew 17.7 million viewers. Hell's Kitchen on Fox was next at 3.2/9. ABC's Dancing With the Stars was just behind at 3.1/9 but second in viewers with 14.1 million. NBC was fourth with a 2.9/8 for the first hour of Biggest Loser. 90210 on The CW was fifth with a 1.1/3.
The series premiere of NCIS: LA came in at 4.3/11 and retained most of the viewers from its lead-in, with 18.3 million tuning in. The second hour of Dancing With the Stars came in at 3.8/10 with 16.2 million viewers. Fox's second hour of Hell's Kitchen earned a 3.4/8, with NBC just behind at 3.3/8 for the second hour of Loser. In fifth was the CW at 0.8/2 for Melrose Place.
CBS' new 10 p.m. drama The Good Wife debuted with a 3.1/9 and 13.7 million viewers Tuesday night, winning the time slot in both categories. It topped ABC's The Forgotten, which debuted at 2.5/7, and The Jay Leno Show, which rose to 2.4/7 after it registered its lowest ratings yet on Monday. Leno was likely boosted by strong lead-in ratings from The Biggest Loser.
On the night, CBS was easily tops with a 4.0/11 and 17.3 million viewers. Fox was next at 3.3/9, with ABC just off that pace with a 3.2/9. NBC was fourth at 2.9/8. The CW came in fifth with a 0.9/3.
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