Despite less-than-scintillating numbers for the premiere of family comedy "The Pitts," Fox's all-laffer lineup prevailed on Sunday in adults 18-49 and 18-34 while NBC moved ahead in adults 25-54 and total viewers, according to preliminary nationals from Nielsen.
"The Pitts" (3.8/8 in adults 18-49, 9.0 million viewers overall) retained 81% of its 18-49 lead-in from "Malcolm in the Middle" (4.7/11, 10.9 million viewers overall) and placed third in its 9:30 timeslot. At 8:30, the net's "Oliver Beene" retained a still-solid 83% of its lead-in from "The Simpsons" (5.3/13 in adults 18-49, 12.4 million viewers overall), with both shows leading their slots in key demos.
NBC was led as usual by "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (4.9/11 in adults 18-49, 14.4 million viewers overall), although this was one of its lower scores in a while, edging past ABC's "Alias" (4.6/10 in adults 18-49) and Fox's comedy block (4.2/9).
At 10, NBC's "Boomtown" also looked weaker than recent outings (3.7/10 in adults 18-49, 9.7 million viewers overall) although it again won out over ABC's "Dragnet" (3.3/8 in adults 18-49, 9.9 million viewers).
Reliable numbers were unavailable for CBS programs due to a roughly 30-minute overrun for NCAA men's basketball coverage.
Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: Fox, 3.9/10; NBC, 3.5/9; ABC, 3.4/8; CBS, 3.1/8.
Contact Rick Kissell at
rick.kissell@variety.com