Alphabet comedies lead pack on Tuesday night
Ritter's final 'Rules' run boosts ABC
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Strong perf also helped the Alphabet comedies airing behind it, the new "I'm With Her" and vet "According to Jim," open well. Night was also a good one for NBC's "Frasier" and "Law & Order: SVU" and UPN laffer "All of Us," but it wasn't kind to the premiere of the WB drama "One Tree Hill" or skedmate "Gilmore Girls."
And in something of a surprise, hot rookie FX drama "Nip/Tuck," despite facing three broadcast dramas at 10, hit a ratings high.
Overall, ABC led the night in 18-49 (5.0/13), with NBC a solid second (4.5/12) and first in overall audience, edging out CBS, according to Nielsen.
"8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" (7.0/21 in adults 18-49, 16.97 million viewers overall) hit a series high with its second-season opener and teamed with the premiere of romantic comedy "I'm With Her" (5.7/16 in adults 18-49, 13.19m) to give ABC a lock on the opening hour. "Her" was especially strong in women 25-54 (7.5/18).
'Frasier' rebound
The Alphabet also led in 18-49 at 9 with third-year "According to Jim" (5.4/14), which beat out the first half of an hourlong "Frasier" on NBC (5.0/13). "Frasier," which easily led at 9:30 opposite ABC's "Less Than Perfect" (5.7/14 vs. 4.0/10), was down from its season opener a year ago but looked healthier relative to its shaky season-closing numbers.
"Good Morning Miami" will bow at 9:30 for NBC this Tuesday.
From 8 to 9, rookie laffers "Whoopi" (2.9/9 in A18-49, 8.77m) and "Happy Family" (3.2/9, 9.24m) again declined but are at respectable levels given the ABC momentum in the hour.
The Peacock closed the night strong, with "Law & Order: SVU" (5.2/14 in A18-49, 13.23m) dominating ABC's "NYPD Blue" (3.8/10, 10.24m) and CBS' "Judging Amy" (3.0/8, 11.85m). Fifth-year "Amy" hit a firstrun 18-49 low and 11th-year "Blue" flirted with its lowest.
Slice of aud
Opposite the three network dramas, FX's "Nip/Tuck" stitched together its best delivery to date among adults 18-49 and 25-54 (2.7 million viewers in each). Skein, which will wrap its first season Oct. 21, ranks as basic cable's highest-rated new series of the year in the those demos.
At CBS, "JAG" spinoff "Navy NCIS" (2.6/8 in adults 18-49, 13.03m) placed second in 25-54 (4.1/11) and, like the other shows in the 8 o'clock hour, was likely impacted by ABC's strength. At 9, "The Guardian" (2.6/7 in A18-49, 11.75m,) retained most of its 18-49 lead-in from "NCIS" and posted its best 25-54 score since February (third-place 3.8/9).
In a surprise, UPN bested the WB on the night in adults 18-34 (1.6/5 vs. 1.5/5) as Tuesday fell apart for the Frog without "Smallville."
"Gilmore Girls" (1.8/5 in A18-49, 4.53m) tumbled 38% year-to-year in 18-34 (2.1/7 vs. 3.4/10) and new drama "One Tree Hill" (0.8/2, 2.48m) was barely a blip on the ratings screen, topped in 18-34 by UPN's combo of "Rock Me Baby" and "The Mullets" (1.3/4 vs. 0.9/3).
UPN is looking pretty solid from 8 to 9, especially new 8:30 laffer "All of Us," which built nicely on "One on One" in adults 18-34 (2.3/7 vs. 1.6/6) and was up a tick from its preem.
Fox, with a special two-hour seg of "Paradise Hotel," ran third on the night in 18-49 (3.4/9) but was definitely a factor among the youngest of adults, edging out ABC from 8 to 10 to win among 18-34 (4.5/14).
