NBC's 'Heroes' hits another high

Morning Ratings Flash - Rick Kissell

By RICK KISSELL

Hot first-year drama "Heroes" was the top-rated program among young adults on Monday, teaming with another strong perf by "Deal or No Deal" to lift NBC to victory on the night in demos.

According to preliminary nationals from Nielsen, "Heroes" (6.9 rating/16 share in adults 18-49, 16.0 million viewers overall) delivered the strongest demo rating of the season for an NBC entertainment series, and the best number for any rookie skein on any net in the past two seasons. "Deal or No Deal" (4.9/13 in 18-49, 16.7 million viewers overall) remained hot at 8, but the net couldn't keep the momentum going at 10 as "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" was low (3.1/8 in 18-49, 7.3 million viewers overall).

CBS, a solid second on the night in demos, was paced as usual by "CSI: Miami" (5.9/15 in 18-49, 18.2 million viewers overall) and "Two and a Half Men" (4.7/11 in 18-49, 15.3 million viewers overall). In the opening hour, the combo of "How I Met Your Mother" (3.2/9 in 18-49, 8.9 million viewers overall) and "The Class" (2.9/7 in 18-49, 8.3 million viewers overall) placed fourth in some categories.

Fox's "Prison Break" delivered its best numbers since August (4.0/10 in 18-49, 9.6 million viewers overall) in advance of its fall finale next week. Show placed second to NBC's "Deal" in key demos.

ABC did OK with a pair of "Charlie Brown" specs from 8 to 9 (3.2/8 in 18-49, 9.5 million viewers overall) but "The Bachelor" (2.7/6 in 18-49, 7.4 million viewers overall) and "What About Brian" (2.4/6 in 18-49, 5.3 million viewers overall) were below par.

Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: NBC, 5.0/12; CBS, 4.4/11; Fox, 3.5/9; ABC, 2.8/7; Univision, 1.6/4; CW, 1.2/3.

In total viewers: CBS, 13.4 million; NBC, 13.3 million; Fox, 9.0 million; ABC, 7.4 million; Univision, 3.6 million; CW, 2.9 million.