Leno's strip off to strapping start

Debut is socko, but how long will it last?

By RICK KISSELL

Nearly 18 million viewers tuned in to Monday's 'The Jay Leno Show' premiere. (Guest Jerry Seinfeld, above)

CW's 'Gossip Girl,' now airing Mondays at 9 p.m., logged its best score since December.

Following a summer under the microscope, NBC's "The Jay Leno Show" received socko sampling in its preem Monday.

The much-scrutinized comedy/talkshow -- the first primetime series to be stripped across each weeknight -- averaged 18.42 million viewers and earned a 5.3 rating/14 share in adults 18-49, according to Nielsen. It also pulled a 6.4/15 in the core news demo of adults 25-54, likely pleasing Peacock affiliates, whose local newscasts now follow Leno.

The premiere numbers exceeded industry expectations, but they're not shocking giving Leno's popularity, NBC's marketing muscle and exposure he received in other media, including a cover story in Time magazine.

NBC also smartly launched the show behind a special Monday episode of "America's Got Talent," which built to 15.4 million viewers in its final half-hour, and one day after the net's "Sunday Night Football" franchise -- featuring a prominent on-air Leno presence -- averaged a whopping 21.1 million viewers.

NBC Universal Television chairman Jeff Gaspin was pleased with the sampling but allowed that "this is just one night" and that the net's focus is on "developing a consistent comedy viewing habit at 10 p.m. over the long haul."

NBC's press release touting the Leno numbers was very subdued, perhaps owing to the criticism the network received after hailing Conan O'Brien as the new latenight king following his impressive opening frame.

Nobody expects "Jay Leno" to stay at this level -- or, frankly, anywhere close. ABC and CBS will start airing firstrun dramas opposite it next week, and Leno's lead-in won't often be this strong. But NBC has said that it would be happy if his average 18-49 rating over the course of the year was above a 1.5 -- a pretty low bar to climb over regardless of the competish.

Leno's primetime debut came in more than 50% higher than his swan song on "The Tonight Show" in late May (3.4 rating in 18-49, 11.9 million viewers overall) and repped NBC's best series performance in the Monday 10 p.m. slot in several years.

Monday's primary guest was comedian Jerry Seinfeld, but some younger auds may have stuck around for rapper Kanye West, who performed and chatted with Leno just one night after his controversial actions at the MTV Video Music Awards.

While overall "Leno" viewership dropped in the second half-hour from 18.9 million to 18 million, the show's ratings grew by 6% in adults 18-49 (5.1 vs. 5.4) and a big 21% in men 18-34 (4.5 vs. 3.7). ("Leno" also may have benefited from the conclusion of the nail-biter "Monday Night Football" game between New England and Buffalo, which wrapped at around 10:15 p.m. in much of the country.)

It's too early to tell, meanwhile, what affect "Jay Leno" will have on O'Brien's perf at 11:30 p.m., but on Monday the new "Tonight Show" host was above average in several categories, with his biggest gains coming in 25-54 and 55-plus.

Elsewhere Monday, CW's season premieres of "One Tree Hill" (1.2/3 in 18-49, 2.45m) and "Gossip Girl" (1.4/3, 2.55m) looked solid despite declines in some categories vs. last year, when they bowed opposite lesser competish on Labor Day.

"Gossip Girl," now airing at 9 o'clock, did grow a bit vs. its 8 o'clock bow of last year in its core women 18-34 demo, logging the show's best score since December (3.4/9) and winning its hour.

And ESPN's "Monday Night Football" is off to its best start yet after opening to impressive numbers for its doubleheader: Buffalo at New England (14 million viewers) and San Diego-Oakland (11.95 million).