14.3 million viewers overall tuned in to the series debut of "Heroes", making it the highest rating for any NBC drama premiere in the past five years ("Crossing Jordan" in 2001 held the previous record).
The show took in a 5.9/14 rating, a 12% improvement in the timeslot from last year and an 18% improvement in the demo. The show is slightly less than ABC's "Brothers and Sisters" (15.7 million viewers) and CBS's "Shark" (14.7 million) as the highest rating so far this Fall for any new series premiere.
Those other two shows however had major lead-ins from other proven hits ("Desperate Housewives" and "CSI" respectively) and whereas both shows saw significant drops during their broadcasts, "Heroes" had an actual increase of 1.1 million viewers in its second half.
Despite two-thirds of the twenty-four new shows this Fall having been launched, no real "Lost" or "Grey's Anatomy" stule breakout hit has emerged as yet. Regular shows though continue to perform as solidly as ever despite timeslot shake-ups.
The much-hyped "Studio 60" had a decent 13.4 million turnout whilst "Jericho" was also one of the few to gain audience members during its broadcast. Other shows have seen some disappointing results such as "Standoff", "Smith", "The Class", "Justice" and "Kidnapped" all dead at the gate.
Several high profile shows have yet to air with the likes of "The Nine", "Ugly Betty" and "Friday Night Lights" premiering this week or next.
