Paula Abdul's back. V, Parenthood, Pretty Little Liars, The Biggest Loser and The Bachelor, too.
So, yup, vacation's definitely over. But which one of these shows might be, too?
A ratings rundown of the new year's new shows:
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WINNERS
- The Biggest Loser (estimated 8.7 million viewers): You think many people resolved to lose weight in 2011? Last night's season opener scored as the biggest show among adults 18-49.
- Live to Dance (estimated 10.2 million viewers): Was Abdul's show the second coming of American Idol? Nope. Could CBS have gotten better ratings last night from new episodes of NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles? Yup. But Live to Dance did just fine for Live to Dance. (And, hey, overall, it was Tuesday's most-watched show!)
- Brad Womack: So much for women being fed up with Mr. Wrong... Monday's Bachelor premiere (estimated 9 million viewers) was the night's top show among double-X chromosonal types aged 18-34 who just can't help themselves.
- Charlie Sheen: Speaking of Mr. Wrong... Two and a Half Men picked up where it left off: on top. It got the most viewers of any Monday night show, 15.3 million.
- Parenthood (estimated 6 million viewers): Enjoyed its biggest audience since its season premiere, thanks in part to the Biggest Loser boost. Hear that? It's the sound of P-hood fans rejoicing.
- Pretty Little Liars (series-high 4.2 million viewers): What's Gossip Girl again?
- Oprah Winfrey: The queen's OWN cut through the clutter, and established itself on premiere night as the third-most-watched cable network in primetime.
UN-WINNER
- V (estimated 6.6 million viewers): In a way, there's not much difference between this show's winter opener and Parenthood's--and in a way, there is. Parenthood is supposed to struggle; V was supposed to have breakout potential. Now, V's struggling to pull a bigger demo rating than Parenthood. Last night, against less-than-full-strength competition, it fell short.
On the plus side, V had dipped so low last spring that last night's performance was actually an upgrade.
Here's a quick look at some of the top primetime shows from the latest Nielsen Media Research weekly rankings:
- Most-watched scripted show: Desperate Housewives, 12.2 million viewers
- Most-watched reality show: Undercover Boss, 11.9 million viewers
- Most-watched scripted show--cable: The Closer, 6.5 million viewers