DEBUTS DELIVER MIXED BAG
THURSDAY night’s high-profile premieres on NBC and CBS didn’t set the world on fire — but didn’t tank, either.
Amy Poehler’s much- ballyhooed sitcom, “Parks and Recreation,” averaged 6.8 million viewers to finish third in its timeslot, shedding roughly 500,000 viewers from its lead-in, “The Office.”
Better news for NBC’s “Parks” was that it finished second in adults 18-49 (behind “Survivor“) — but its lead-out, another episode of “The Office,” which followed at 9 p.m., gained over 1 million viewers.
The 10 p.m. battle between NBC’s new cop drama, “Southland,” and CBS’ new drama, “Harper’s Island,” was a draw of sorts.
“Harper’s” won the timeslot in total viewers (10.5 million) and was first in households — but lost 6 million viewers from its “CSI” lead-in.
“Southland” (Benjamin McKenzie) averaged 9.7 million viewers but won in adults 18-49.
