Rob Schneider’s new sitcom, “Rob,” got off to a strong start Thursday night, snaring a surprising 13.5 million viewers at 8:30.

The show, which received mostly tepid reviews going into its premiere, was no doubt helped by its lead-in, “The Big Bang Theory,” one of TV’s top-rated sitcoms.

In the show — loosely based on his real-life domestic situation — Schneider stars as a landscape architect who marries into a boisterous Mexican-American family.

“Rob’s” solid start provided a solid bridge for “Person of Interest,” which averaged a winnng 14.8 million viewers at 9.

Elsewhere on the ratings front, MTV’s “Jersey Shore” continued to slip, pulling in 6.5 million viewers Thursday night.

That was down over a million viewers from the show’s fifth-season premiere (7.6 million viewers), but was on par with the show’s second episode from last season.

Last October’s Season 4 finale averaged 6.6 million viewers — down 1 million viewers from the Season 3 finale.