Heavily hyped premiere draws only 9 million viewers

Fast National raitngs for Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2008

The heavy advance buzz for "Fringe" didn't translate to very big ratings Tuesday night. Though FOX did win the night among adults 18-49, the show was hardly a breakout success.

NBC led the overall race with a 6.6 rating/11 share among households, beating FOX, 5.2/8 (among total viewers, NBC's lead was about 2 million people). ABC took third at 4.1/7. CBS, 3.7/6, came in fourth, and The CW trailed with a 2.2/3.

FOX led the adults 18-49 demographic with a 2.9 rating. ABC finished second at 2.7, followed by NBC, 2.4, and CBS, 2.1. The CW earned a 1.5.

"America's Got Talent," 6.7/11, put NBC on top at 8 p.m. The "Fringe" premiere scored a 5.9/9 for FOX. CBS finished third in households with "Big Brother 10" (4.5/7), but ABC's "Wipeout" had more viewers. The CW's "90210" fell off significantly in its second week, drawing a 2.3/4.

NBC stayed in front at 9 p.m. as "America's Got Talent" improved to 7.9/12. The conclusion of "Fringe," 5.9/9, and "Hole in the Wall," 3.3/5, kept FOX in second. Another hour of "Wipeout" drew a 3.9/6 for ABC, beating out the special "Fashion Rocks" on CBS. The premiere of "Privileged" scored a 2.1/3 for The CW.

A "Law & Order: SVU" rerun (5.2/9) completed NBC's sweep of the night at 10 p.m. "Primetime: Medical Mysteries" drew a 4.4/8 for ABC, and "Fashion Rocks" delivered a 3.5/6 for CBS.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.