"Gladiators" return gives NBC some muscle

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "American Gladiators" made a strong return to television, with NBC's remake of the 1980s athletic competition drawing 12 million viewers in its two-hour debut Sunday, the struggling network's highest-rated premiere for a new show since "Heroes" in September 2006.

Its 5.9 rating/14 share among adults 18-49, a demographic targeted by advertisers, makes it the highest-rated new series premiere on any network this season.

ABC's "Cashmere Mafia" had a less promising debut behind the last episode of "Desperate Housewives" completed before the writers strike.

"Housewives" averaged 19.8 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen results. "Cashmere" followed at 10 p.m., losing almost half its lead-in, with 10.7 million viewers. It dropped 15% between the first and second half-hour, a sign that viewers lost interest and clicked elsewhere. The female ensemble moves to its regular Wednesday slot.

For the night, a football overrun-inflated CBS (15.3 million) was tops in total viewers, followed by ABC (12.8 million) and NBC (11.2 million).

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter