After months of hype declaring prodigal showrunner Aaron Sorkin as perpetually fourth-place network NBC's Nielsen Messiah, the (preliminary) ratings numbers for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip's breathlessly anticipated premiere are finally in. And? While NBC seems to have edged out longtime tormentor CBS for first place in both overall viewers and the coveted™ 18-49 demographic, the Peacock's savior was proven to be the bald-pated, OCD-riddled ringmaster of their lowbrow, people-shouting-at-briefcases circus, not their troubled, celebrated dialogue-stylist. Reports Zap2it.com:

The season premiere of "Deal or No Deal" put NBC on top at 8 p.m. with an 8.9/14. [...]

"Deal or No Deal" improved to 10.2/15 at 9 p.m. to keep NBC in the lead. [...]

At 10 p.m., the season premiere of "CSI: Miami" scored the night's biggest audience with an 11.2/17. "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" averaged a decent 8.6/14 for NBC but lost a significant number of viewers in its second half-hour. ABC was third with "Supernanny," 4.8/8.

Although much has been made of NBC's commitment to making Studio 60 a success, maybe the show's premiere could have defeated CSI: Miami if the network showed the same kind of win-at-any-human-cost dedication shown by CBS's promotional department, perhaps by staging headline-grabbing, dual stunt-relapses by Sorkin and star Matthew Perry. As usual, it seems like Les Moonves and his ruthless crew just wanted it more.

• Season's First Night Goes to NBC [Zap2it.com]
• 'Studio 60' Article Provides Yet Another Opportunity For Us To Bring Up Aaron Sorkin's Substance Abuse Problems [Defamer]

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