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Pan Am, Fringe Premieres: Cruising or Crushing?

by Joal Ryan Mon., Sep. 26, 2011 10:47 AM PDT

Craig Blankenhorn/FOX

Pan Am took off. Fringe didn't crash.

A rundown of the weekend's premiere-week TV ratings:

VOTE: Thumbs up or down on Pan Am?

SO FAR, SO OK

• Pan Am (10.9 million viewers, per estimates): Sunday's most-watched scripted show was solid, if not as showy as all the promos or dollars spent on the pilot.

• Family Guy (7.6 million viewers): Off from last fall, but still a major dude magnet.

• Saturday Night Live: Down about 10 percent versus last fall's Amy Poehler-hosted opener, but these blips tend to happen over the course of 37 seasons.

HOW DO THEY DO IT?

• The Simpsons (7.9 million viewers): Now approximately one million years old, the toon didn't look its advanced age. At all. It was actually up from year.

• Desperate Housewives (9.8 million viewers): Easily its least-watched premiere ever, and yet the retirement-bound Wisteria Lane ladies still managed to stay demographically relevant.

MEH

• The Good Wife (10.5 million viewers) and CSI: Miami (10 million viewers): The overall numbers were obviously OK, if down from last fall. Both shows, though, were pretty punchless among adults who count (and/or watch The Amazing Race).

MORAL VICTORY

• Fringe (3.5 million viewers): Premiering for the first time in the Twilight Zone that is Friday night, the Joshua Jackson cult series did as much as it could, which was a whole lot better than the poor Good Guys did in the time slot last fall.

PHOTOS: 2011 Fall TV Preview