ABC/CRAIG SJODINMaybe Ben Flajnik's the kind of guy you warm up to.
At least that's what The Bachelor's hoping after a record-low ratings start.
Monday's two-hour premiere averaged an estimated 7.7 million viewers, and notched a 2.4 rating among 18-49-year-olds. Both numbers mark premiere lows for the franchise.
To be fair, Flajnik didn't strike out entirely.
Even as it was outdrawn by CBS' comedy slate, The Bachelor owned the 8-10 p.m. hours among 18-34-year-old women.
Or, in other words, the people who were supposed to tune in tuned in.
Here's a look at some other TV ratings winners and losers:
• Celebrity Wife Swap (estimated 6.3 million viewers): Goofy? Perhaps. Too tempting to ignore? Ditto. The star-infused reality series held onto all of The Bachelor's audience in the 18-49 demo.
• Two and a Half Men (estimated 13.8 million viewers): If it makes Flajnik feel better, even Monday's No. 1 show wasn't in top form.
• Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest (estimated 22.6 million viewers): Per ABC, the 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. hour hit an 11-year high, and drew the network's largest audience for a special after the Academy Awards. Not a bad way to ring in 2012.
• Beyoncé's baby-to-be: MTV's 2011 Video Music Awards, featuring a certain singer's pregnancy announcement, was cable's most-watched non-sports show of 2011, year-end rankings show.