TV Ratings: Monday (1/14/08)

"Terminator" lost a bug chunk of its premiere audience last night, yet it still managed to come out of the Nielsen battle as a winner. Find out why, after the jump. Plus, how the writers' strike is actually helping NBC.

"Terminator" plunged from 18+ million viewers who tuned in on Sunday night to only 10.07 million viewers on Monday at 9:00 p.m.

Although it may seem the show lost almost half its audience, the series premiere on Sunday night aired after an NFL playoff game that lured over 37 million people.

The second episode aired after the return of "Prison Break" which pulled in only 7.89 million viewers and finished fourth in the time slot.

"Prison Break" has averaged a somewhat modest 8.08 million viewers this season. Last season the Wentworth Miller-fronted drama averaged a heftier 9.32 million viewers.

That means "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" has build on its lead-in making it a winner. But can the show hold on to those numbers or will it continue to bleed?

Meanwhile, NBC continues to score with its slate of reality shows. The network's "Deal Or No Deal" exceeded the recent ratings of the regular time slot occupant "Heroes," which is much more expensive and difficult to produce, by about 50%.

"Deal Or No Deal" was also the most watched show in America last night. Losers of the evening? ABC's "Notes from the Underbelly" and "October Road."

ABC:
8:00pm Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (10.50 million)
9:30pm Notes From the Underbelly (4.75 million)
10:00pm October Road (4.89 million)

CBS:
8:00pm How I Met Your Mother (R) (7.34 million)
8:30pm The Big Bang Theory (R) (8.16 million)
9:00pm Two and a Half Men (R) (11.49 million)
9:30pm Rules of Engagement (R) (8.52 million)
10:00pm CSI: Miami (14.70 million)

NBC:
8:00pm American Gladiators (10.66 million)
9:00pm Deal or No Deal (15.00 million)
10:00pm Medium (9.54 million)

Fox:
8:00pm Prison Break (7.89 million)
9:00pm The Sarah Connor Chronicles (10.07 million)

CW:
8:00pm Everybody Hates Chris (R) (2.04 million)
8:30pm Aliens in America (R) (1.31 million)
9:00pm Girlfriends(R) (1.32 million)
9:30pm The Game (R) (1.67 million)

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