The biggest gamble of the TV season has paid off. CBS decided to move its hit comedy The Big Bang Theory to Thursday to start a new night of comedy and try to steal the thunder from NBC's long-standing Must-See TV lineup.

Mission accomplished.

Monday Ratings: Lone Star Flops, The Event Soars>>
Tuesday Ratings: Glee Hits a High Note>>
Wednesday Ratings: Modern Family, The Defenders Score Big>>

The Big Bang Theory crushed the competition at 8pm and helped lead CBS to victories in all time slots, just like the network did Wednesday night.

ABC
My Generation (8pm): 5.4 million
Grey's Anatomy (9pm): 14 million
Private Practice (10pm): 9 million

CBS
The Big Bang Theory (8pm): 13.95 million
$#*! My Dad Says (8:30pm): 12.5 million
CSI (9pm): 14.6 million
The Mentalist (10pm): 15.3 million

NBC
Community (8pm): 5 million
30 Rock (8:30pm): 5.85 million
The Office (9pm): 8.4 million
Outsourced (9:30pm): 7.4 million
The Apprentice (10pm): 3.85 million

FOX
Bones (8pm): 9.8 million
Fringe (9pm): 5.8 million

THE CW
The Vampire Diaries (8pm): 3.6 million
Nikita (9pm): 3.2 million

With The Big Bang Theory's success, CBS has a lot of reasons to cheer. The Mentalist was the night's highest-rated program and the series premiere of $#*! My Dad Says became the top-rated comedy of the new season and, behind Hawaii Five-0, is the most watched new show of the season. It's worth noting that CBS exactly has the four most-watched new shows this fall along with The Defenders and Mike and Molly.

ABC had a very weak opening for its new drama My Generation, probably due to the fact that ABC tried to start a night with a new show instead of following the CBS strategy and using a popular show as a lead-in.

Despite going against The Big Bang Theory, NBC's Community was on par with its season 1 average and the rest of NBC did roughly the same. The biggest disappointment has to be The Apprentice, which is being demolished with its non-celebrity season. FOX also did about average with the return of Bones and Fringe.

Perhaps just as impressive as CBS is the CW. Despite facing an onslaught of returning shows, The Vampire Diaries had a 20 percent increase over last week. I guess people really do love werewolves.


(Image courtesy of CBS)