January
14 I'll be...big: 'Terminator' is the season's biggest debut

Scripted series aren't dead!

Just two weeks after "American Gladiators" debuted to the season's best ratings for a new show, Fox's wordily titled "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles" has bowed to even bigger numbers.

With a big assist from the NFL, "T: SCC" drew more than 18 million pairs of eyeballs and notched a whammo 7.6/18 in adults 18-49, according to prelim national Nielsen numbers. All that, and great reviews, too. (Although the opinions of our Season Pass panel were decidedly mixed.)

It was great news for Fox, which has struggled to come up with scripted hits in recent years. Also doing a happy dance (the Robot, perhaps?) were the folks over at Warner Bros. TV. Studio has been on a roll this season, with a series of successes ("Big Bang Theory," "Pushing Daisies," "Chuck," "Gossip Girl").

Variety has the complete ratings 411 here. The question now is whether those who watched will say "I'll be back" when "T:SCC" settles into its regular Monday slot tonight.

--Josef Adalian