By Gary Levin, USA TODAY
•Murder not foul. The premiere of ABC's Women's Murder Club Friday killed the competition with 10.8 million viewers, sending NBC's Friday Night Lights to 5.5 million, down 14% from last week's return, and CBS' Moonlight to a series-low 7.1 million. Afterward, the season premiere of ABC's Men in Trees sunk 35%, to a third-place 7.1 million, while both NBC's Las Vegas and CBS' Numb3rs climbed from their lead-ins.

RATINGS: How did your favorite new shows fare?

•Football fever. Sunday's late-afternoon CBS matchup between the undefeated New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys averaged 29.1 million viewers, the biggest audience for a regular-season NFL game since 1999. But NBC's Sunday Night Football (11.2 million) scored its lowest rating yet; that's down 39% from last week and worse than ESPN's Monday game (13 million).

•Keeps Pushing. ABC's Pushing Daisies wilted 21%, to 10.3 million viewers, for Wednesday's second episode. But it won its time slot, held steady among viewers ages 18 to 34 and grew among young women, topping America's Next Top Model. Week 2 for Tuesday's Cavemen (7 million) and Carpoolers (7.3 million) fell more sharply.

•News. NBC (7.9 million) edged ABC (7.8 million) in the evening-news race for the fifth time since ABC took the lead in April.

 

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