"Rules of Engagement" premiere up, "Big Bang" top rated

Los Angeles: With ratings for Game 2 of the World Series on Fox still pending, CBS currently holds the top ratings slot for Thursday, thanks largely to the top-rated "The Big Bang Theory" and a strong season premiere for "Rules of Engagement," according to preliminary numbers.

"Big Bang Theory" opened the night for CBS at 8 p.m., growing 7 percent over last week with a 4.9 rating/15 share in the adults 18-49 demographic and 14.6 million total viewers. "Rules of Engagement" followed at 8:30, showing a 17 percent improvement over last year`s premiere (which was on a Monday at 8:30) with a 3.7/10 in the demographic and 11.4 million total viewers. "Person of Interest" at 9 p.m. was down 4 percent with a 2.7/7 in the demographic and 12.2 million total viewers, while "The Mentalist" closed the night for the network, tying last week`s season low with a 2.5/7 and 12.5 million total viewers. Overall, CBS averaged a 3.2/9 and 12.6 million total viewers. At ABC, the evening began with "Charlie`s Angels" at 8, which slipped 8 percent for a 1.2/4 and 5.6 million total viewers. (CBS canceled it last week but is airing the remaining episodes.) "Grey`s Anatomy" at 9 drew a 3.5/9 and 9.3 million total viewers, while "Private Practice" ended the night at 10 with a 2.4/6 and 6.5 million total viewers. Bureau Report