Ratings: Sarah Palin’s Alaska Becomes Best Launch in TLC History

Nearly 5 million viewers visited Sarah Palin's Alaska Sunday night, making it the biggest series launch in TLC history, according to the network.

The docu-series from Mark Burnett, which follows the former governor and her family, also drew 1.6 million adults ages 18-49. The one-hour episode topped the 2003 launch of previous record-holder What Not to Wear.

Sarah Palin's Alaska, or The Palins: They're just like us!

Elsewhere on Sunday, AMC's The Walking Dead posted gains from last week, delivering 5.1 million viewers (up from 4.7 million). The zombie drama, which has already been renewed for a second season, drew 3.3 million adults 18-49.

NBC's Sunday Night Football topped all programming for the night with 18.38 million viewers tuning in to see the New England Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fox came in second overall thanks to NFL overrun (21.95 million) followed by steady performances from The Simpsons (8.97 million), The Cleveland Show(6.72 million), Family Guy (7 million) and American Dad (5.38 million).

CBS ranked third for the evening with Undercover Boss and CSI: Miami(10.34 and 10.44 million viewers, respectively). ABC came in fourth with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (8.51 million), Desperate Housewives (11.78 million) and Brothers & Sisters (8.69 million).