Ratings: Ringer Scores 2.7 Million Viewers; Parenthood Debut Down 15 Percent

Ringer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar in her much ballyhooed return to TV, drew 2.7 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen data, boosting The CW to its most-watched Tuesday night in two years.

The series, which has gotten decidedly mixed reviews, also scored a 1.2 rating among 18-to-49-year-olds — one-third of the 3.6 rating snagged by America's Got Talent's penultimate episode (which lured 13.20 million in viewership) at the same hour (9/8c).

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Ringer, in which Gellar plays estranged twins, won in The CW's pet 18-to-34 (especially female) demo in major markets, and posted a 66 percent increase in total viewership and 50 percent in the overall adult demo compared with Life Unexpected in the same time slot last year — that's the good news. The bad news? Ringer's 18-to-49 demo rating only equaled last year's Hellcats, which garnered a solid-if-not-stellar 3 million viewers — and then sis-boom-bahed down to oblivion.

A two-hour ABC News Special Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words averaged 8.43 million people (1.5 demo rating), while an NCIS: Los Angeles repeat and back-to-back reruns of Raising Hope raised 8.48 million and 1.91 million, respectively.

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In prime time's first hour Tuesday night, the return of The CW's 90210 scored 1.63 million fans (0.8 demo rating — down 11 percent) against an NCIS rerun (10.12 million), Wipeout (6.09 million), It's Worth What? (4.70 million) and a Glee repeat (2.73 million).

And in prime time's final hour, the season premiere of Parenthood grabbed 6.78 million -- a time slot-winning 2.3 demo rating, but down 15 percent from 2010's fall opener — vs. the second hour of the news special (8.73 million/1.5) and a second NCIS: LA repeat (8.04 million/1.7).