Cinefantastique Online

The ratings for the Wednesday night premier of BIONIC WOMAN were the highest for any new television drama this season.

Bolstered by the third consecutive night of “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC edged by a tenth of a point NBC to take its second victory in the first three nights of the new TV season. But NBC, whose “Bionic Woman” came out swinging, winning in adults 18-49 against “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff “Private Practice” (which also did well), kept up the pressure for two of the three hours of primetime, according to preliminary estimates released Thursday by Nielsen Media Research.

The 9 p.m. showdown between the two high-profile NBC and ABC dramas – along with the established “Criminal Minds – was won by NBC’s “Bionice Woman (13.6 million, 5.5/14). “Bionic” grew exponentially from its lead-in, and added nearly a half-rating point in the demo in the second half-hour.