The TV Zone

Normally don't get into the ratings game, but the first night of the new season is worth noting: "Dancing" came out strong, with 21.1 million viewers, but...that was still down 9 percent from a year ago (per Hollywood Reporter's wrap.) What means this? I'm not sure, other than the fact that the networks have been worried that viewers left network TV during the strike and it's gonna be hard as heck getting 'em back. This seems to indicate that, though "DWTS's" numbers (like most numbers) did soften last season. Much worse news for "Heroes" on Monday, which got only 9.9 million, or down 25 percent from a year ago, for its two hour opener, which I thought was pretty good overall. Of the big guns on Monday, it looks like only "Two and a Half Men" (almost 15 million) did well, up ten percent from last year's opener.